Red Dog (film)

Last updated

Red Dog
Red Dog (movie poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kriv Stenders
Written byDaniel Taplitz
Based on Red Dog
by Louis de Bernières
Produced byJulie Ryan
Nelson Woss
Starring
CinematographyGeoffrey Hall
Edited by Jill Bilcock
Music by Cezary Skubiszewski
Production
companies
Woss Group Film Productions
Screen Australia
Endymion Films
Essential Entertainment
ScreenWest
The South Australian Film Corporation
Distributed by Roadshow Film Distributors
Release date
  • 4 August 2011 (2011-08-04)(Australia)
Running time
92 minutes [1]
Country Australia
LanguageEnglish
Budget $A8.5 million
Box officeA$21 million [2]

Red Dog is a 2011 Australian comedy-drama family film written by Daniel Taplitz, directed by Kriv Stenders and produced by Nelson Woss and Julie Ryan. It stars Koko as the title character, Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylor, and John Batchelor. The film is based on the true story of Red Dog and uses the 2002 novel Red Dog by Louis de Bernières as the primary source. [3] At the 2011 Inside Film Awards, Red Dog was nominated in nine categories and won seven, including best feature film. The film was also nominated for seven AACTA Awards and won for Best Film. The film was theatrically released on 4 August 2011 by Roadshow Film Distributors.

Contents

The film was followed by a prequel, Red Dog: True Blue released in 2016, and a spin-off documentary Koko: A Red Dog Story released in 2019.

Plot

In 1979, a man named Thomas drives his truck into Dampier, Western Australia late one night, having transported a previously ordered statue of William Dampier to the town. Upon entering the town pub he sees the silhouettes of a group of men, one of whom is holding a gun. Believing it is a murder, he rushes into the next room trying to stop them, when he sees that the men are trying to put down an apparently sick dog. Unable to bring themselves to carry out the euthanasia, the men, with Thomas, retreat to the bar.

Publican Jack Collins tells him the dog's name is Red Dog and narrates his story. Upon arriving in Dampier in 1971, the dog befriends many of the employees of Hamersley Iron, who have a major iron ore excavation in progress. Various miners relate their stories of Red Dog to Thomas, but state that, while Red Dog was a dog for everyone, he had no real master.

The men then tell of an American, John Grant, a bus driver for Hamersley Iron who became Red's master. He eventually starts dating a woman named Nancy, a secretary at Hamersley Iron. After living in Dampier for two years, John proposes to Nancy. On the night of the engagement, John tells Red Dog to stay until he returns from Nancy's caravan. Early the next morning, John rides his motorcycle from Nancy's caravan, but he is killed in an accident on the way after hitting a kangaroo.

In the shock of John's accident, Nancy and the Hamersley men forget about Red Dog. Three days after the funeral, they find him still waiting where John told him to stay. After three weeks, Red Dog decides to look for John, first at Hamersley Iron, then the bar and other places where John was known to go, until all of Dampier is explored. He continues across much of the Australian North West Pilbara region, from Perth to Darwin. He is even rumoured to have caught a ship to Japan in search of John and possibly other countries too. Finally, the truth catches up to him flooded with grief, he decides to return to Dampier. When he arrives, he returns to Nancy at the caravan park where she is staying, and she is overwhelmed to see him. The caretakers of the caravan park, however, do not allow dogs in the park, and threaten to shoot Red Dog. Nancy and John's friends at Hamersley then travel to the community of Dampier in support of Red Dog and, after a "civilized chat" with some of the miners, the caretaker and his wife leave, leaving their cat, Red Cat, behind. A great fight between Red Dog and Red Cat ensues, and in the end, they resolve their differences and become mates but still have their ups and downs.

Back in the present day, miner Jocko asks the gathered crowd why the town should have a statue of the town's namesake, William Dampier, when all he did in relation to the place was say that there were too many flies, and suggests that they should instead erect a statue of someone who represents the town – Red Dog. During the celebrations that follow, Red Dog gets up and walks out of the bar, unnoticed by everyone. Upon realizing that the sick dog has left, everyone in the town begins looking for him, eventually finding him lying dead in front of John's grave.

One year later, Thomas once again drives up to Dampier with a new puppy for Nancy, a new "Red Dog" and the whole town unveils a statue of Red Dog, a statue which still stands today.

