Never Cry Wolf (DVD)

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The film is hard to resist if you like nature, nature photography, and the nature of wolves.

Video:
Oddly, this Disney feature was brought out on DVD by Anchor Bay instead of Buena Vista, and they provide two editions of the film on flip sides of the disc. On side one is a 1.85:1 ratio, non-anamorphic widescreen version, and on side two is a full-frame rendering. The widescreen version offers slightly more to see on the sides but loses a little something on the top and bottom. Overall, though, I found the widescreen alternative the better bet. Picture quality is OK but not outstanding. I noticed some minor age deterioration in the form of occasional flecks and scratches, and the image delineation is only average. Colors, however, are natural and sometimes quite bright, which is the main point in a nature film.

Audio:
Dolby Surround audio is more than adequate for the job, sometimes opening up the back channels to the sounds of raindrops, hoof beats, and wind. Otherwise, it's fairly ordinary sound.

Extras:
English is the only spoken language, and there are no subtitles, but there are twenty chapter stops. Yes, I was expecting more, too.

Parting Thoughts:
As a young man, Mowat put in two stints in the Canadian northland studying wolves, and his 1963 book is a colorful narrative of those times. It was one of the first accounts of actual wolf behavior in the wild, although because of Mowat's sometimes fanciful wit it was not always taken seriously by the scientific community.

Ballard's film starts with the author's basic story, visually highlights its sense of wonder at the harmony of nature, and concludes with the postulate that Man is insensitive to anything but himself. The result is a beautiful motion picture.

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