Mein Freund Red

I find it interesting and a bit frustrating that so many speak of "Old Yeller" as the holly grail of "boy and his dog" films and that "Big Red" as been totally lost in the mix and is now even out of print. I actually don't understand as I personally found "Old Yeller" vastly underrated and I believe that if it wasn't for it's unusually sad ending for a Disney film,it probably would have not been hailed the classic as it is today.After all when you take off the shock ending of "Old Yeller" you are left with a pretty bland film with very little story except ..A boy left to take care of his home with the help of his new dog.. But enough of this and on to "Big Red". This is an absolutely charming little film. It avoids the certain things that makes other Disney 60's flicks age badly so in "Big red" we have no Cheesy theme song a la "Davy Crockett" (Thank goodness for that!) What makes this film work the most is the superb performance by the two main actors Walter Pidgeon and Gilles Payant. The Canadian kid was just natural and charming and it's surprising that it was his first and only film because he outdo in the acting department in a single film most of the Disney kids the studio were spitting out in the 60's.He was likable and the actor presence made us really care for the kid , I was surprise by this because normally in that sort of film the dog end up being more interesting then the kid but this time both the dog and the kid were equally interesting to watch.Talking about the dog , I usually don't think about the trainers when I watch films featuring animals but I had a lot of "How did they make the dog look so natural on screen?" moment , great work done with the dogs in this film. Walter Pidgeon who was a bit of a Walt Disney look alike is really good in this film and I enjoyed the fact that the film was as much about his character and his relationship with the kid then the boy and his relationship with the dog , unlike "Old Yeller" this film as a bit more layer. It's not just about a dog , It's also about a lonely man who lost the will to love until that kid shows up.So it makes this film more accessible then your typical animal film fare , I have friends that cant stand "Dog" films and they really enjoyed this one. The other supporting cast are great as well. The music is very pleasing,I love the main theme and the very short song by the Sherman, again , it was great not to have one of those silly songs. This film felt very short because I wasn't bored once. It is really unfortunate that "Big Red" did not find a public and that now it is a forgotten film but I couldn't recommend more for any fan of Disney live action flick of the past to give this wonderful film a try.

Disney seems to show a great many of the films they produced in the 50's and 60's on their cable channel extremely early in the morning 3, 4 am etc. So many of them like Big Red have probably never been seen by the younger generation of today. These movies have never lost their excellent story content. This picture is no exception. Walter Pidgeon delivers a solid performance as a dog owner who cares only for the Irish Setter he has as a potential winner in dog shows and nothing as a pet. A young boy who comes to work for Pidgeon develops a friendship for the dog. Big Reds life is changed but not without some dangerous events. Certainly a must see for any Dog lover and any one who enjoys non animated Disney films.

In the world of cinema it has become increasingly harder and harder to grant due credit to those films of earlier years who made an impact and yet inexplicably faded into the insurmountable hill of thousands of fine movies.

BIG RED is one of them. I have read that this movie spawned a huge interest in the Irish Setter in the United States. There must have been an irresistible charm in this movie for this to have happened.

And yet, here I am watching this movie for the first time on Hallmark (not Disney!), 42 years later wondering why I never heard of it again! Surely it must have succumbed under the influence of flashier movies.

Why else would such a tender movie have faded out of our collective consciousness? Perhaps it is because it does not splash you with techno-wizardry or earth-shaking situations? Perhaps it is because the story is too simple and too predictable?

I conclude that it is because simplicity has gone out of favor. Sober charm has been usurped by drunken revelry.

That's too bad. We need this brand of storytelling. We need to slow down our revolutions per minute, sit back and take a deep breath.

BIG RED is charming. There are no monumental ideals overturned here. We have simple, easily paced scenes about the human heart and a young, honest boy whose entire world is the life of one dog who he cherishes above almost everything.

Was life ever this simple? Perhaps not. But to a young child, the entire world can be the size of a few square miles. He learns his lessons, and others learn from him.

Gilles Payant is charming as the young boy. It's a shame, yet another shame in the world of film, that he did not pursue a career in film.

Walter Pidgeon is perfect as the dog's owner.

I recommend this to anyone without a pretentious heart. You won't be dazzled. But you might be charmed.

Big Red was shot around La Malbaie and Cap Aigle in the Charlevoix Region of Quebec. The falls are currently part of the Chutes Fraser Campground. The surrounding scenery is set at the Cabot Farm. The gardens of Francis Cabot, "Les Quatre Vents," can be visited or seen in his book, "The Greater Perfection, The Story of the Gardens at Les Quatre Vents." From a historical perspective this area was frequented by President William Howard Taft among others of high society, hence the story takes on new meaning with the wealthy owner of Red taking an interest in young french speaking Gilles. This film is suitable for young children and those who occasionally like to take a stroll down memory lane to a simpler time.

Orphaned young man finds work on the ranch of a stern dog-owner, becomes attached to a mutt who might have dog-show potential. Walter Pigeon(looking a little bit like Walt Disney himself!)ambles around quite nicely as the dog-owner with the face of stone and the heart of gold. The kid is inoffensive, although the music goes out of it's way to jerk your heartstrings. The settings have that artificial look commonplace to studio-films of this era, but in Disney's case the rural atmosphere is always captured with a nostalgic feel. It is almost unbearably wholesome, but I had a pleasant time watching it. ** out of ****