Jack London Movies

Sebastian Koch stars as Jack London's tough but philosophical sea captain in this two-part made for television mini-series scripted by Nigel Williams (Elizabeth I) and directed by Mike Barker (Shattered). Set in the year 1900, the story gets underway as hardened captain Wolf Larsen rescues gentlemanly landlubber Humphrey van Weyden from certain death at sea. Later, after pressing van Weyden to work on his schooner, Larsen forces the newcomer to join his crew on a dangerous seal hunting expedition. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jack London's The Iron Heel inspired this Russian political comedy-drama set in St. Petersburg where unemployed communist Nikolai Petrovich (writer-director Alexander Bashirov) lectures dock workers on the evils of capitalism, sits around in a tiny bar, and escorts women to his one-room apartment for readings of Jack London's The Iron Heel. He's loved by Assol (Rita Margo), and the two are often tailed by security agents who spy on them. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This version of Jack London's classic adventure was made for television and stars Rick Schroder as the inexperienced young prospector who heads northward for the Klondike gold-rush of 1897. While in the rugged territory he becomes friends with Buck, a courageous German Shepherd being used as a sled-dog. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In Randal Kleiser's entertaining adaptation of Jack London's classic novel White Fang, Ethan Hawke plays Jack Conroy, a young man who travels to Alaska with the intent of finding his father's lost gold mine. During the course of his travels, he's accompanied by a big white wolf that he rescued from a professional dog fight promoter. Conroy and the wolf, which he names White Fang, have a number of adventures and make a few enemies on their way to finding the gold mine. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Courageous Alaskan canine White Fang and David, his fur-trapping master are beset by wolves and later help save a widow who is being forced to marry a man she despises. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this Gold Rush adventure, two men race their sleds and dogs across the frozen North in hopes of being the first to reach a parcel of land filled with gold. The tale is based on a Jack London story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this exciting Gold Rush adventure, the trials, tribulations and joys experienced by sourdoughs in the Canadian Yukon are chronicled. The tale is taken from a Jack London story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Unlike the 1935 film version of Jack London's 1897 novel Call of the Wild, which devoted most of its running time to a romance between Clark Gable and Loretta Young, this 1976 TV-movie version wisely remains faithful to the source. The star is a magnificent dog--part St. Bernard, part German shepherd--which is kidnapped from its home in California and spirited away to the Yukon. The dog is sold to two greenhorn prospectors (John Beck and Bernard Fresson) who name the animal "Buck". Though faithful to his new masters, Buck shows inclinations of succumbing to the "call of the wild" and running off into the woods at any moment. James (Deliverance) Dickey adapted the London novel for this TV version, which was filmed in the Sierra Madres and the Grand Tetons. Call of the Wild premiered on May 22, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The real name of director "Paul Elliotts" is Gianfranco Baldanetto, indication enough that The Great Adventure is not a Hollywood product. Adapted from a story by Jack London, the film features Fred Romer (aka Fernando Romero) as a young boy exploring the wilds of Alaska in the company of a large white dog. During a stopover in a gold-rush town, the boy is targeted as a sucker by the town boss (Jack Palance). Our hero is also flummoxed by a sexy dance-hall girl (Joan Collins). As the story unfolds, the boy is threatened by such less-imposing adversaries as wild wolves and bad weather. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ron Ely, of Tarzan fame, stars in this German action adventure, adapted from Jack London's novel, The Son of the Wolf. This movie has lots of derring-do, fistfights and gunfights: all the traditional paraphernalia of a western. That is to be expected from the folks who brought many of the novels of Karl May to the screen. This film tells the story of Bill Robinson (Ely), who saves Jack Harper from certain death under an avalanche. Ironically, Harper is a bounty hunter, and Robinson is the man he was hunting. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Legend of the Sea Wolf is the alternate title of two separate film versions of Jack London's allegorical The Sea Wolf. The first of the two, released in 1958, was originally titled Wolf Larsen. Barry Sullivan stars as the brutal captain of a scavenger ship, who rides his men mercilessly and bristles at the slightest hint of weakness. Despite his cruelties, Sullivan fancies himself an intellectual, and welcomes the opportunity to spar both mentally and physically with bookish shipwreck victim Peter Graves. Ultimately, the ship's crew stages a mutiny. Having gone suddenly blind, Sullivan forces Graves to maintain the illusion that Sullivan is still sighted, and still all-powerful. The ruse fails, and both Sullivan and Graves sink to the bottom of the sea. Very well made (especially for an Allied Artists production) and possessed of a thrilling musical score, Wolf Larsen withal runs a distant second to the definitive Sea Wolf of 1941, which starred Edward G. Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide