At The Theater

I am a dog fan. The few books I’ve read about the connection between a human and a working dog are especially fulfilling to me. It’s harder for me to read books about rescued dogs that have been abused. Animal abuse is a capital crime in my book.

Now Disney (under its newly acquired brand of 20th Century Fox) has successfully brought a new vision to the big screen with Jack London’s classic story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly and brutally uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon during the greedy Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team–and later its leader–Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

Even though the story is centered on the dog, and is about the dog, the film benefits from Harrison Ford’s performance as John Thornton, the seasoned gold prospector who rescues the dog from his abusive captor. During their adventures together, Buck will return the favor. What goes through a dog’s mind when he discovers the more primitive and elemental aspect of his own existence? What does the partnership between a man and a dog mean in a world where man can just as easily be an enemy?

“The Call of the Wild,” rated PG with a run time of 1 hour 45 minutes, plays at the Liberty March 13-15. (Note there will be no show on Tuesday.) For more information visit http://www.libertytheater.org.