BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

de_niro_2001 I didn't think they made films like this any more. If you've seen Lassie Come Home you'll be familiar with the story but that doesn't detract from the pleasure of this new version. It is a somewhat idealised portrayal of the 1930s but still very good. Steve Pemberton makes Hynes a hissable and comic villain, better than Pat O'Malley in the original version. John Lynch is excellent as is Peter O'Toole. The Glasgow scenes are obviously Dublin although they have included a bus in authentic Glasgow Corporation livery. The streets of 1930s Glasgow also look a bit odd without trams! The scene where poor wee Toots gets killed brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. I own a border terrier so maybe that made it personal. Nicholas Lyndhurst's reputation has been forever tarnished. Rowlie is a small man with a big wonderful heart and a lovely talent for entertaining children and I really felt for him. It is good though how everything ends up so nicely for Lassie and the Carracloughs. If you ever want to have a good cry a recommend this film.

steveblank This inspired adventure will warm your heart and provide your children with an introduction to the inequities of class-based society. Set in early 20th century England, a struggling working class family faces destitution when the local coal mine shuts down, leaving no work in town. Their young son's primary source of joy is his dog Lassie, but they can scarcely afford to feed him. When the granddaughter of nearby duke fancies Lassie, a deal is struck to exchange the dog for cash. How will Lassie respond to this form of trade? What effect will the dog have on these two families representing either extreme of peerage? Find out, and enjoy a couple of delightful subplots along the way. Meet an opportunistic upper-class "wannabe," an amiable puppeteer with a traveling sideshow, and even catch a glimpse of the era's dating scene.Like most children's films, the performances lean toward the pedestrian, but the cast is engaging nonetheless. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the story is fully realized. Don't miss it!

fertilecelluloid This is a superb, authentic adaptation of Eric Knight's novel "Lassie Come Home". It avoids unnecessary, forced sentimentality to tell a straightforward tale of a dog's dedication to "home" (and Master). Structurally, stories like this are potentially problematic because the central plot threads divide once the heroine (Lassie in this case) escapes from bondage and begins her incredible journey. The trick is to make all the characters interesting enough so that when their lives are intercut with Lassie's progression, we don't lose interest in their plights. Thankfully, director/writer Charles Sturridge creates fascinating, complex characters all round and casts every role beautifully. Jonathan Mason is pitch perfect as Joe, the little boy whose devotion to Lassie equals the dog's devotion to him. Hester Odgers is magical as Cilla, the smart, sensitive granddaughter of eccentric aristocrat The Duke. And Peter O'Toole, as The Duke, strikes a perfect chord in every scene and gradually reveals his true, noble heart. John Lynch and Samantha Morton are entirely convincing as the struggling, working class couple who face an uncertain future and are forced to sell Lassie to make ends meet.The uncredited "Mason" plays Lassie, and what a moving, emotion-laden performance it is. It's not often that a male plays a female so utterly convincingly. Every scene the dog is in is riveting, and there isn't a moment that we don't sympathize with her ordeal.One of the film's most touching chapters is the one in which Lassie joins a traveling puppeteer (Peter Dinklage) on the road, performing in shows with another loyal dog. Dinklage, who previously appeared in the wonderful "The Station Agent", is thoroughly fantastic as the pint-sized puppeteer with a heart of gold. How this chapter plays out (in a misty forest) is quite traumatic and dramatic, and is an example of director Sturridge's firm control of the material. Interestingly, the tone of this sequence recalled Todd Browning for me, and was just off-kilter enough to still be suitable for the kiddies while keeping the oldies satisfied.I must also mention the stellar work here of cinematographer Howard Atherton. His understated style perfectly captures the period (pre-WW2) and breathes rich cinematic oxygen into the nasty sequence in the forest while making the montages of Lassie's difficult trek soar. Score by Adrian Johnston is suitably old-fashioned while echoing contemporary scores such as Mark Isham's musical masterpiece for "Fly Away Home", a film this one parallels tonally.A great film in every sense of the word, and one that doesn't resort to flashy tricks or bombastic style. It is a work of great discipline.

Cinema_Fan With its class divisions and social differences, the have not's and the I want mores, this is the story of Lassie the Rough Collie, originally bred for herding in the harsh Scottish climates, she, like her owners have become innocent victims of the times. Set in the beautiful Yorkshire valleys and lush green fields, as well as the ever - mesmerising Scottish Highlands, with true filming locations in England and Scotland, plus County Wicklow and the Grand Masonic Lodge, Dublin in Ireland and the Isle of Man. This is a visual splendour of the vast wilderness and the beautiful panoramic landscapes, that when set against the tiny figure of the star herself only projects her impossible plight. Cinematography is by one Howard Atherton, and being a member of the British Society of Cinematographers too, has us transfixed at the stunning lands and lakes that are Lassies barriers and wedges that divide heart from home.Done with a gracious style of indifference and tender loving, Lassies adventure homeward bound is a story of human tragedies also, for the people that she stumbles upon, she brings course and effect, Lassie touches us all, her ever trusting, and weary, nature, she can become as close to you as only you wish to be close to her. With a cast of greats and new faces alike such as Peter O'Toole (1932 - ), as the sinister, cunning and malevolent Duke, with him are the likes of Scottish actor and comic Gregor Fisher, Jonathan Mason as young Joe, Peter Dinklage as the travelling Rowlie the street entertainer. We also see John Lynch as Joe's father along side Samantha Morton the wife and mother, and a bit part from the comedy actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, playing the evil Buckle, not forgetting the acting talents of Steve Pemberton, Robert Hardy and Edward Fox too. This all blends in extremely well too, set against the period sets, locations and costumes of the pre Second World War era. With the style of story telling, which was first written in 1943 by Eric Knight (1897 - 1943), that brings us to a state of trepidation, doubt and sorrow for our heroine, then at the right moment will have us adulated for her sheer guts and determination.Lassie is a family movie, and for sentimentalists alike, with its theme of finding ones home and knowing where the heart really belongs, with its subplots of human soul searching that are parallel to Lassies plight too, this is a fine story, told in both wondrous countryside and stately homes to back streets.This is a tale of knowing ones place in life, and wanting to be there, and the rewards of achievement when one reaches the end of the road.Heartlands Truly Moving Picture Awards, USA, gave Lassie top accolade for its very moving emotional impact and to quote their philosophy for picking such movies, "Truly Moving Pictures are films that explore the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life". I'll second that, will you?