It's a Dog's Life

This is a period piece, set in what appears to be the late 1800s. Much of the film is narrated by the main character, Wildfire, a bull terrier, who moves upward from the Bowery in this "rags-to-riches" fantasy. At times Wildfire's narration may be `too cute', but remarkably it doesn't stray too far. This device of personifying the dog truly works, particularly due to the script. Wildfire gets high praise for his performance. Dean Jagger is excellent as is Edmund Gwynne.

The film is well-paced and I found it much more entertaining that I anticipated. This is good escapist fare-the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad, but not too terribly so.

Okay, I saw this first when I was a kid and loved it. It's a rare talking animal film from an era that didn't indulge in these kinds of things. There's really nothing cutesy about it and it's tough around the edges, possibly too much so. This is Charles Dickens territory, not Benji. But it has charms (although the brutal treatment of animals and women can rightfully discredit this film, so I offer a caveat to any sensitive viewer). There is enough things right in this film to make up for the wrong in my book. Honestly, the ugly stuff this dog character goes through without losing his innate decency is very appealing (yeah, I know, it's a talking dog--although he narrates so there is no animated mouth movements making it cartoonish). I was surprised to learn that Vic Morrow did the dog voice-over. Nice job, perhaps better than many of his on-screen performances. And always reliable Edmund Gwenn and Dean Jagger provide solid support. This is a weird one, but I find it memorable.

I first saw this movie many years ago, one weekend on television back when I was a child. It caused me to be eternally fascinated by bull terriers.

The movie itself, on finally seeing it again as an adult, is not nearly as bad as some reviewers would have you think. From my point of view, it doesn't condone dog-fighting, nor even abuse of women. Sure, it shows some fairly unacceptable behaviour, but I didn't get the impression that this was being shown as an example of the behaviour on which our own should be modelled. When I think how many times in my viewing history I've seen people (not necessarily women) punched, kicked, shot, tortured, and murdered in cold blood, then this movie is pretty darn tame.

Since buying the DVD, and then buying the book on which this movie was based (yes, this movie made a huge impression on the child who saw it years ago), I still think it's a good movie. Clunky, sure. A little strange sometimes - absolutely. Displays outmoded behaviours - no argument. But still, for Wildfire alone, worth a view or two.

This is a curious sort of movie, almost one of a kind. It's narrated by its central character, a white bull terrier, and though it would seem to be the sort of "family" movie parents take their kids to, it deals with staged dog fights on which men bet and in which dogs are killed. What's more the dog's first owner slaps his girlfriend around and she seems to enjoy it! Hardly Saturday matinee material. True, these elements are more implied than shown, but more oddities follow.

After setting up the dog as its central character, the movie introduces Jeff Richards and he temporarily takes over the story. Then he disappears and Edmund Gwenn belatedly enters the plot and the story begins to center around him. And then Jeff Richards comes back! Few movies have had such a shifting focus as this one. And why pick a bull terrier since this breed doesn't have the expressive eyes into which audiences can project all sorts of emotions? The bull terrier's blank look often seems at odds with the narration being spoken for him by actor Vic Morrow.

Perhaps most curiously, while this might have been designed as a movie with a special appeal to children, there are no children in it! In fact, two of the main characters are decidedly in the "senior citizen" class: Edmund Gwenn and Dean Jagger.

And yet ... the movie has a certain charm. Its early 1900s setting is pleasantly, though superficially, mounted. The cast is attractive, there are no slow spots in the story, and the whole thing's wrapped up in less than 90 minutes. Those who've seen the movie always seem to remember it, even though some of these memories may now be approaching 50 years in age.

Jeff Richards seems a bit miscast, (he doesn't have a tough-enough edge), but this is still one of his better parts at a time when he appeared to be moving toward stardom. For some reason or other, he never "clicked" and soon faded from view. Here he has a scene without his shirt, showing off the kind of chest hair which other actors shaved, and he looks lip-smackin' good! For even more footage of Jeff's chest, though in black-and-white, check out "Island of Lost Women."

I first saw It's A Dog's Life a long, long time ago on TV and immediately fell in love with Bull Terriers - I have since owned two and plan to get another. It depicts the breed pretty accurately, some can be scrappers but most are playful and friendly to all, and they have loads of personality. Yes, part of the plot is organized dog-fighting and there is violence towards a woman, both of which are repugnant to any decent person, but that knowledge shouldn't put anyone off watching - those scenes aren't nice, even though they do not show the actual violence, but all-in-all there's lots to love about this story. Wildfire the dog is a charmer and, best of all, the good guys win! I just hope this delightful film will be released on DVD sometime soon, so I can replace my old copied-from-TV VHS tape!!