Lassie
Y
June 1, 2006
NEW YORK -- Bring plenty of hankies if you accompany your children to this latest screen incarnation of the beloved collie. Not for them, mind you, but yourselves because "Lassie" is a heartwarming and moving adventure that does excellent justice to the classic character. Sensitively written and directed by veteran British filmmaker Charles Sturridge, the film, already released in the U.K., should find healthy audiences upon its U.S. release at the end of the summer. "Lassie" was recently showcased in the Family Festival section of the Tribeca Film Festival.
The filmmaker has assembled a sterling cast for this remake, set -- as was the original novel -- on the eve of World War II in a Yorkshire mining town. The opening scene, depicting a group of upper-crust hunters pursuing a fox only to be foiled by Lassie, well establishes the class conflicts that form the subtext of the story.
Lassie is a part of the hard-pressed Carraclough family, including coal miner Sam (John Lynch); his loving wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton); and their 9-year-old son, Joe (Jonathan Mason). When hard times hit, the family is forced to sell their beloved dog to the high-toned Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole), who wants her for his granddaughter (Hester Odgers).
Suffering mistreatment at the hands of Rudling's vicious employee (Steve Pemberton), Lassie makes repeated attempts to run away and rejoin her family. Eventually, the duke moves her to his castle in a remote region of Scotland. But once again she breaks free, setting off on a harrowing journey across the country and experiencing numerous travails along the way.
The adventures of the indefatigable collie are alternately amusing, thrilling and heartbreaking and are beautifully realized by the filmmaker's classical approach. The actors essay their roles with the utmost conviction, with particularly sterling work by the slyly funny O'Toole and child actor Mason. A gallery of estimable performers makes cameo appearances, including Edward Fox, Kelly MacDonald and, most effectively, Peter Dinklage as a kindly puppeteer who takes Lassie under his wing.
Best of all, of course, is the canine, or number of canines, in the title role. A worthy successor to the dog's cinematic and television forebears, this Lassie is bound to induce a run on pet stores and dog breeders everywhere.
LASSIE
Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films
Element Films, LFF, Davis Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Charles Sturridge
Producers: Ed Guiney, Francesa Barra: Executive producers: Eric Ellenbogen, Doug Schwalbe
Director of photography: Howard Atherton
Production designer: JP Kelly
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Adam Green
Music: Adrian Johnston
Cast:
The Duke: Peter O'Toole
Sarah Carraclough: Samantha Morton
Sam Carraclough: John Lynch
Hynes: Steve Pemberton
Joe Carraclough: Jonathan Mason
Cilla: Hester Odgers
Daisy: Jemma Redgrave
Rowlie: Peter Dinklage
Mapes: Gregor Fisher
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes
The filmmaker has assembled a sterling cast for this remake, set -- as was the original novel -- on the eve of World War II in a Yorkshire mining town. The opening scene, depicting a group of upper-crust hunters pursuing a fox only to be foiled by Lassie, well establishes the class conflicts that form the subtext of the story.
Lassie is a part of the hard-pressed Carraclough family, including coal miner Sam (John Lynch); his loving wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton); and their 9-year-old son, Joe (Jonathan Mason). When hard times hit, the family is forced to sell their beloved dog to the high-toned Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole), who wants her for his granddaughter (Hester Odgers).
Suffering mistreatment at the hands of Rudling's vicious employee (Steve Pemberton), Lassie makes repeated attempts to run away and rejoin her family. Eventually, the duke moves her to his castle in a remote region of Scotland. But once again she breaks free, setting off on a harrowing journey across the country and experiencing numerous travails along the way.
The adventures of the indefatigable collie are alternately amusing, thrilling and heartbreaking and are beautifully realized by the filmmaker's classical approach. The actors essay their roles with the utmost conviction, with particularly sterling work by the slyly funny O'Toole and child actor Mason. A gallery of estimable performers makes cameo appearances, including Edward Fox, Kelly MacDonald and, most effectively, Peter Dinklage as a kindly puppeteer who takes Lassie under his wing.
Best of all, of course, is the canine, or number of canines, in the title role. A worthy successor to the dog's cinematic and television forebears, this Lassie is bound to induce a run on pet stores and dog breeders everywhere.
LASSIE
Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films
Element Films, LFF, Davis Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Charles Sturridge
Producers: Ed Guiney, Francesa Barra: Executive producers: Eric Ellenbogen, Doug Schwalbe
Director of photography: Howard Atherton
Production designer: JP Kelly
Costume designer: Charlotte Walter
Editor: Adam Green
Music: Adrian Johnston
Cast:
The Duke: Peter O'Toole
Sarah Carraclough: Samantha Morton
Sam Carraclough: John Lynch
Hynes: Steve Pemberton
Joe Carraclough: Jonathan Mason
Cilla: Hester Odgers
Daisy: Jemma Redgrave
Rowlie: Peter Dinklage
Mapes: Gregor Fisher
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes
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