Challenge to Lassie

Supposedly based on a true story this takes place in Scotland. Lassie's owner 'Jock' Gray (Donald Crisp) is killed by two thieves. Lassie will not rest unless she's sleeping by his grave. Unfortunately the laws in Scotland do not allow dogs in the graveyard and any dog that does not have an owner must be destroyed. Residents of the town try to save Lassie from being put to sleep against the nasty old judges.

OK--the plot is ridiculous and everybody talks down to the audience but what do you expect from a kids movie? Those problems aside, this is a great movie. It has incredible color photography and some of the backgrounds are just breath taking. Every single shot is in rich strong color and looks just beautiful. It also has a very impressive score that matches the movie beautifully. The acting is as OK as it could be and is mostly done by a competent group of character actors or unknowns. But this film belongs to Lassie. She looks just beautiful all through the film and there are incredible closeups of her. Also she does some impressive stunts for any dog. My one complaint is that she whines WAY too much. Yes, it fits the film but got on my nerves after a while. It's also pretty obvious that some of her whining was overdubbed! Still, this is a really beautiful film with a cute dog, beautiful color and a great score. Highly recommended for kids AND adults!

It's 1860 Edinburgh. Lassie is on trial. John Traill (Edmund Gwenn) insists on giving voice to the dog as he recounts the story. Jock Gray (Donald Crisp) saved Lassie as a pup and they become inseparable. Even after his death, she remains at his unmarked grave. The local magistrate orders the unlicensed dog be destroyed since her owner is dead and only the owner can pay for the license.

It's a simple family film. The premise is a little silly if it isn't life and death for the dog. The best moment is certainly the children coming to court. It's the same as the mail bags delivered to the court to prove Santa's identity. All in all, it's good simple family fare.

Edmund Gwenn and Donald Crisp join Lassie the Collie once more after having been teamed in the otherwise-unrelated "The Hills Of Home" from 1948. This heart-tugging, family-oriented saga, based on the book "Greyfriars Bobby" by Eleanor Atkinson, involves stray, untagged Lassie with a crusty old coot who can't figure out why the dog has a confounding need to get into the Greyfriars Churchyard, where animals are forbidden. Geraldine Brooks is the proverbial pretty girl/Elizabeth Taylor substitute, Kathryn Beaumont has an uncredited bit as a neighborhood child, Gwenn is his usual spunky self, yet the whole show belongs to Lassie. Whether crossing a wide river, digging her way out of a barn, climbing out a window, or outwitting the hysterical humans, the dog is shown to a star's advantage. Story remade by Disney in 1960 (under the original title and with a Skye terrier in the lead). ** from ****

Long before Mel Gibson and his Braveheart chums erroneously and treacherously painted Robert the Bruce as a traitor to the people he served so heroically, Hollywood was trampling all over the memory of that other great Scottish hero, Greyfriar's Bobby. Challenge to Lassie removes the faithful terrier, replacing him with some big shot American sheepdog, surrounded by 'actors' whose Scottish accents are so bad you wonder if they've given up half way through, tried an Irish one, realised they're not much cop at that either and tried Scottish again to no avail.

Hopefully Braveheart will pay the same price for attempting to alter Scotland's proud history and be as anonymous in forty odd years as Challenge to Lassie is now.

An evil, evil film.

Six years after the original Lassie movie, the story still endures. In Challenge to Lassie, glorious Technicolor takes the audience to Scotland and tells a new tale of the adorable, loyal Collie. When Donald Crisp finds Lassie as a puppy, he's charmed by her and takes her home. He's always wanted a dog, and he takes great delight in his new companion. However, the start of the movie implies something ominous in the plot: Edmund Gwenn (who, in a rare highlight, gets top billing) is arguing in court for Lassie not to get put down. Who would want to put down the dog, and why? As he narrates the story, we learn the reason.

As usual in the Lassie flicks, there's a bit of sadness and Lassie has to rise above and find her way home or into the hearts of stubborn humans. Audiences tend to cry during these movies, but this time, I felt the movie went too far. These are supposed to be family friendly, and yet, death and heartache are tough to explain to children. If you look up this movie online, you'll find out what happens in the one-sentence synopsis: Donald Crisp dies and Lassie is left all alone. How is this an enjoyable family flick? I wouldn't watch this with my kids, but it's up to you. If you like seeing Crisp and Gwenn, stock actors in the series, playing new roles and stick frolicking around with Lassie, you can give it a shot.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to sadness involving animals, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.