Today, The White Dawn. After two independent features, director and screenwriter Philip Kaufman made his Hollywood debut – as part of Universal Pictures’ then active Young Directors Program (hoping to find the next Easy Rider) – with the revisionist western The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972). For his second mainstream Hollywood film, Kaufman went to the edges of the Arctic for a screen adaptation of James Houston’s novel The White Dawn. Previously released by Paramount on DVD, Kino has licensed the movie for its Blu-ray debut for the film’s 50th anniversary.
The Production: 4/5
On the high seas of Canada’s Arctic region, third-mate Billy (Warren Oates) and fellow shipmates Daggett (Timothy Bottoms) and Portagee (Louis Gossett Jr.) are shipwrecked during a whale hunting expedition. They are close to freezing to death when they are rescued by a group of Inuit Eskimos living on Baffin Island, who bring them back to their village, believing them to be the “Dog Children” of a great spirit. When they recover, Billy and his mates start to take their newfound status a little too much to heart and proceed to greatly influence the Inuit with their own ways. However, as tensions start to mount from the sailors’ presence, one of them possesses a great anger that will erupt and bring danger to both the Inuits and the survivors.
The White Dawn is a brilliantly underrated film that not only captures a way of life seldomly seen on the big screen but also an old-fashioned adventure drama of the highest order. Under the direction of Philip Kaufman, the screen adaptation of James Houston’s 1971 novel – which was based off of an actual incident in the same time period the film depicts – is a more leisurely affair in terms of pacing compared to other films that had the Arctic as its setting, but what it lacks in rapid pacing it more than makes up in terms of the ethnographic detail to the lives of the Inuit Eskimos. The film’s two major assets here are the cinematography of Michael Chapman – capturing the frozen tundra of Baffin Island in its frosty beauty – and the lush music score of the one and only Henry Mancini, both of which capture the film’s emotional heart of the story; in fact, Kaufman loved Mancini’s main theme for the movie so much that he reused it for a scene in his later film The Right Stuff (1983). While some may be put off by the deliberate pace of the movie, the performances of Warren Oates, Timothy Bottoms and the late Louis Gossett Jr. help to bring the story to life; however, it’s supporting cast consisting of the local Inuit population of Baffin Island – much of whom had never been in a film, let alone seen one – that’s the most impressive part of the movie, lending a blend of neo-realism and cinéma verité quality to the proceedings. So, while it has mostly fallen under the radar in the wake of more notable films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Right Stuff and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), The White Dawn is still a quintessential film in the career of Philip Kaufman, whose assured hand here has ensured the film’s lasting status as a hidden gem more than 50 years since its initial release.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, taken from a brand new HD master created for this release from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. Film grain, fine details and color palette – plus gray scale in the pre-title sequence – are presented faithfully with minor cases of scratches, tears and dirt present on the transfer; the slightly ragged look of the film during the black-and-white prologue is intentional. Overall, when compared to the 2004 Paramount DVD, this Blu-ray release is likely the best the film will look on home video.
Audio: 5/5
There are two audio options on this release: a 2.0 lossless DTS-HD Master Audio track and a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio track. On both tracks, dialogue tracks, sound mix and Henry Mancini’s lushly beautiful music score is given a faithful presentation with minimal cases of distortion present like crackling, clicking, popping and hissing present on both tracks. Whichever track’s your preference, you can’t go wrong as this Blu-ray release – when compared to the previous Paramount DVD – likely represents the best the movie will ever sound on home video.
Special Features: 3.5/5
Commentary by director Philip Kaufman – Originally recorded for the 2004 Paramount DVD, Kaufman reflects on making the movie and reveals some information about the production.
Introduction by Kaufman (0:53)
Welcoming the Dawn (16:47) – Carried over from the 2004 Paramount DVD, a brief featurette on the making of the movie; featuring interviews with Kaufman, producer Martin Ransohoff and film professor/Kaufman biographer Annette Insdorf.
A Way of Life: The World of the Inuit (10:01) – Anthropology professor Nelson H. Graburn talks about the Inuit people and how the movie depicts them in this archival featurette.
Bonus KLSC Trailers – In the Heat of the Night, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2, The Wanderers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) & Twisted
Overall: 4/5
A little gem of a film that has grown in appreciation over the years, The White Dawn is a well done combination of adventure and intimate drama. Kino has done a solid job of bringing the movie to Blu-ray for its 50th anniversary, with a solid HD transfer and carrying over all the special features from Paramount’s 2004 DVD release. Very highly recommended and worth upgrading from said DVD release.
This review is dedicated to the memory of Louis Gossett Jr. (1936-2024), who passed away earlier this year.
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