The Painted Hills

Occasionally, the reviews of movies are much worse than the movie, and this is one of those occasions, bec, to view any animal movie from an anthropomorphic pov is just plain silly. Great acting isn't really an option. It's just a sappy animal movie, the Lassie name is just a 'trademark', and there were many Lassies, male and female, bec one dog can't do all behaviors, and that's about all that can be said. So, as for Pal's acting, if it was all his, it was very well done, esp the 1st attack scene, and esp for a Collie. And for kids of x age; they'd love it. Transformers: Age of Extinction - Great effects, giving the Asian Tran a stereotypical accent was as bad as tha Anerinds'

... and I watched it yesterday already knowing the very low IMDb ratings. But seriously, everything Marion Davies ever did gets an 8/10 on this site and this gets 3/10??? I don't think so.

You can tell that this was not one of MGM's A List productions. No Liz Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, or Donald Crisp. Plus the story has been transferred to the pioneer days of the American west. The biggest recognizable star in the film besides Lassie herself (actually himself, since Lassie was played by Pal, a male dog) is Paul Kelly as an old prospector and Shep's (Lassie's) owner, and Mr. Kelly is practically unrecognizable. He's only 52 at this point, but he's donned up in whiskers and makeup that make him look like a thin version of Santa Claus. His hands clearly show he is not as old as the role he is playing.

This Lassie story is a bit different, besides just the move from Scotland. Lassie usually plays the passive lovable dog waiting for the good-hearted yet hard-headed Scots that are to decide her fate to come to their senses. Here Lassie has a more Clint Eastwood-like aggressive posture towards the man who killed her master for his gold and attempted to poison her and goes full fang on the guy at every opportunity producing a very ironic and just ending. By the way who names a female dog "Shep" anyways??? Paul Kelly is good as the prospector and master of Shep/Lassie except it is clear that he doesn't trust his partner, begging the question, why did he make this obviously nefarious fellow a partner in the first place? Bruce Cowling is absolutely awful as the villainous partner. He has a demeanor that would be better suited to a B scifi film of the 50's rather than this action adventure film. He is always looking up and around with a horrified expression on his face as though he expects an alien spacecraft to land at any moment. Gary Gray gives a good but not great juvenile performance as the murdered prospector's grandson - I didn't find him whiny at all. Native Americans are hammily and stereotypically portrayed, but at least they show them as seeming to be the only people for 100 miles around who know anything about veterinary medicine, even if one good stereotype doesn't wipe out the negative ones.

If you like or love the other Lassie films I'd say give this one a try. It's not boring and most of the film is focused on Lassie.

Plot - A wilderness prospector discovers gold dust, but is undermined by a greedy partner, even as his faithful dog and orphaned boy try to defend their cabin and survive the partner's growing greed.

I can't quite fathom why this little adventure flick is so derided by critics. That may be because developments don't adhere to the usual benchmarks from the series as a whole. In fact, the storyline stands robustly on its own, departure or not, with a number of unexpected developments, plus great location photography and drama surrounding high peaks, soaring clouds, and drop-off cliffs. Then too, if there're studio backdrops to this scenery, I couldn't spot them. But then MGM was a big-budget studio, and it looks like they popped an expense even for this programmer. No, the acting won't get awards, but I do like the way the Native Americans are blended-in in humanizing fashion. Good also to see usual villain Paul Kelly playing a good guy for a change. And, of course, there's Shep (Lassie) as always winning more fans for our 4-footed friends. Anyway, in my little book, the flick's a grabber for both front-row kids and second-row adults, especially if you like scenic adventure. So give it a try.

Another reviewer remarked that The Painted Hills was "startlingly dark" for a Lassie film. After watching it I would have to agree. It's also while not Citizen Kane material not as bad as some make it out.

I have a theory on that. This is supposed to be a family film, but Bruce Cowling isn't a family film type villain. He's an ordinary guy who succumbs to the traditions of gold fever. Fred C. Dobbs never got as psychotic as this guy when he decides he doesn't want to split the strike that his partner Paul Kelly has uncovered, neither with Kelly or Ann Doran widow of a third partner who has a son Gary Gray.

Lassie is called Shep in this film, but it's our beloved collie just the same. Shep is the only witness to what happened to Kelly. Man can't prove anything that can stand up in a court of law, but the collie knows the story and the collie settles accounts in a manner worthy of a Corleone.

The Painted Hills is from MGM's B picture unit. I'd give this one a look, not as bad as some reviewers make it out.

This movie is mostly bad, but I probably have some bias on my opinion, seeing as how this is the first Lassie movie I've ever seen. I don't know why he was called Shep in this movie. Well, in the credits, it's said that Shep was played by Lassie. I guess Lassie is the name of the dog in real life, but maybe she used other names in movies? The boy here was called Tommy and not Timmy. Close enough? Okay, I haven't seen the other Lassie movies or the show so I can't really tell how this folds out. Maybe some characters went through name changes or something.

This film mostly suffers from being too padded. It gets really annoying towards the end when Lassie and Petey just seem to be chasing each other over and over. I am surprised the rating is so low. I thought it was at least better than 90% of the films shown on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Lassie is what makes this movie. She's (he's?) a fine actress and it's great to see a real life dog acting so well. It's a pity the humans aren't as good. You'd think they'd be more experienced. **