Pre-teen Nello (David Ladd) lives with his grandfather (Donald Crisp) in Antwerp. The young boy's parents are dead and the two remaining family members are extremely poor. Renting a small house, the two eek out a meager living delivering milk for the local dairymen. But, alas, grandpa has a bad leg and other health issues, too. One day, Nello finds a badly beaten dog on the side of the road, having been left there to die by his horrible peddler owner, who used the dog to pull a small wagon. Despite their poverty, Grandpa consents to taking the canine home and trying to save his life. They succeed. Now, there are three mouths to feed. Nello spends his spare time drawing, having talks with a neighboring girl, and going to the local cathedral to view a painting by Rubens. Now, the dog helps Nello make deliveries of milk while grandfather rests his leg, leading to the peddler trying to "steal" his dog back when he sees the boy. Also, Nello makes friends with a local artist, who encourages the lad to enter a drawing contest. The prize money would help him greatly. But, with Grandpa's health declining and the local milk merchants turning to others for the deliveries, what will be that fate of three good-hearted and hard-working souls? This is a lovely, lovely film that, once again, I have missed over the years. For one thing, the film may have been shot in black and white but the colorized version I watched was vibrantly appealing. What's not to love about the country of Holland, with its windmills and tulips everywhere? The cast is very fine, too, with Ladd and Crisp giving extremely touching turns, backed up nicely by the supporting cast members. The lovable four-legged star is a pleasure as well. Also complimenting the film are a nice score, a sweet script and a varied direction, where twists and turns result in tears and smiles alike. Families, everywhere, do your clan a huge favor and get this classic 1959 film. Every viewer, young and old, will benefit from AND enjoy a showing.
