So, as I'm interested in all the arty farty stuff of life, I thought film reviews would be appropriate for my blog, and over the weekend, I watched Lassie (the film made in 2005), a heart-warming film about a dog with such admirable loyalty that she travelled 500 miles to get home to the family she loved.
I was touched by this story, and although I've seen it before, the emotions it evoked were exactly the same. Throughout the film I felt happiness, hope, sadness, and a number of other emotions.
The story is based on a book called Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight. The book was published in 1940, and the first Lassie film, with the same name as the book, appeared only three years later. Since then Lassie has been a very much loved dog, and the inspiration for many films, radio shows, plays and even her own TV series.
A young boy, Joe Carraclough, struggles through life. His father loses his job as a miner, his parents are poverty-stricken, and he is beaten regularly at school. His best, and possibly only friend, is his collie, Lassie, who comforts him, and even waits outside school for him on a daily basis, in order to accompany him home. However, when Joe's family is forced to sell Lassie, the little boy is heart-broken - especially since his parents sell her without informing him.
The rich lord who obtains Lassie is delighted with her, thought Lassie is less than impressed with her new life. She escapes more than once, returning to her beloved Joe. However, Lassie is soon taken to Scotland, where she is beaten and treated badly by the man in charge of her care. Fortunately, she successfully escapes again, and starts off on a 500-mile journey, filled with all sorts of obstacles, including the Loch Ness, a dog pound, and starvation.
It's not all bad, however, as Lassie makes new friends, and finds an Irish showman to travel most of the way home with. The sweet little Collie soon breaks from her companion to travel on alone, finally reaching her hometown in time for Christmas. Soon it is decided that Joe shall keep the dog, as the Lord, after seeing what Lassie went through to return to her master, insists that "it's nothing to do with me!"
Naturally the ending is happy, with Joe's father getting a new job as dog-minder for the Lord - "I told you I'd get the dog, and now I've got it! I just had to buy the man as well!" - a nice little cottage which is a big step up from the poky little house they had before, and a happy life, with no more hardship and no more poverty.
The story is truly beautiful, depicting friendship, loyalty and an intense determination to return home. The animals are very well-trained. In fact, the fox, which can be seen at the beginning of the film, is even trained - his name is Thumper, by the way, and he's very cute.
So that's my review of Lassie. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heart-warming, feel-good movie. And if that hasn't won you over, there's puppies at the end!!
3 Oct 2011
by Jessica Thompson
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