Lassie (2005 film)

Last updated
Lassie
Lassie ver3.jpg
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by Charles Sturridge
Written byCharles Sturridge
Eric Knight
Based on Lassie Come-Home
by Eric Knight
Produced byCharles Sturridge
Ed Guiney
Francesca Barra
Starring Jonathan Mason
Peter O'Toole
Samantha Morton
John Lynch
Peter Dinklage
Edward Fox
Cinematography Howard Atherton
Edited byPeter Coulson
Adam Green
Music by Adrian Johnston
Production
companies
Distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom) [1]
Roadside Attractions
IDP Distribution (United States) [1]
Metropolitan Filmexport (France) [1]
Release date
  • December 16, 2005 (2005-12-16)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries United Kingdom
United States
France
Ireland
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [2]
Box office$6.4 million [1]

Lassie is a 2005 adventure comedy-drama film based on Eric Knight's 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home about the profound bond between Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was directed, written, and co-produced by Charles Sturridge and is a production of Samuel Goldwyn Films. The film stars Jonathan Mason and was distributed by Roadside Attractions and released in the UK on 16 December 2005. Filming took place in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. The supporting cast features Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, Peter Dinklage, Edward Fox, and John Lynch. The film was generally reviewed positively by critics, but performed poorly at the box office.

Contents

Plot

Sam Carraclough, an out-of-work miner who struggles to earn enough to feed his family, reluctantly sells their Collie dog, Lassie, to the Duke of Rudling, whose granddaughter, Cilla, sees and likes her. Sam's young son, Joe, is left heartbroken. The Duke's servant, Hynes, scares Lassie, who keeps escaping and coming back to the Carracloughs who have to keep returning her, and Hynes blames the boy for Lassie's departures.

For the holiday season, the duke goes to the Scottish Highlands, taking Lassie with him. Lassie escapes once again, with Cilla's help, after Hynes beats the dog, for which the duke fires him, and makes the 500-mile journey back to Yorkshire. Meanwhile, Sam enlists in World War I to support his family. During her journey, Lassie climbs mountains, swims a river, passes Loch Ness, dodges municipal dog catchers and is taken in by a kindly puppeteer and circus performer (Peter Dinklage) and befriends his small dog, Toots. Later, they are attacked by men who kill the small dog and the angered performer and Lassie chase the men away. Lassie parts with her new friend and reaches home on Christmas Day but collapses outside the church in which the family is in. When mass is over, the family's other dog help them find Lassie, exhausted, ill and nearly dead, and take her home. The veterinarian tells the family that Lassie might not survive. When Hynes, living in the village, sees that Lassie has been found, he, accompanied by police officers, goes to the house to seize Lassie and take her to the Duke's local estate. The family is forced to accompany her. The duke, recognizing Lassie, instead lets the family keep her by denying that it is the same dog and evicts Hynes from his premises for good. After Lassie recovers, the duke offers Hynes' old job and tied house to Sam and his family. Cilla sees that her crusty grandfather has a soft side and visits the family to see Lassie's new puppies. Joe and Cilla play with Lassie and her puppies as the movie ends.

Cast

Production

In January 2004, it was announced Classic Media would be producing a new Lassie film to be written and directed by Charles Sturridge and based on the 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home . [5] Production on the film began in February 2005 on a $20 million budget which was covered by foreign presales. [2]

This is the eleventh movie about Lassie, according to the producers. It is based on Eric Knight's 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home. [6] Filming took place in Scotland, Ireland and on the Isle of Man.

Reception

The film earned $6,442,854 worldwide. [7] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 93% of 70 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "A beautifully-made retelling of the classic collie tale, one need not be a dog-lover to fall for Lassie." [8] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [9]

A New York Times reviewer said the film "balances cruelty and tenderness, pathos and humor without ever losing sight of its youngest audience member" and also exclaimed, "This 'Lassie' exhibits a repertory of facial expressions that would put Jim Carrey to shame". [6] Empire 's Anna Smith wrote, "Thanks to a relatively gritty setting and an estimable adult cast, this sentimental story is rendered bearable for adults and children alike." [10] BBC's Neil Smith said, "The combination of everyone's favourite canine and eye-catching Irish and Isle of Man locations ensure this nostalgic shaggy-dog story sends you home with your tail wagging." [11]

Awards

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2007

AwardCategoryNominee
Critics Choice Award Best Family Film (Live Action)Nominated

Irish Film and Television Awards 2007

AwardCategoryNomineeResult
IFTA Award Best Sound in Film/TV DramaPeter Blayney, Patrick Drummond, John Fitzgerald and Mervyn MooreWon

Audience Award

AwardCategoryNominee
Audience Award Best Irish FilmNominated

Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2006

AwardCategoryNominee
WFCC Award Best Family FilmWon

Young Artist Awards 2007

AwardCategoryNomineeResult
Young Artist Award Best Performance in an International Feature Film and Best International Family Feature Film - Leading Young Actor or ActressJonathan MasonNominated

