Jack London s famous short is filmed with complete fidelity to London s graphic narrative and could be called a screen short story in it s purest form. The stark realism of the chilling images combined with the power of Orson Welles reading fills the viewer with an awesome admiration for the story s courageous hero. The visuals add a new dimension to London s prose and the viewer feels the icy cold to an extent that reaches far beyond the power of words alone. This chilly discomfort provides a tense background for the suspense which is to come as the man attempts to build the fire he must have in order to survive. Narrated by ORSON WELLES.