jc-stamp I remember seeing this movie at the cinema on its release, a beautiful touching film, with some fantastic scenes incorporating the animals that also appear. To date I have been unsuccessful in obtaining a copy on DVD or Blu-ray.

ben-644 My grandparents took me to see this at the cinema when I was very young and it had a profound effect on me for the rest of my life. It is a parable about how one man becomes enlightened and humbled by the beauty and bond with the natural world he develops by observing and learning. The film starts with a person who sees the wilderness as something to be exploited to something to be respected and nurtured. Be warned that it is very moving and a tear jerker in places. I would love to be able to see it again and show it to my kids. It is a shame that these films from the 1970s, which shaped an entire generation, are not shown to new generations. I put this in the same genre as Silent Running, and the Born Free films and many others - stories to help educate us about the natural world and having empathy for the plight of animals who have been persecuted, exploited, tormented or killed by humans since the dawn of time.

srnumber9 I collect films on Super-8, and managed to snag a full length print of this one last week on E-bay. It looks like at least for the moment, this is the only way to see this film in a country having NTSC video. I have seen it available on Region 2 DVD many times, but never Region 1. I just finished watching it a few minutes ago and I am amazed by it. It's a powerful testament to freedom and finding your own place in the world. The photography and music were wonderful, and I really felt empathy for some of the characters.I kind of like the idea that I was probably the only one in the USA watching "When the North Wind Blows" tonight! Long Live Avakum!!

WeFoundTheRingInTheSand This is one of my favourite films, dating back to my childhood. Set in the remote wilderness of Siberia at the turn of the century, a small community is stirred when an extremely cold winter forces two tigers to come down from the mountains in search of food, preying on outlying farms. In this atmosphere we are introduced to Avakum, a hermit fur trapper, who lives out in the wilds, as he comes to the village to sell his annual catch to Boris, his close, and rather only, friend in the village, who runs a store. At Boris' request, Avakum accompanies his friend's arrogant son, Ivan, on the hunt for the menacing tigers. Personalities crash and tempers flare as the older, more experienced Avakum criticises Ivan's amateur methods, an encounter noticed also by the other members of the hunt. On the second day, the hunters sight their prey and give chase. In a thick wood, Ivan wounds one of the tigers, which then attacks the hapless man. Avakum, seeing Ivan tangling with the enraged beast, fires, but accidently hits Ivan. He kills the tiger as it flees. The other hunters arrive on the scene, suspicious.Back in the village, the doctor works to save the wounded Ivan. Avakum attempts to leave the village, but is confronted by Ivan's friends. The trapper brushes them off however, and speeds off with his dog-drawn sled. The young villagers swear after him that they'll come for him if Ivan dies, which he later does, but before dying explains to his father that it was an accident. Old Boris, upon learning of his close friend being run out of the village, straightens out the gathering "lynch mob" and goes out after Avakum, to find him and set things right. And so the main story begins.A simple film, it raises the conflict of man and civilisation versus nature, mainly Avakum's struggle to survive alone out in the wilderness. The winter landscape is very well filmed. Perhaps the strongest element in the film is the soundtrack by Jimmie Haskell. Very sentimental and evocative, the main theme reminiscent of Albinoni's Adagio. Other movements reflect Russian styles, as well as a couple of folk music type tunes.Unfortunately, this film is not available to buy, to my knowledge, which is rather a shame. The copy I own, recorded off TV nearly twenty years ago is slowly deteriorating. This film is a must see for those who can appreciate it, if they can find it. 8/10