Lassie

I haven't seen the Liz Taylor version but I'm guessing that this one is a bit grittier. There are some nasty scenes of cruelty to dogs, although you never actually see one getting hit (they wouldn't be allowed to, would they!) so don't take a child if they're exceptionally sensitive. There are some great supporting roles from legendary actors such as Peter O'Toole and Gregor Fisher (Rab C Nesbitt), with cameos from the likes of Robert Hardy, Edward Fox and Angela Thorne (To The Manner Born, Maggie Thatcher impersonator) and the kids are cute but not too saccharine. But the scene is definitely stolen by the dog. Just as it should be, and a Christmassy ending to boot. Great family entertainment for kids over eight.

This is a near-perfect film for what it is--a richly imagined, finely-acted, lavishly produced family film, and one faithful to the source; this Lassie is not a dumbed-down version where the dog does stupid pet tricks, but instead the film stresses the importance of the relationship between the dog and her pal, a young lad living in a coal town.

Lassie, by the way is amazingly expressive and simply beautiful. The essential story is probably familiar to anyone over twenty who speaks English, but the film is enriched with cameos from major actors, including Peter O'Toole, James Fox, and Peter Dinklage, and with the lush, verdant vistas of Ireland standing in for Scotland.

While not as emotionally elemental as the classic Roddy McDowell version, this modern retelling also has a strong underlying foundation; the implied criticism of the class system will not be an obvious statement to young eyes, but adults will easily pick-up the points made concerning the privilege of the rich; children of all ages should enjoy this sweet, universal fable.

Intelligent, well made family feature from the original novel, bearing little resemblance to the now campy-seeming US TV series.

Beautifully shot, well scored, and featuring a first-rate adult cast (Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, John Lynch, Peter Dinkage) along with some very endearing child actors, this manages to be sweet without being saccharine, sentimental without being cloying.

It even has a nice layer of social commentary about the English class system – the story involves the beloved pet being bought away from a near-starving family who can't afford to say 'no' when a lord offers them cash for their son's faithful companion.

I appreciated that Lassie is treated as a real dog, and not some kind of super-mutt. A great, wonderful dog to be sure, but her behaviors all stay within the realm of real-life dog abilities.

A very good film for kids and tweens, and a not at all bad one for grown ups who might watch with them. While it might not have quite the deep emotional power and/or wild humor of the truly classic family films, it's certainly well crafted and worth watching.

I saw this film on August 24th, 2006 in Indianapolis. I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival's Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.

Obviously this is an often-told tale about a boy and his beautiful and intelligent collie. But … this is an especially fine telling of that story and specifically of the loyalty and love that can happen between a boy and his dog.

The story is set in England prior to World War II. The boy, Joe, is from a working class family and the father loses his coal mining job when the coal peters out. Lassie catches the eye of a rich Duke played by Peter O'Toole and Joe's parents reluctantly sell Lassie to obtain much needed cash. This causes Joe to go into a deep sadness. But to make things worse for Joe and his parents, Lassie regularly escapes the Duke's dog handler and finds his way back to Joe. Over and over the dog is honorably returned to the Duke because a deal is a deal.

Finally the Duke goes off to his other home in Northern Scotland 500 miles away and takes Lassie with him. Lassie escapes again and the rest of the movie revolves around the impossible attempted journey back to Joe.

Lassie is obligated to steal the movie, but he doesn't quite do this. There are too many other interesting things going on. Peter O'Toole is a great curmudgeon with a slowly revealed heart of gold. The English countryside is gorgeous. And the rich class- poor class dichotomy is adroitly told.

Honor and integrity and human dignity are human traits that can be shown by anyone despite their age or sex or income or social status in life. That's a message worth communicating in a movie.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

This wonderful adaptation of Eric Knight's "Lassie Come Home" is not only the best film version but also the best British Family film since the early seventies (Lionel Jefferies' wonderful duo of "The Railway Children" (1970) and "The Amazing Mr Blunden" (1972)). It is blessed with a great cast without a dud performance between them. Particularly worthy of mention are the two wonderful child actors Jonathan Mason and Hester Odgers as well as a charming performance from Peter O'Toole as the crusty Duke who thankfully does not turn out to be the cliché villain that he initially appears. Along with gorgeous photography by Howard Atherton and a script by director Charles Sturridge that mixes enough grit into the story to stop it from becoming too twee, this truly great family film should have become better known than it is. For those of us that have been lucky to discover it, it is an instant classic.