Vanishing Wilderness

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Vanishing Wilderness
Directed byArthur Dubs
Produced byArthur Dubs
Narrated byRex Allen
CinematographyHeinz Sielmann
Release date
  • January 3, 1973 (1973-01-03) (Los Angeles)
[1]
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
Budget$128,000[1]
Box office$7.4 million (US rentals)[2]

Vanishing Wilderness is a 1973 American wilderness documentary from Arthur Dubs who established Pacific International Enterprises. It was filmed by Heinz Sielmann. Areas covered included Oregon's Rogue River, the Arctic Circle, Alaska and the Florida Everglades.

In contrast with Dubs' previous documentary, American Wilderness, which focused on hunting, Vanishing Wilderness was more of a family film and was rated "G".[3]

The film received endorsements from then-Governor Ronald Regan and John Wayne.[4]

Production[edit]

It was filmed over five years.[5] The film starred Dubs, his family and friends. It was narrated by Rex Allen.[6]

Reception[edit]

The film was released in the Los Angeles area on January 3, 1973 on a four-wall distribution basis and grossed $341,000 in its first week and $1 million in three weeks.[1][7] It went on to earn theatrical rentals of $7.4 million in the United States and Canada.[2]

The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a superb glimpse of wid species."[8] Leonard Maltin too praised the film although he found the narration excessively present.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Vanishing Wilderness at the American Film Institute Catalog
  2. ^ a b Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780835717762. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  3. ^ "Vanishing Wilderness a safe film". The Courier-Journal. 1 February 1974. p. 18.
  4. ^ "Vanishing Wilderness to be shown in this area". The Times-Mail. 7 February 1974. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Vanishing Wilderness". The Times Recorder. 10 February 1974. p. 13.
  6. ^ "Vanishing Wilderness". Orem-Geneva Times. 8 November 1973. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Now! We're back again and bigger! (advertisement)". Variety. January 23, 1974. p. 25. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Archive.org.
  8. ^ Miller, Jeanne (14 November 1974). "A superb documentary of wildlife". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 43.
  9. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2014-09-02). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-698-18361-2.

External links[edit]