Watch Never Cry Wolf

Never Cry Wolf was directed by Carroll Ballard and based on the autobiography by Farley Mowat. This docudrama was filmed on artic locations including the Yukon Territory, Alaska and British Columbia. It starred Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy and Zachary Ittimangnaq. The film begins with Tyler Smith being flown into the Canadian wilderness as part of a government assignment. As a biologist, he is there to observe the area’s declining population of caribou which is believed to be caused by wolf attacks. As the plane touches down Tyler is informed that he will be on his own and the pilot will come back to retrieve him. The biggest problem that Tyler faces is his lack of survival skills.

It seems that his first night would be his last night; until a travelling Inuit discovers him. Ootek helps him build a shelter and teaches him the basic survival skills that he needs. Once he is left alone again, the majority of his time during the day is spent on research but at night his fear of wolves become his biggest priority. His fear becomes reality when he is confronted by two wolves. His fear soon subsides when he befriends the wolves that he has named Angeline and George.

Mike, a friend of Ootek, comes by to check on Tyler and through conversations; it is easy for Tyler to understand the death that is so prevalent in the artic wilderness. Unlike Ootek, who is content with the lifestyle of the Inuit, Mike is not. Mike is actually a wolf hunter and is enticed by the money it brings. Through his time in the wilderness, Tyler has come to a new understanding about the death of the caribou, the plight of the wolves and the fundamentals that the Inuit people live by. Although it seems that the wolves are the contributing factor, Tyler has a much different outlook and his research proves it.