Episodes in the adventurous life of the American novelist (1876-1916).Episodes in the adventurous life of the American novelist (1876-1916).Episodes in the adventurous life of the American novelist (1876-1916).
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Albert Van Antwerp
- French Frank
- (as Albert van Antwerp)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe earliest documented telecasts of this film took place in New York City and Washington DC Saturday 17 April 1948 on WNBT (Channel 4) and WBBW (Channel 4), followed by Philadelphia Sunday 10 October 1948 on WCAU (Channel 10), by Boston Saturday 1 January 1949 on WBZ (Channel 4), by St. Louis and Buffalo Friday 21 January 1949 on KSD (Channel 5) and WBEN (Channel 4), by Los Angeles Tuesday 8 March 1949 on KNBH (Channel 4), and by Chicago Sunday 12 February 1950 on WNBQ (Channel 5).
- Crazy creditsOpening credits listed in turned pages of a book.
Featured review
A Reflection of its Time
No need to repeat consensus points—the movie's clearly compromised by its clumsy propaganda segment. Also, it's a shame more time is not given to the rigors of the Yukon, the real basis of London's powerful prose. I wouldn't be surprised that budget constraints cramped this key phase of his life. Too bad, because London was an outdoor writer who wrote powerfully about the outdoors—something you don't get from the movie.
One scene, I think, is worth noting. That's where Prof. Hilliard ridicules student London's uncompromising literary realism. Though the screenplay doesn't elaborate, there's a background assumption to Hilliard's point of view. Namely, that American literature is dominated by the standards of its gentile, well-to-do class with refined tastes and the leisure time to both read and write. Thus, London's raw depiction of life at the bottom comes across as offensive for a number of reasons. It's that impossible leap from the immiserated bottom to the refined top that London's trying to navigate. But more importantly, he's doing it without compromising the integrity of his work.
Now, the screenplay softens this conflict by casting the kindly Davenport as the professor and having him pay tribute to London's "courage" as a budding writer. As a result, hostility to the upsurge of blue-collar writing that London represents is seriously underplayed. Perhaps that's not surprising. After all, WWII was a great national effort where class differences were submerged to the common interest.
O'Shea and Hayward are fine in their roles. However, I agree that a more honest depiction of the great writer's life awaits production. Given the richness of the material, I wonder why that hasn't happened.
One scene, I think, is worth noting. That's where Prof. Hilliard ridicules student London's uncompromising literary realism. Though the screenplay doesn't elaborate, there's a background assumption to Hilliard's point of view. Namely, that American literature is dominated by the standards of its gentile, well-to-do class with refined tastes and the leisure time to both read and write. Thus, London's raw depiction of life at the bottom comes across as offensive for a number of reasons. It's that impossible leap from the immiserated bottom to the refined top that London's trying to navigate. But more importantly, he's doing it without compromising the integrity of his work.
Now, the screenplay softens this conflict by casting the kindly Davenport as the professor and having him pay tribute to London's "courage" as a budding writer. As a result, hostility to the upsurge of blue-collar writing that London represents is seriously underplayed. Perhaps that's not surprising. After all, WWII was a great national effort where class differences were submerged to the common interest.
O'Shea and Hayward are fine in their roles. However, I agree that a more honest depiction of the great writer's life awaits production. Given the richness of the material, I wonder why that hasn't happened.
helpful•50
- dougdoepke
- Dec 26, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Adventures of Jack London
- Filming locations
- Belden, California, USA(Belden Falls)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content