Lassie (2005)

A family in financial crisis is forced to sell Lassie, their beloved dog. Hundreds of miles away from her true family, Lassie escapes and sets out on a journey home.

Director:

Charles Sturridge

Writers:

Eric Knight (novel), Charles Sturridge

Stars:

John Lynch, Samantha Morton, Peter O'Toole

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	The Duke
Samantha Morton	...	Sarah Carraclough
John Lynch	...	Sam Carraclough
Peter Dinklage	...	Rowlie
Gerry O'Brien	...	Watson
Steve Pemberton	...	Hynes
Eamonn Hunt	...	Alf Patterson
Edward Fox	...	Hulton
Jim Roche	...	Miner
John Standing	...	French
Gregor Fisher	...	Mapes
Jonathan Mason	...	Joe Carraclough
Brian Pettifer	...	O'Donnell
Paul Meade	...	Policeman
Jamie Lee	...	Tom

Storyline

Life is hard for Yorkshire miner's son Joe Carraclough (Jonathan Mason), who is beaten at school by a his teacher, his only consolation is his collie Lassie. It gets worse: when the mine is decommissioned, his father, Sam (John Lynch), is forced to sell the dog to The Duke (Peter O'Toole), who owns the local estate. The Duke's servant, Hynes (Steve Pemberton), scares the dog, who keeps running back, so the Carracloughs have to keep returning her, until the Duke moves to the Scottish Highlands for the holiday season. Lassie escapes, embarking on a desperate journey home, with daunting Glasgow dogcatchers and taken in by a circus performer. It looks like a miracle is needed, by Christmas.

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Plot Keywords:

human dog relationship | animal character name as title | lassie character | lassie | dog | 

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Taglines:

More Than A Hero. A Legend.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild violent content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

There were some earlier "Lassies", in literature of the 1800s, as well as in silent movies. Eric Knight, a British-born author, wrote a Lassie character in a short story in 1940, then expanded it to a novel called "Lassie Come Home", which became the first Lassie sound movie. The original "modern" Lassie was first played by a male collie named Pal in Lassie Come Home (1943). Pal is listed on the IMDb as Pal, and played Lassie in all of the early sound movies. His descendants played in the television series and in most Lassie movies and television appearances since.

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Goofs

During one scene, a Ferguson Model TE20 tractor (also known as "the Grey Fergie") can clearly be seen driving along a street. This film is supposed to be set during World War Two (1939-45) but the TE20 was not produced until 1946.

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Quotes

The Duke: Who invented this idiotic game?
Cilla: You did.

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Crazy Credits

There are no credits at the beginning of the film, not even the film's title. All that is seen is the logo of the production company.

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Connections

Version of Lassie's Great Adventure (1963)

User Reviews

A wonderful film the whole family will enjoy

It is so refreshing to watch a family film that doesn't have to rely only on special effects to tell the story. This film is just how they used to make films with great acting, beautiful photography and of course a lovely story. It's full of emotion and soul and it's just a good all round film the whole family will enjoy. It's about a boy and his parents who fall on hard times and have to sell their beloved dog, which gets taken hundreds of miles away. But his love for his dog never falters and the dogs love for its owners makes it determined to escape and travel the vast distance to get home. We have watched a few blockbusters lately but this film deserves praise. It might have a lower budget, but it has something that we all deep down want out of a film.

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [France] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA France Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lassie

Filming Locations:

Clancy Barracks, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$254,420, 3 September 2006

Gross USA:

$652,163

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,442,854

Company Credits

Production Co:

Odyssey Entertainment, Classic Media Productions, Davis-Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1