Alone in the Wilderness

Alone in the Wilderness

2004
Documentary
TV Movie
57m
Documentary tells the story of Dick Proenneke who, in the late 1960s, built his own cabin in the wilderness at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula, in what is now Lake Clark National Park... (imdb)
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Alone in the Wilderness

2004
Documentary
TV Movie
57m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 77.44% from 215 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(215)
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Rated 18 Jun 2009
85
83rd
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.
Rated 22 Sep 2009
87
88th
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.
Rated 29 Jul 2010
83
90th
This dude is like the bob ross of cabin building. Such a badass.
Rated 16 Jun 2008
94
98th
Back to the basics of life...wonderfully narrated, makes we want to pack up and go trekking for a few months.
Rated 15 May 2010
90
93rd
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!
Rated 15 Nov 2012
82
86th
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?
Rated 23 Nov 2012
100
99th
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.
Rated 14 May 2015
90
94th
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.
Rated 14 Dec 2010
90
93rd
This man is my hero. Holy shit.
Rated 15 Jan 2011
87
90th
Awesome and interesting. It's fantastic to see what Proenneke was able to make and enjoying it!
Rated 15 May 2011
80
82nd
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.
Rated 06 Nov 2011
88
83rd
Absolutely amazing self preservation skills on exhibit here as the carpenter builds his living environment in Alaska.
Rated 10 Jan 2012
100
97th
At some point Dick builds a nuclear reactor out of only ice and leaves.
Rated 31 Mar 2012
80
89th
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....
Rated 31 Jan 2015
90
90th
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.
Rated 20 Jul 2015
90
84th
Thumbs up!
Rated 08 Oct 2019
60
47th
Short and laid-back video diary. Not riveting, not boring.
Rated 09 May 2021
80
49th
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'!
Rated 05 Dec 2021
90
87th
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!
Rated 19 Feb 2024
85
94th
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.

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