Sourdough

This is one of my favorites...and I tend to see a lot of movies. That I recommend it so frequently has become something of a joke at my house...but to be "obsessed" with something as worthy as this movie is o.k., I suppose. This movie tells the story of an old trapper's search for an unspoiled area of Alaska that a friend had told him about years earlier. He's looking for a place that is untouched by man (in an area of the country that should be full of such places) and this is the story of that search.

It is beautifully filmed and contains imagery that I haven't seen duplicated in many other films--documentary or feature. By the time the movie is finished, the viewer really has had an opportunity to empathize with the character.

The film was made a while back, and as far as I know is out of print and was never available on DVD...and that's a shame. Somebody needs to figure out how to buy the rights to this and re-release it because it would be a shame for it to just fade away.

My mom rented this film for me a very long time ago. Obviously the film stuck with me and a few years ago I managed to pick up a VHS tape from a rental store that had gone out of business. Hopefully someday this film will end up on DVD.

The story revolves around a man who seeks to live the life he has always lived in the Alaskan bush. Most of his friends have moved into town or passed away and when he feels the greater world encroaching in on him he decides to strike out for a valley that one of his friends found.

If you've ever had the fantasy of living off the land in a inhospitable environment this is definitely your film. Amos proves to be a remarkably tough and woods-wise old man. The scene where he makes his own shoelaces, as boring as that sounds, is actually kind of fun to watch. He also interacts with wildlife in such a fun personal way that it gives the film a fairly unique feel that I haven't really found anywhere else.

Find of copy of this movie and lend it to your friends, its such a good treat.

This film changed my life. There's no other way to say it--the grandeur of the landscape, the courage of the title character and that scene where he chases the raccoons off his porch wearing nothing but long johns and a smile. A little more about the title character: he is every bit befitting his name, tough and chewy and, yes, a bit sour on the outside, but the more you take him into your heart, the more you grow to love the old cuss. He, and his beard, will stay with me forever. This I know. My friends and I watched this small masterpiece several times after discovering it on the rack at the Miranda Market in rural Southern Humboldt County, and I can say with certainty...it just keeps getting better. Watch it. Today.

I have never forgotten this movie...beautiful and breathtaking and haunting... the hopes of a journey.

One man's journey through his wilderness home to find peace and integrity. Actually released in 1975, according to the end credits. Not exactly a feature, not exactly a documentary. Great cinema verite with narration.