Cast

Left to right: Arthur Angel, John Batchelor, Kriv Stenders, Nelson Woss and Daniel Taplitz at 1st AACTA Awards 2012 Arthur Angel, John Batchelor, Kriv Stenders, Nelson Woss at AACTA Awards 2012.jpg
Left to right: Arthur Angel, John Batchelor, Kriv Stenders, Nelson Woss and Daniel Taplitz at 1st AACTA Awards 2012

Cameos

Story basis

Red Dog (c. 1971 – 21 November 1979) was a Kelpie/cattle dog cross who was well known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier, which is one of the towns to which he often returned. [4] [5] Red Dog is believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo in 1971 [6] and had a variety of names to those who knew him, including: Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest. [7] Soon after Red's death in 1979, Australian author Nancy Gillespie wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her book Red Dog [8] as did Beverly Duckett in her 1993 book Red Dog: The Pilbara Wanderer. [9] Red Dog's statue has caught the attention of a number of people passing through Dampier including British author Louis de Bernières, who was inspired to write Red Dog , a book loosely based on Red's legend. [10] A four-wheel-drive club has been named in his honour. [11]

Home media

Red Dog was officially released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on 1 December 2011 in Australia. The Red Dog DVD is the biggest-selling Australian DVD of all time. [12] The DVD is also the third-highest-selling DVD of all time in Australia behind Avatar (first) and Finding Nemo (second).

International performance

The film has not been as successful internationally as it was in Australia. The film opened at #25 in the United Kingdom, earning just £24,727 from 56 screens (24–26 February 2012) [13] and opened at #5 at the New Zealand box office, earning NZ$124,447 from 72 screens. [14] The film has been a DVD-only release in territories such as Germany and Argentina [15] but has been acquired by independent distributor Arc Entertainment in a deal for all media in the United States, though there is "no word on a theatrical release date or strategy" in the announcement. [16]

Reception

Box office

As of 17 November 2011, the film made more than A$21 million at the Australian box office since opening in August 2011. [2] Red Dog is ranked eighth in the list of (Cinema of Australia) highest-grossing Australian films of all time. Eleven days after opening, Red Dog became the highest-grossing Australian film of 2011. [17]

Critical response

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 82% of critics reviewed the film positively, with an average score of 6.6/10, based on 33 reviews. [18] Philip French of The Guardian said that the film is "guaranteed to bring tears and laughter". [19] Garry Couzens of The Digital Fix said that, "I saw this film and War Horse within a day of each other, and felt that Red Dog achieved much of what Spielberg's film was aiming at, with much less sentimentality, anthropomorphism and self-importance, more laughs and with an hour's less running time." [20] Mark Adams of the Sunday Mirror gave Red Dog a three star rating and said, "this canine true story is an engaging, feel-good Australian family drama about a dog." Adams opined that it boasted a strong cast and felt that overall it was "clichéd but charming". [21] Craig Mathieson of SBS awarded the film three stars out of five, observing that the film "passes through various emotional states without ever being too taxing" and felt that Red Dog was "the most widely appealing Australian film since Bran Nue Dae ". [22]

Accolades

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Award
(1st)
AFI Members' Choice Award Julie Ryan, Nelson Woss Won
Best Film Won
Best Direction Kriv Stenders Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Daniel TaplitzNominated
Best Editing Jill Bilcock Nominated
Best Cinematography Geoffrey HallNominated
Best Original Music Score Cezary Skubiszewski Nominated
Best Production Design Ian GracieNominated
Golden Collar Award Best Dog in a Foreign Film Koko Won
Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize AwardBest Narrative FeatureWon
Inside Film Award Best Feature FilmJulie RyanWon
Nelson WossWon
Best Actor Josh Lucas Won
Best ActressRachael TaylorNominated
Best DirectionKriv StendersWon
Best ScriptDaniel TaplitzWon
Best EditingJill BilcockNominated
Best CinematographyGeoffrey HallWon
Best Music Cezary Skubiszewski Won
Best Production DesignIan GracieNominated
Best Box Office AchievementNominated

The film missed winning Best Editing and Best Production Design at the Inside Film Awards. [2]

Koko's acceptance speech on YouTube was played at the ceremony because he was unable to attend the event.

Film festivals

Red Dog has screened at numerous film festivals around the world including:

Adaptations

Musical

In March 2012 it was announced [23] that the Red Dog film would be developed into a stage musical. The musical is being developed by Australian theatre producer John Frost and Red Dog producer Nelson Woss.

Prequel and Spin-off

A prequel, titled Red Dog: True Blue , began filming in early 2015 for six weeks and was released on 26 December 2016. [24] The film explores Red Dog's earlier days, as well as delving into the history of the Pilbara region. Due to Koko's death, Red Dog was recast. [25] It was also dedicated to him.

A spin-off documentary, titled Koko: A Red Dog Story was released in 2019. [26] The film explores the life of Koko, who was cast as Red Dog in the original film.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilbara Iron</span> Mining company

Pilbara Iron is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Rio Tinto Group, that manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio and three Japanese steel companies Mitsui Iron Ore Development P/L (33%), Nippon Steel Australia P/L (10.5%) and Sumitomo Metal Australia P/L (3.5%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dampier, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Dampier is a major industrial port in the Pilbara region in the northwest of Western Australia. It is located near the city of Karratha and Port Walcott.

