Zoologist Peter Holm (Carl Möhner) sends a dog into orbit - which was
a big thing in the late 1950's, especially if you think that Laika is more
famous nowadays than all the astronauts currently in orbit put together -,
his own dog, Wolf. And this somehow breaks his heart, because he loves
that dog. And to pass some time until Wolf is supposed to return, Holm
tells his rocket scientist friend Professor Robert (Richard Häussler) the
story of himself and wolf.
Years ago, Holm went camping and studying wildlife to Lapland, when he
encounters a little pup that was raised by a wolf ... but before the two
can make friends, the pup falls into the water and Holm thinks he has
drowned.
Two years later, Holm is back in Lapland when a dog, Wolf, runs across
his path and directs him to his owner Ara (Ann Savo), who has fallen into
icewater and needs immediate saving. Holm saves her and she immediately
falls in love with him ... not a good thing, since she is engaged to a
local lumberjack, Johann (Helmut Schmid), who is terribly jealous and
eventually the two men start a fight - for some reasone exactly when Holm
is actually leaving to leave Ara to Johann (don't ask). Only Wolf can
prevent Johann from killing Holm, and the dog stays by Holm's side from
now on. And by the way, Wolf is exactly the pup Holm thought to have
drowned 2 years ago - what a coincidence !!!
Back in the now, Wolf's rocket has circled the earth a number of times
and reenters atmosphere to make a bumpy landing in - you guessed it -
Lapland. But snowstorms and rocky terrain prevent the rocket scientists
from getting to the rocket any time soon while Holm is hell-bent on saving
his dog-pal, so he decides to go there by dog-sleigh, and the only guide
he can find is - you guessed it - Johann, who only agrees to help Holm at
Ara's urgent request. While saving the dog though, Johann dies, and Holm
is not only reunited with his dog but also with his love Ara, who is now
free to marry him ...
A weird film: part wildlife documentary, part serious science fiction,
but also romance and Rin-Tin-Tin-style adventure ... just too bad the film
is leaning way too much on the cheesy side and doesn't really work, thanks
to a muddled screenplay that fails to deliver the punches the story would
suggest and relies way too much on coincidence. Somehow the film is still
watchable as a weird genre mix, it just fails to live up to its promise.
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