Go West, Young Woman

THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

One of my favorite books from childhood was Jack London's "White Fang," all told from the point-of-view of a wolf dog. The various film adaptations did a fine job of rendering the magnificent and dangerous environment of  an animal trying to survive. I am a sucker for such stories because there is something almost mystical about snow-capped mountains, a thick brush of the forest that goes on for miles and trying to survive with a hungry wolf as your guide and friend. "The Journey of Natty Gann" is a stirring, emotional journey not unlike "White Fang," only it has the added flavor of being set in the bleak, grimy times of the Depression rather than the Klondike Gold Rush era. Its setting, stellar cast and intelligent script give the film more depth and dimension than some average, rudimentary Disney survival tale set in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.

The courageous heroine in the midst of survival in Chicago in 1935 is Natty Gann (Meredith Salenger), the daughter of Sol Gann (Ray Wise), a pro-union individual fighting for the working class who needs a steady job. Mom is not in the picture and the Ganns are poor and live in a hotel. Eventually Sol finally finds a lumberjacking job in Washington State. He tries to locate Natty quickly before boarding a bus northwest but he can't locate her - Sol has to take that step and travel because a job is a necessity in such trying times. After dealing with the hotel's rather mean owner who has been assigned by Sol as her guardian, Natty decides to escape and find her father via one freight train after another encountering several obstacles along the way. She is always scouring for scraps of food, makes friends with a loyal wolf who had been participating in those ugly dog fights (something White Fang had also endured), fends off against older men with a predilection for young girls, is betrayed by young hooligans stealing cows, deals with the trepidatious reality of living in an orphanage (though she is no orphan), and much more. After twice encountering a decent vagabond named Harry (John Cusack) who clearly has a thing for Natty and is not out to hurt her, she continues on her journey to find her father because, you know, romance is something she's got no time for.

The level of desperation amidst the outstanding Pacific Northwest scenery is what makes "The Journey of Natty Gann" tick. That and Meredith Salenger (in an amazing acting debut) who lends the film's heart and soul, along with lending sympathy for her character and her arduous journey. Ray Wise contributes a strong portrayal of a worried father who can't miss out on the hazardous job he has to find Natty. Both father and daughter are desperate and, spoiler alert, once they find each other, all is well. The wolf is also desperate to return to the wild and be among his kind. With a vivid sense of reality crossed with warm, sharply layered performances (though a little more of John Cusack's Harry would've been ideal), "Journey of Natty Gann" is a perfect family film with a happy resolution that is earned.