This week's movie topic is all about The Great Outdoors...

Share on your blog movies all about living with nature and then link back to The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

The Cowboys (1972): I've never been a fan of cowboy movies, but since this one was filmed in and around my dad's hometown of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and my grandmother loved to tell the story about how she had lunch with John Wayne after he and his crew came into the town's bank one day, I decided to watch it.

Turns out that the movie is actually pretty doggone good, partner! Even for someone like me who isn't particularly fond of the genre. This movie is also notable because it is the only one John Wayne ever made in which his character is killed!




Cold Mountain (2003): Always a sucker for a movie about the Civil War, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Nicole Kidman was fabulous, but Renee Zellweger absolutely stole the show with her performance! I love Ruby's down-to-earth approach to life and her creative problem solving skills.

Whether it's portrayed through farming or characters riding through the snow in search of loved ones, this film is packed with images of the great outdoors. Heck, there's even a little bit of the age old struggle of man against nature in the film's theme!




White Fang (1991): Loosely based on the novel by Jack London, this film tells the story of a young man who goes to Alaska to take over his father's mining claim. When Jack first arrives in Alaska, he sees a beautiful young dog/wolf hybrid owned by a native who uses him for work. Jack, the city boy, disagrees with the man's treatment of the dog but can't do anything about it. Later, however, when the dog has been sold to another man who plans to train him to fight, Jack rescues him. With a little work and patience from Jack, White Fang learns to trust him and the two develop a lifelong friendship. Lots of beautiful Alaska scenery in this one.



Heidi (1937): By far my favorite of the old Shirley Temple films! I have no clue where it was filmed -- it seems unlikely that the outdoors scenes were actually shot in the Swiss Alps -- but wherever it was, the place was beautiful.

This is a heartwarming tale of an orphaned girl who goes to live in the mountains with her grouchy grandfather, is taken away from him by a mean old aunt who "sells" her to a wealthy family whose daughter is paralyzed and needing companionship. In true Shirley Temple fashion, Heidi works her magic on everyone she meets!