And the pace of the movie matches the pace of the Alaskan bush (a term to denote anywhere outside the cosmopolitan spheres of Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau in this case Huslia, a village of sixty souls, and Tanana, a thriving metropolis of 200), which is a delightful change from the tight-wired speed of most commercial films. So real, in fact, that many Alaskans can recognize numerous credited and un-credited extras as local community members, including Bill Walley, Fairbanks' news announcer, radio station owner, and three-term mayor.
And throughout each step the background, characters and landscape are filmed through the lens of reality, not the imagination of Hollywood set designers and pitch men. His journey is covered from his time as a kid in his village, in his home, and helping his father on the family trap line, to his crossing the finish line to win his first North American Sled Dog Championship. There is also the story of George Attla, who recovered from life-threatening tuberculosis, a fused knee because of it, and a seven-year separation in his teen years from his known world, to become debatable the world's most recognized dog mushing champion. Sidestepping the traps of racism and alcoholism, its wide lens takes in, with amazing detail, the scope of both the physical country and the human struggle in an age when all that has been shown is newly threatened by petroleum greed. This movie is at the top of my all-time favorite movies list for the simple fact that it has so honestly portrayed the scenery, citizens and mechanics of the middle 20th century Alaska bush.
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