The latest Star Wars craze clearly shows that certain categories of films are very hard to review objectively. The reviewer is often tempted to judge a film not by its own merit, but by his or her own feelings of nostalgia towards the past. Many of these films belong to the category of family entertainment, which is natural, because for many, they invoke happy memories of childhood. For the author of this review, one such film is Lassie Come Home, the 1943 Hollywood film by Fred M. Wilcox, one of the classics of family entertainment. I first saw this film at a very early age and it was one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of my life.
Based on the novel by English author Eric Knight, this film is set in Depression-era Yorkshire, where Sam Carraclough (played by Donald Crisp), his wife (played by Elsa Lanchester) and son Joe (played by Roddy McDowall) must endure the hard times caused by unemployment. For young Joe, the only comfort in these hard times comes in the shape of Lassie, a collie who is his father's pride and joy. But one day the money runs out and the family is forced to sell the dog to the rich Duke of Rudling (played by Nigel Bruce). The dog, however, uses every opportunity to run back to his old owner, which causes great frustration to the Duke's kennel keeper, Hynes (played by Pat O'Malley). The escapes are to stop when the Duke moves to Scotland. The Duke's granddaughter Priscilla (played by Elizabeth Taylor) would allow the dog to escape and begin a long, hard and dangerous journey south.
At first glance, Lassie Come Home might look like nothing more than a standard Old Hollywood tearjerker. But even those who do not like tearjerkers would, in all likelihood, agree that this film looks almost like a mythical masterpiece compared with some recent examples of the genre. The script by Hugo Butler is very tight and simple, but, at the same time, provides enough material not only to entertain a young audience, but even to make them think. The main element of the plot is based on real life – the conflict between reason and emotion, this time accelerated by down-to-earth economic hardships, something very palpable not only to audiences fifty years ago, but to people in many countries today. The sub-theme of poverty is very present in the film – on her journey Lassie encounters many characters who suffer because of it, and the only act of violence in the film is economically motivated.
But even those who do not appreciate this social aspect of the film would enjoy it, because it is a well-told and interesting adventure story, full of not-so-spectacular, but truly moving and memorable scenes. In an hour and a half we see some barely sketched characters, who are magically fleshed out by excellent actors, whether they are veterans like Donald Crisp or child newcomers like the young Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. Another thing that distinguishes this film from the rest is the absence of true villains – compared with today's cinema, the characters seem surreally good. The music by Daniele Amfitheatrof sets the right, melancholic atmosphere, as does the Oscar-nominated colour photography by Leonard Smith.
The film was a great success in its time and spawned many sequels, and, in later years, many remakes and imitations. But for the author of this review, Lassie Come Home is one of those rare and precious films that are to be enjoyed by all generations – children and adults.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on July 29th 1999)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/2202-lassie-come-home Critic: 7/10
