Dick Proenneke is bad ass. Very, very bad ass jack-of-all-trades handyman. The documentary itself is quite simplistic. Structured simply with the narrative of Dick's journals along with footage that he shot himself while he was building his own log cabin. However the simplicity works with the subject matter considering the entire piece is about Dick leading a basic life in nature.

Wow, this guy is awesome! Who would have thought that watching someone split/saw logs could be so captivating, and even profound. The fact he films most of it himself makes this even more impressive. The narration is straightforward with a conversational warmth to it, the understatement at his accomplishments adding greatly to its charm. As inspiring, comforting and relaxing as this experience is, be warned, it will also leave you feeling completely useless by comparison.

This dude is like the bob ross of cabin building. Such a badass.

Incredible. The narration is great, informative and pleasant, the visuals are a bit plainly shot but the scenery is so beautiful it hardly matters. I do wonder how some of this was shot. The best part is seeing Proenneke do his thing, though. The way he has a solution for everything, I envy his knowledge. His calm self assurance too, it's really great to watch and see everything transform before our eyes. I went in with no expectations and was really impressed by the film and by the content.

A fascinating look into a life that some people dream about but never go through with. Dick Proenneke is a about as authentic as they come and documents his life and work in incredible detail.

This man makes me question the very nature of my manhood. His work ethic, resourcefulness and strength highlight my own weakness and fragility. Could I ever become a man like this should the need arise, or is he some rare breed that is now extinct?

Watching a skilled craftsman like Proenneke is like watching an artist paint or a jazz pianist perform; excellence is spellbinding. Still, there's so much more I wanted to see and know. What was his background? Why did he decide to leave civilization for so long? What adventures happened in those 35+ years? What was his life philosophy? We can infer a lot from the documentary's elegant simplicity, but this easily could've been a 10 hour documentary. And I would still want more!

Back to the basics of life...wonderfully narrated, makes we want to pack up and go trekking for a few months.

Matisse thought art should be like a good armchair. He might have thrown away his brushes and everything if he could have anticipated Dick Proenneke.

This is engrossing stuff. Proenneke was an extremely skilled woodworker and resourceful man and the detailed footage of him building his cabin from a pile of logs he had cut the previous summer is fascinating on it's own, but then Dick will casually make a spoon out of a chunk of wood or a bowl out of a bump on a tree and ... well ... Jesus Christ, Dick!

On that Walden tip! This was such a beautiful film in so many ways. The scenery, obviously, but the isolation, the harmonious relationship with nature. Living like that would be amazing, but would it mean giving up music and film in exchange? Hm. Speaking of music, one day I will watch this on mute with Boards of Canada playing in the background and I bet it will fit perfectly. Forget the 'Dark Side of Oz'!

Short and laid-back video diary. Not riveting, not boring.

Thumbs up!

Best voice over ever! The film left me wondering whether everything was indeed this fantastic. There must have been bad moments as well, but we don't get to see any of them in this documentary.

His carpenter skills are amazing. Also his arms must be as strong as a bear, judging by the amount of wood he has sawn. I just wonder if he was truly alone (all the time). There were some panning shots, with him in view....

At some point Dick builds a nuclear reactor out of only ice and leaves.

Absolutely amazing self preservation skills on exhibit here as the carpenter builds his living environment in Alaska.

Proenneke the man is obviously worth a 100 at least, and there's some quietly breathtaking photography on display here, but the documentary itself could've used a little more meat -- there's very little biographical info on display here. Do men like this even exist anymore? Overall, this is highly recommended to anyone fascinated by the heights of human excellence and drive.

Awesome and interesting. It's fantastic to see what Proenneke was able to make and enjoying it!

This man is my hero. Holy shit.