Mush, You Malamutes

1685. MUSH, YOU MALAMUTES! (1934-USA). Photographed and narrated by FATHER BERNARD R. HUBBARD. This ethnographic documentary details the adventures of an extraordinary man Father Bernard Hubbard, known as “The Glacier Priest” and famed as an explorer of the Alaskan “infernos of fire, ice and volcanic energy.” Until recently, Alaska remained a vast, uncharted land. In summer, there are trees and flowers surrounded by great ranges of snow-capped mountains; in winter, all of this is transformed into a frozen, desolated hell on earth. When this film was made, Father Hubbard had already put in five years exploring Alaska. During this time, he’d heard tales of a vast, tropical valley, and he set out to locate it on the unexplored mainland of the Alaskan Peninsula. It’s a journey of discovery, and it proves to be the priest’s greatest adventure. The film is loaded with extraordinary footage of the wilderness the Eskimos Hubbard encounters, his malamutes – powerful dogs of Alaskan origin with thick coats, who certainly prove over and over to be man’s best friend – as well as other surprises. There’s a thrilling climax in the exotically-named Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. 68 minutes. Drama Documentary