Benji - Auf heißer Fährte

I first saw "Benji" when I was eight years old; during its original release, and after nearly 25 years it is still one of the finest, independently-produced family films ever made. Told entirely from the eyes of a dog, it mixes humor, suspense, and heart-tugging emotion. The dog, Benji, is still one of the finest animal actors ever to appear on screen. He conveys emotion, like no other animal on film ever had before, or has since. Although this is mainly a film for families to enjoy, it would surprise me if any adult couldn't be moved by its sentiment.

Those eyes, that face! Benji does seem almost human in his first motion picture. This film isn't in the same league as National Velvet or Lassie Come Home but it is a refreshing warm-hearted little movie that's filled with several funny and moving moments. What's best is that you can watch it with your kids without being bored or having to monitor every scene. The lovable star of this movie has a face that could melt a heart of stone. That helps to compensate for the somewhat predictable plot.

The title character is a stray mixed breed who makes his home in a run down old house outside a small Texas town. He regularly makes trips into town, and is proven to be pretty popular. Among his human friends are a cop (Terry Carter), a cafe owner (Edgar Buchanan), and the Chapman kids (Cynthia Smith, Allen Fiuzat). Their loving but strict father (Peter Breck) won't let them take the dog in, as he has something of a prejudice against stray dogs. But little Benji endears himself to everybody when he works overtime (and I do mean overtime) to thwart the criminal gang (Mark Slade, Christopher Connelly, Tom Lester, Deborah Walley) who end up kidnapping the kids.

This now legendary film can take its place as one of the all time great family films, with not much in it that could be seen as objectionable or traumatizing for the younger ones. A gun is pulled out, indicating some high stakes, but nobody ever gets shot. And the kids aren't treated all THAT badly by their kidnappers.

You don't necessarily have to be a dog lover to be charmed by Benji, who's one of the most impressive canine actors one is ever likely to see. On occasion, the film does get perhaps too precious and manipulative, especially during montage sequences. One centers around Benjis' courtship of his new girlfriend, another mix who gets named Tiffany by the Chapman family maid (Patsy Garrett). The human cast (also including Frances "Aunt Bea" Bavier, in her final film) is all quite good, but our title character truly is the heart and soul of the piece.

Made on location in Texas, this benefits from good local flavor and atmosphere by writer / producer / director Joe Camp, who created for himself a beloved franchise that has stood the test of time, with a Netflix reboot planned for this year.

Looking back on it now, it's hard to believe that Camp was obliged to create his own distribution company since apparently no studio in Hollywood wanted to touch the script! Shows you how much they know.

Nine out of 10.

Joe Camp probably had no idea this family film about an independent mutt turning neighborhood hero was going to touch off such a reaction at the box-office. "Benji" doesn't have the earmarks of an ambitious movie, nor did its initial publicity suggest it was going to be anything more than a matinée flash-in-the-pan, but positive word-of-mouth amongst kids was incredibly high, and "Benji" became the fifth highest grossing film of 1974 (no small feat; it's just behind "The Godfather Part II"). Although the slim plot pilfers heavily from Disney's "That Darn Cat!", the canine star Higgins (from TV's "Petticoat Junction") is an amazing find: his expressions and reactions are priceless, and the film's narrative--Benji's escapades, his human friends, his romance with a little white pooch--proved to be immediate and bracing with the target audience. Charlie Rich's song "I Feel Love" was Oscar-nominated (!), underlining the doggy romance with uplifting sentiment, the kind that makes a crowd-pleaser. Followed in 1977 by "For the Love of Benji"; but, with a different, look-alike dog and a hoked-up story, the sequel didn't crossover to older children. **1/2 from ****

Full marks to Joe Camp for making such a beautiful film!.... Its all too easy for the dog lovers to absolutely fall in love with the movie, and Benji.....but this movie will always have the ability to change people from dog haters to dog lovers .... Benji is absolutely fabulous in this rendition of a street dog who has a certain way of living with with the people in the city.

What changes things is the kidnapping of Benji's human friends. But what is beautiful about the movie is that without using the crutches of special effects (read - talking animals), the expressiveness of Benji in various stages of the movie with just the barking to help is fabulous..... he falls in love (with another beauty of a pooch)...questions using his eyes, flaps his ear to express doubt, rolls on the grass to impress Tiffany (the pooch!)... the works!!! ...

Benji impresses!... and how...!... It doesn't take too much to know that the acting abilities of the humans in the movie aren't too much to talk about. But maybe that just enhances Benji's talent....

You would fall in love with BEnji and have tears flowing down your cheeks when they do the close-up on his sad eyes....

Yes, I am a dog lover.... but Benji .. he is the love of my life!