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The Snow Walker [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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'Snow Walker' Evokes The Power Of Nature To Transform
Review date: 2005-07-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

"The Snow Walker" is based on a short story by Canadian author Farley Mowat, "Walk Well My Brother." Charles Martin Smith, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film, is also an actor, (Terry "The Toad" Fields in "American Graffiti"), and starred in another Mowat adaptation, "Never Cry Wolf."

Mowat is one of the only writers I know who is able to capture and communicate the essence of life in the Arctic wilderness. Barry Lopez is another. This beautiful, haunting movie evokes the ways of the Inuit peoples of the Canadian Arctic, illustrating how human beings are capable of living in harmony with their environment, and of creating honorable societies. Farley Mowat writes of survival and courage, of superstition and destiny, of loyalty to family and tribe in an isolated, untamed, often brutal land. "The Snow Walker" truly captures these themes, as well as the visual magnificence of northern Canada's panorama - the majesty of her vast snowy plains, the monotony of the tundra, thousands of sparkling watery inlets, the extraordinary quality of light, and the variety of wildlife. Cinematographers David Connell, Jon Joffin and Paul Sarossy did a fantastic job. The photography is especially memorable during a misty morning caribou hunt.

"The Snow Walker" is set in the Canadian Northwest Territories, near the Arctic Ocean's Queen Maud Gulf during the summer/autumn of 1953. Arrogant bush pilot, Charlie Halliday, (Barry Pepper), flies supplies and people around the Arctic, and occasionally makes some extra money selling pelts and ivory which he get from the indigenous population. He exploits the Inuit's shamelessly, without wasting a moment's thought, trading them chocolate and Coca-Cola for their valuable goods. Halliday is a WWII veteran, an angry young man, who apparently still suffers nightmares from the horrors he experienced serving as a bomber pilot over Germany. He's handsome in a macho way, with his chiseled features and cocky manner. Women flock to him and he is out for a good time, not much more.

On a routine flight ferrying cargo, he picks up a sick Inuit woman named Kanaalaq, (Annabella Piugattuk), agreeing to take her to a hospital in return for two ivory walrus tusks, offered as payment by her family. He refuses to transport her for free, even though she is visibly suffering from tuberculoses. On the plane trip back to the air base in Yellowknife, serious engine problems occur and the plane crashes. Charlie and Kanaalaq are badly shaken but not really harmed - however, they are stranded in the middle of an immense, desolate wilderness.

Charlie foolishly leaves his plane and the woman, promising, in sign language, to return with help when he reaches the nearest town. He attempts to trek over 200 miles in an old pair of boots, and collapses after a downpour which results in the hatching of millions of mosquitoes who all want to drink his blood. Predictably, Kanaalaq rescues him and proves to be more resilient than she looks, in spite of her deteriorating condition. She teaches him survival skills, and they attempt to learn each other's languages. The story chronicles the growing friendship between the two, as autumn closes in, bringing the danger of freezing temperatures and blizzards.

The story of man's survival in the wild is an old one, but "The Snow Walker" is filmed in a fresh way and is extremely effective as a drama. The performance of first time actress Annabella Piugattuk is amazing. She is able to communicate so much with her expressive face and eyes, a few words in English, and her own language, Inuktitut. Barry Pepper is superb as Charlie - really perfect casting. James Cromwell plays Charlie's boss, who hates to give up on the search for his "best pilot," and buddy. There are some slow moments, however, when the scene switches from wilderness to the worried friends back in Yellowknife.

I am partial to anything that has to do with the Arctic, but this is an exceptional and poignant film. Author Barry Lopez believes that "natural landscapes are capable of bestowing a grace upon those who pass through them." Certainly Charlie Halliday is transformed. Highly recommended!
JANA

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Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
James Cromwell
Kiersten Warren
Jon Gries
Barry Pepper
Annabella Piugattuk

Creators:
Barry Pepper (Primary Contributor)
Barry Pepper (Producer)
Annabella Piugattuk (Primary Contributor)
Charles Martin Smith (Writer)
Christina Toy (Producer)
Ellen Dinerman Little (Producer)
John Houston (Producer)
Michael Ohoven (Producer)
Farley Mowat (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: First Look Pictures
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
EAN: 0687797852090
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2005-05-31
Universal product code (UPC): 687797852090
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)

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