Educational Media Reviews Online

"The dogs never make a mistake. The musher is the one that makes the mistakes." -- Mike Williams, musher

The spirituality, courage, and commitment of three humans coupled with the spirit and prowess of their canine companions, an ancient and successful bond, is pitted against the brutal splendor of the Alaskan wilderness in this documentary of "the last great race on earth", the Iditarod.

Founded in 1973 by Joe Redington, the Iditarod, an Ingalik Indian word meaning "a far distant place", commemorates the heroic efforts of dog sled teams who delivered serum during a 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome. The race also celebrates the critical and indispensable role of dogs in Alaskan Native culture before the coming of the "iron snow machines".

The film is presented with an introductory section and four parts corresponding to very different geographic sections of the trail which present unique challenges to the mushers and their dog teams: The Alaska Range, the Interior, the Yukon River, and the Coast. We follow three mushers from the start of the 1998 race in Anchorage over 1100 grueling miles and 25 checkpoints to the finish line in Nome. The three entrants have different philosophies and strategies, but all agree on two things: they would like to finish in the top 20, and they run this race not just to win, but to revel in the process.

Mike Williams, a Yup'ik Eskimo and mental health counselor, is known across Alaska as the "sobriety musher". A recovering alcoholic who lost his 6 brothers to alcohol related deaths, his goal while completing the grueling trek is to carry his message of sobriety to every checkpoint and town along the route. Linda Plettner, a lifelong animal lover and one of 9 women out of 63 entrants, breeds huskies specifically for this purpose. Her love for her young and inexperienced dog team and her awe of the Alaska wilderness figure heavily in her race strategy. Mike Nosko, determined to place "in the money" with his strong dog sled team, is very competitive and driven to succeed. Each musher has committed their life to preparing for the Iditarod, sometimes working two years or more in the harsh Alaskan climate just to care for their dogs and earn enough money for equipment and entry fees.

The pace of the film is almost leisurely, despite the pressure to complete the race in the shortest possible time. Actress Susan Sarandon's soothing narration accompanies the camera as we traverse the route with the mushers and their dogs. Interspersed with blow by blow commentary on each segment of the race's progress are bits of race history, footage of checkpoint arrivals, conversations among the mushers in which the camera eavesdrops, local townsfolk cheering the mushers, descriptions of each section of the trail, and peeks into the mushers philosophy, lives and motivations.

The producer chose her subjects wisely. Rather than focus on past winners or fully sponsored entrants, the film tells the Iditarod story through an "average" entrant's eyes. We see Mike William's immense satisfaction as he hears testimonials of other recovering alcoholics along the way, all the while knowing he is falling further behind; we witness Linda's intense bond with her dogs as she stops frequently to massage their muscles and encourage them on, choosing not to push them despite urging from her fiancé; and we watch Mike Nosko's torture as dog after dog is sent home injured, and he finally decides to withdraw while blaming himself for the injuries due errors in judgment.

All entrants who complete the race are celebrated at the finish line in Nome regardless of how many days they take or what time of the day or night they arrive, and all entrants are celebrated at the banquet, where numerous awards are bestowed, some voted on by the mushers themselves. Mike Williams finishes in 23rd place and receives the "most inspirational musher" award; Linda Plettner finishes in 33rd place and the camera films her and Dan's wedding after the banquet. Mike Nosko and his wife attend the banquet with hopes for future years.

This reviewer became intimately involved with the film's subjects and curious about how they fared in future races. A little research discovered that Mike Williams returned to finish 23rd in 1999, 28th in 2000, 37th in 2001, and 38th in 2002. Linda Plettner's belief in going the extra mile to care for her dogs paid off in 2002 when she placed 20th and won both the Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award given to the musher "who has best demonstrated outstanding care of his or her team throughout the race while remaining competitive" and the World Communication Center Most Improved Musher Award for finally cracking the Iditarod's top 20 after nine years of competition. Mike Nosko returned to place 30th in 1999, 39th in 2000, had to withdraw again in 2001, and did not enter in 2002.

The Iditarod has long been criticized by some animal rights groups for the toll it takes on the dogs. Mushers need to feed the dogs a high fat diet along the route as they burn up to 12,000 calories a day and need to protect their feet as they trek over grueling fields of sharp ice and freezing cold water. According to articles on the Anchorage Daily News web site (see URL below), sixty-four dogs have died in the race since 1983. Bouvrie covers the dogs' needs and injuries realistically and with a focus on the increase in veterinary care over the years, but the subject of dogs dying is never addressed.

A haunting original music score, surreal shots of the dogs glowing eyes bobbing along at night, and picturesque views of the landscape contrast sharply with the brutal realities of the race: the long, boring hours on the trail; the harsh, dangerous Alaskan wilderness and climate which threatens dogs and mushers alike; the brutal reality of injuries to the dogs; and the psychological toll all this takes on the mushers.

The technical quality of the film is excellent. The video crisp and clear despite changing weather conditions and glare of the snow, and all conversation is clearly heard above any weather or other background noise. Scenes shot during a blizzard and in the rain show the water spots on the lens, giving viewers the feeling of being right there with the mushers. The editing is good; close shots of the mushers, dogs, sleds, gear, and checkpoint routine are skillfully interspersed with majestic vistas of the landscape and flashback scenes of the mushers' private lives.

Highly recommended for grade school, high school, and public libraries; useful for college and university libraries collecting in Native American cultures, endurance sports, sport psychology and animal behavior. Mandatory for all libraries in Alaska. Grade schools in particular use this topic for class projects.

Awards:

• Best Cinematography, New England Film Festival, 2000
• First Place Audience Award, Documentary, Film Fest New Haven, 2000
• Certificate for Creative Excellence, US International Film and Video Festival, 2000

Other videos about the Iditarod that were not viewed for this review were discovered on various Web sites. Titles that may be comparable to Bouvrie’s work include: Last Great Race on Earth (BBC Video, 1982); Iditarod: the Last Great Race on Earth, the story of the 2001 Iditarod (USA Sports Network, 2001, 90 min.); 1997 Iditarod XXV "Quest For Silver" (Iditarod Trail Committee, 60 min.); Mush - Alaskan grit and the winning spirit - goal setting (features Susan Butcher) (AGC/United Learning, 1991).

Videos focusing on the dogs include: Beyond Courage: The Dogs of the Iditarod Sled Race (Iditarod Trail Committee, 1995, 23 min); and Sled Dogs: an Alaskan Epic (Thirteen/WNET (Nature Video), 1999, 60 min.). Biographical accounts include: Redington: the Man Behind the Last Great Race (PBS, 60 min.); and Race for Life (Freemedia.org, 1994, 30 min.) -- a documentary of veteran Iditarod racer Dee Dee Jonrowe famous for her humane treatment of dogs. An animated feature for children of all ages is entitled Balto (Universal, 1995), a video about the famous Husky who delivered serum to Nome and for whom a statue was erected in Manhattan's Central Park.

The official Iditarod Web site has a wealth of information on the race including history, race results for 1997 to the current year, entry packets, rules, sponsors, volunteers, and links to other sled dog races and Alaska related sites. Race coverage, including articles on the toll the race takes on dogs and the history of animal protection groups involvement, can be found on the Anchorage Daily News Web site.