Jack London's famous short is filmed with complete fidelity to London's graphic narrative and could be called a screen short story in its purest form. The stark realism of the chilling images combined with the power of Orson Welles' reading fills the viewer with an awesome admiration for the story's courageous hero. The visuals add a new dimension to London's prose and the viewer feels the icy cold to an extent that reaches far beyond the power of words alone. This chilly discomfort provides a tense background for the suspense which is to come as the man attempts to build the fire he must have in order to survive. Narrated by Orson Welles.