The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a global biodiversity hotspot for subterranean fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis de Bernières</span> English novelist

Louis de Bernières is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international best-seller.

<i>Red Dog</i> (novel) 2002 novel by Louis de Bernières

Red Dog (2002) is a short novel by Louis de Bernières charting the life of a popular dog, a "Red Cloud Kelpie" nicknamed Red Dog, in Dampier, Western Australia. A movie based on the novel was filmed in Australia in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Price, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Tom Price is a mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA".

Karratha is a city in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, adjoining the port of Dampier. It is located in the traditional lands and waters of the Ngarluma people, for whom it has been Ngurra (home/Country) for tens of thousands of years. It was established in 1968 to accommodate the processing and exportation workforce of the Hamersley Iron mining company and, in the 1980s, the petroleum and liquefied natural gas operations of the Woodside-operated North West Shelf Venture located on Murujuga. As of the 2021 census, Karratha had an urban population of 17,013. The city's name comes from the cattle station of the same name, which derives from a word in a local Aboriginal language meaning "good country" or "soft earth". More recently, Ngarluma people have indicated the name may actually relate to an early interpretation of "Gardarra", stemming from the sacred site for the whale, located in the Karratha area, called "Gardarrabuga". The city is the seat of government of the City of Karratha, a local government area covering the surrounding region.

Red dog or Red Dog may refer to:

Karratha Airport is an airport in Karratha, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The airport is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Karratha and 5 nautical miles south of Dampier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Dog (Pilbara)</span> Pilbara Wanderer and Dog of Northwestern Australia

Red Dog was a kelpie/cattle dog cross that was well known for his travels through Western Australia's vast Pilbara region. Red Dog had a series of owners and lengthy periods travelling on his own, essentially becoming a beloved friend and mascot of the greater Pilbara community. A statue was installed in his memory in Dampier, one of the towns to which he often returned. He is frequently referred to as a "red kelpie" or a "red cloud kelpie".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortescue River</span> River in the Pilbara, Western Australia

The Fortescue River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the third longest river in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamersley & Robe River railway</span> Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned by Rio Tinto, and operated by its subsidiary Pilbara Iron, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. The network is larger than any other Australian heavy freight rail network in private ownership. The total length of its track is about 1,700 km (1,056 mi).

Red Dog is a short story by Nancy Gillespie and a collection of anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region, chronicling the life and travels of the Red Dog. Colonel Cummings is documented as the Red Dog's original owner, and later John Stazzonelli took ownership before dying in a motorcycle accident. The Red Dog, not knowing that Stazzonelli had died, went looking for him across Western Australia's Pilbara region. Gillespie channelled part of the sales of this book to The Karratha Rotary Club to say thank-you for their help in making the book possible. Pictures of the Red Dog are featured in the book, including a map charting the many places the Red Dog had visited.

Cape Lambert is a port facility operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located 40 kilometres north-east of Karratha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Woss</span>

Nelson Woss is an Australian film producer who made the feature films Red Dog and Ned Kelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kriv Stenders</span> Australian writer, producer, and director

Kriv Stenders is an Australian writer, film producer, and director, best known for his 2011 film Red Dog (2011) and the 2014 thriller film Kill Me Three Times. His new film The Correspondent, based on a memoir by Australian journalist Peter Greste, has its world premiere on the opening gala night of the Adelaide Film Festival on 23 October 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koko (dog)</span> Australian Kelpie film actor and fundraiser

Koko was an Australian canine film actor and fundraiser, an Australian Kelpie who was best known for his role as Red Dog, the title character of the 2011 film Red Dog. He was owned by Nelson Woss, a producer of Red Dog.

Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Pilbara region. There are two main highways in the region: Great Northern Highway, which travels north through the region to Port Hedland and then north-west along the coast, as well as North West Coastal Highway, which heads south-west from Port Hedland. A series of main roads connects towns to the highways, and local roads provide additional links. The majority of these roads service the western half of the region, with few located in the various deserts east of the Oakover River. Roads are often named after the towns or areas they connect.

<i>Hamersley News</i>

Hamersley News was a fortnightly English language newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia by Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd. It was distributed to mining communities in Dampier, Karratha, Tom Price and Paraburdoo.

<i>Red Dog: True Blue</i> 2016 film directed by Kriv Stenders

Red Dog: True Blue is a 2016 Australian family comedy film directed by Kriv Stenders, written by Daniel Taplitz and starring Jason Isaacs, Levi Miller and Bryan Brown. It is a prequel to the 2011 film Red Dog, detailing the early days of the Red Dog, the Pilbara Wanderer.

References

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  15. IMDb release info
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