Video game

A video game based on the film was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it was developed by EM Studios and published by Mastertronic. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lassie Come Home</i> 1943 film by Fred M. Wilcox

Lassie Come Home is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor feature film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a screenplay by Hugo Butler based upon the 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight. The film was the first in a series of seven MGM films starring "Lassie."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassie</span> Fictional female collie dog

Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, Lassie Come-Home. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fictional female collie of the same name, featured in the British writer Elizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half Brothers". In "The Half Brothers", Lassie is loved only by her young master and guides the adults back to where two boys are lost in a snowstorm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Dinklage</span> American actor (born 1969)

Peter Hayden Dinklage is an American actor. Portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times. He also received a Golden Globe Award in 2011 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for the role. Dinklage has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, and stands 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) tall. He has used his celebrity status to raise social awareness of dwarfism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collie</span> Type of herding dog

Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many types have a distinctive white color over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world, and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes mixed with other dog types.

<i>Cats & Dogs</i> 2001 spy-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman

Cats & Dogs is a 2001 spy-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman and written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. It stars Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins and Alexander Pollock, with the voices of Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes, Susan Sarandon, Charlton Heston, Jon Lovitz, Joe Pantoliano and Michael Clarke Duncan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pal (dog)</span> Rough Collie dog

Pal was a male Rough Collie performer and the first in a line of such dogs to portray the fictional female collie Lassie in film, on radio, and on television. In 1992, The Saturday Evening Post said Pal had "the most spectacular canine career in film history".

<i>Lassie</i> (1954 TV series) American television series (1954–1973)

Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie dog named Lassie and her companions, both human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 25, 1973, making it the eighth longest-running scripted American primetime television series. The show ran for 17 seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Initially filmed in black and white, the show transitioned to color in 1965.

<i>The Magic of Lassie</i> 1978 film by Don Chaffey

The Magic of Lassie is a 1978 American musical drama film directed by Don Chaffey, and starring Lassie, James Stewart, Stephanie Zimbalist, Pernell Roberts and Michael Sharrett, with cameo appearances by Mickey Rooney and Alice Faye. Stewart appeared in one of only three musical film roles that he played: the first was Born to Dance (1936) in which he introduced the Cole Porter standard "Easy To Love" and the second was Pot O' Gold (1941). The screenplay and song score are supplied by the prolific Sherman Brothers, who worked as staff songwriters for Walt Disney and wrote songs for his films such as Mary Poppins (1964). Their song "When You're Loved" was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Original Song" and was sung by Debby Boone. It is also the only musical film featuring Lassie.

<i>Underdog</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by Frederik Du Chau

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<i>Son of Lassie</i> 1945 film by S. Sylvan Simon

Son of Lassie is a 1945 American Technicolor feature film produced by MGM based on characters created by Eric Knight, and starring Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart and Pal. A sequel to Lassie Come Home (1943), the film focuses on the now adult Joe Carraclough after he joins the Royal Air Force during World War II and is shot down over Nazi-occupied Norway along with a stowaway, Lassie's son "Laddie" – played by Pal. Son of Lassie was released theatrically on April 20, 1945, by Loew's.

<i>The Sun Comes Up</i> 1949 film by Richard Thorpe

The Sun Comes Up is a 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor picture with Lassie. Jeanette MacDonald had been off the screen for five years until her return in Three Daring Daughters (1948), but The Sun Comes Up was to be her last. In it, she had to share the screen not with an up-and-coming younger actress but with a very popular animal star. Although her retreat from a film career can be blamed largely on an increasingly debilitating heart ailment, MacDonald continued to make concert and TV appearances after this. Her last radio performance was a broadcast version of this same story on The Screen Guild Theater in March 1950.

<i>Lassie</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Daniel Petrie

Lassie, or Lassie: Best Friends are Forever, is a 1994 American adventure family film directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Tom Guiry, Helen Slater, Jon Tenney, Frederic Forrest, Richard Farnsworth, Michelle Williams, and featuring the fictional collie Lassie.

<i>Lassie</i> (1997 TV series) Canadian television series

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Hynes is a surname, many examples of which originate as the anglicisation the Irish name Ó hEidhin.

<i>Challenge to Lassie</i> 1950 film by Richard Thorpe

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<i>The Painted Hills</i> 1951 film by Harold F. Kress

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<i>Lassie Come-Home</i> Novel by Eric Knight

Lassie Come-Home is a novel written by Eric Knight about a rough collie's trek over many miles to be reunited with the boy she loves. Knight had introduced the reading public to the canine character of Lassie in a magazine story published on 17 December 1938, in The Saturday Evening Post, a story which he later expanded to the novel and published in 1940 to critical and commercial success. In 1943, the novel was adapted to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film Lassie Come Home starring Roddy McDowall as the boy Joe Carraclough, Pal as Lassie, and featuring Elizabeth Taylor. The motion picture was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry. A remake of Lassie Come Home, entitled Lassie, was released in 2005.

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