Lassie (2005 film)

Lassie is a 2005 British-American-French-Irish 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.

Lassie
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Sturridge
Produced byCharles Sturridge
Ed Guiney
Francesca Barra
Written byCharles Sturridge
Eric Knight
Based onLassie Come-Home
by Eric Knight
StarringJonathan Mason
Peter O'Toole
Samantha Morton
John Lynch
Peter Dinklage
Edward Fox
Music byAdrian Johnston
CinematographyHoward Atherton
Edited byPeter Coulson
Adam Green
Production
company
Distributed byRoadside Attractions
Release date
  • December 16, 2005 (2005-12-16)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
United States
France
Ireland
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.4 million[1]

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

This is the eleventh movie about Lassie, according to the producers. It is based on Eric Knight's 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home.[4] Filming took place in Scotland, Ireland and on the Isle of Man.

Reception

The film earned $6,442,854 worldwide.[5] The film-critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes recorded 93% positive reviews from 70 critics,[6] while the film scored of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 15 reviews.[7] 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".[4] 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."[8] 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."[9]

Awards

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2007
Award Category Nominee
Critics Choice Award Best Family Film (Live Action)Nominated

Irish Film and Television Awards 2007
Award Category Nominee Result
IFTA Award Best Sound in Film/TV DramaPeter Blayney, Patrick Drummond, John Fitzgerald and Mervyn MooreWon

Audience Award
Award Category Nominee
Audience Award Best Irish FilmNominated

Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2006
Award Category Nominee
WFCC Award Best Family FilmWon

Young Artist Awards 2007
Award Category Nominee Result
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 was released in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, and was negatively received.[10]

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References
  1. "Lassie (2006) (2006) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  2. "Northern Classic Collies".
  3. "Thunder's Collies - Hall of Fame". DR Farms. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  4. Jeannette Catsoulis (2006-09-01). "The Noblest Collie of All Bounds Anew in the Glen". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
  5. "Lassie". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  6. "Lassie (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  7. "Lassie". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  8. Smith, Anna (2006-04-01). "Review of Lassie". Empire. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  9. Smith, Neil (2005-12-14). "Lassie (2005)". BBC. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  10. "Lassie" – via Amazon.
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