The White Dawn
A True Story Of An Arctic Adventure
Based on James Houston's true story of an Arctic adventure, The White Dawn relates the story of three sailors who are separated from their ship during an Arctic hunt for polar bear and walrus. Eskimos who live on Baffin Island, just south of the North Pole, save their lives, but one angry sailor brings fear and violence to all. Magnificent location footage and realistic hunting scenes bring a striking flavor to the intense and passionate conflict.
Member Reviews
Interesting - But Only For A While - revsdd
Apparently filmed on location, this movie includes some breathtaking shots of the local scene which make one powerfully aware of the barren starkness of the Arctic landscape, and an interesting look at Inuit culture. The story revolves around three whalers from New England (played by Timothy Bottoms, Lou Gossett and Warren Oates) who are shipwrecked in the Arctic and taken in by a local Inuit clan. All three have very different reactions to their experience. Daggett (Bottoms) is sympathetic, grateful and respectful to the Inuit and their culture, Billy (Oates) is hostile to them and constantly tries to take advantage of them, and Portagee (Gossett) falls somewhere in between. The first hour of this movie was fascinating, but it became somewhat repetitive in the second hour and I found myself losing focus on it. It was rather obvious almost from the start how this was going to end up, and so there was no real suspense involved, although the most powerful scene in the movie is probably found in that second half, when the three castaways make alcohol out of local berries, and share it with the Inuit, mirroring one of the tragedies that occurred to natives throughout North America. The second half also also contains the best line, coming from Sarkak, the clan leader, who realizes that having the three with them isn't good and puts it this way: "They sleep with our women and eat our food. What else are they good for?" The conclusion of the movie is no surprise to anyone, although I did feel sympathy that Daggett (who was sympathetic to the clan) shared the fate of his fellow castaways.
The performances from Bottoms, Gossett and Oates were good, but the stars of the movie were really the Inuit themselves. It's an interesting movie, but just didn't keep me glued to what was happening. Overall, it's a mediocre effort - not bad, but not great, either.Timely look at clash of cultures - stargazer
This story, from the book by a famous Canadian expert on the far north, shows the results of one of the first contacts between representatives of white, European culture (a group of stranded New England whalers)and the traditional communitarian culture of the Inuit in the far north. It's beautifully shot, dramatic and powerfully acted. By the time those of us in southern Canada and the U.S. "got" what traditional Eskimo culture was all about it was pretty much too late.
Member Reviews
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Interesting - But Only For A While - revsdd
Apparently filmed on location, this movie includes some breathtaking shots of the local scene which make one powerfully aware of the barren starkness of the Arctic landscape, and an interesting look at Inuit culture. The story revolves around three whalers ...Timely look at clash of cultures - stargazer
This story, from the book by a famous Canadian expert on the far north, shows the results of one of the first contacts between representatives of white, European culture (a group of stranded New England whalers)and the traditional communitarian culture of ...