3 Stars — Wholesome
When Jack London wrote the adventure novel “The Call of the Wild” in 1903, he was writing to a very different nation. The Klondike Gold Rush that enticed thousands of people to face the arctic cold in search of treasure had occurred only 10 years earlier. The Yukon was overrun with people longing to find a new start. But to tell the story of this time without focusing on the fever of the gold was genius. The result is a tale that still speaks today long after the heated rush.
For those unacquainted with the tale, the central character is a dog, Buck, an unruly St. Bernard-collie mix who weighs as much as a man. The supposed pet of Judge Miller (Bradley Whitford) in Santa Clara, he is captured and shipped to the Northwest and experiences cruelty for the first time at the hands of the humans he meets.
But we soon realize that Buck’s journey is not only a journey toward his own freedom and self-discovery, but it is that of a grieving father who has lost his son: John Thornton (Harrison Ford). Beyond comfort and driven to escape his pain, Thornton has gone to the farthest regions of civilization to be alone. Though we discover there is a deeper desire that is beneath his journey, it is clear that he needs help. Providentially, Buck enters his life.
We won’t spoil the tale except to note the overall themes of the film. Often in the struggles of life, we can lose our way or even our sense of self. Buck is not aware of his true ancestors and the reason his size and strength are important. Thinking they only get him in trouble with his civilized master, he doesn’t realize that he is created for far greater, wilder things than being a huge pet.
Similarly, the grief that the loss of a child brings cannot be measured. It goes to the core of our identity and then to the heights of our dreams. Overwhelming all thought and emptying all emotions, the loss of a child tosses us out upon an insensitive world. Though there are those who can see us, most avoid us. But as is true of many animals, the empathetic dog sees the real person beneath the façade.
The adaptation of the book changes some of the characters to make it more acceptable, and the computer-generated dogs bring a level of identification that would not have been possible before now. But the story itself is one that communicates well to all of us who find ourselves on temporary or life-long journeys of self-discovery and acceptance. For that, we are thankful.
Discussion
» The changing of the murder of Thornton from natives to a greedy white person demonstrates how a story needs to change over 120 years. What other changes do you see from the 1903 book to the 2020 film?
» The cruelty of the dog “trainer” using a club on Buck underlines the way many humans treat animals. How do you think we got here, when Adam was given animals as companions in the Garden of Eden?
» It was not until Buck became a part of a pack on the dog sled that he realized his leadership skills. Do you think this is true of many leaders, that they don’t know who they are until the right opportunity presents itself? Why do you answer as you do?
— Cinema in Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary. Hal Conklin is a former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is the retired pastor of Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara and lead superintendent of Free Methodist Church in Southern California. For more reviews, visit www.cinemainfocus.com, or follow them on Twitter: @CinemaInFocus. The opinions expressed are their own.