I think this one was at least 50 years too late for me. One of the reviewers said it was a good family film and I think that about sums it up. A cross between “Rin Tin Tin” and “Skippy The Bush Kangaroo”. It wasn't a bad film – I just think if a Film Society is going to show that kind of film it should be on a Saturday morning with kids and ice cream and we should all sing “We're members of the Odeon Club … and champions of the free”
Yes, Children, I really did sing those words at the Odeon on Saturday mornings. Incidentally, I just googled that and found a discussion where somebody said he'd been thinking for the last 50 years it was “champions of the TREE”. I also found a link to a You Tube video of the song. See below. After the national anthem they always showed a cartoon and, to this day, whenever I hear the closing bars of God Save The Queen, the Looney Toons jingle begins to play in my head.
The film was based on a novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières (Captain Corelli's Mandolin). Here's a quote from the author:
“In early 1998 I went to Perth in Western Australia in order to attend the literature festival, and part of the arrangement was that I should go to Karratha to do their first ever literary dinner. Karratha is a mining town a long way further north. The landscape is extraordinary, being composed of vast heaps of dark red earth and rock poking out of the never-ending bush. I imagine that Mars must have a similar feel to it.
"I went exploring and discovered the bronze statue to Red Dog outside the town of Dampier. I felt straight away that I had to find out more about this splendid dog. A few months later I returned to Western Australia and spent two glorious weeks driving around collecting Red Dog stories and visiting the places that he knew, writing up the text as I went along. I hope my cat never finds out that I have written a story to celebrate the life of a dog.”The film has been much celebrated in Australia and has also been subject of some controversy. According to his widow, the hero, John, was not such a nice guy. See this article in a Perth newspaper: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/dark-side-to-red-dog-tale-says-john-stazzonellis-widow/story-e6frg13u-1226016357387
Anyway, the film was well made and scripted and a not unpleasant way to spend 92 minutes (was it really only 92 minutes?). I did have a problem with the Italian character who sounded more to me like Evonne Goolagong than Marcello Mastroianni, but all the other characters were great and the scenery was interesting.
The feedback score was 84%.
Your comments:
| A | Lovely film |
| A | Feel good animal film – interesting that based on a true story – better than “Marley and Me” |
| A | Very relaxing film – really enjoyed it. Thank you. |
| A | A very entertaining film. Well written portraying a small story. |
| A | Adventure, comedy, pathos, romance and a fascinating insight into the mining communities and landscapes of the “business end” of Australia. |
| A | |
| B | A sweet film. A gentle and enjoyable story with the amazing scenery and sunsets of Australia as the setting. |
| B | Feel good movie for dog lovers everywhere! Amusing and moving. Good acting and very well trained dog – liked the music. |
| B | Lovely film, good portrayal of the mining community, quite emotional at the end. |
| B | Loved it!! Had just about every emotion – just such a positive feel. Didn't realise it was a true story. |
| B | Family entertainment, not a dry eye in the house. |
| B | A little on the slow side, pleasantly enjoyable. Very well trained dog (and cat). Interesting scenery. |
| B | Very sentimental |
| B | |
| C | Well photographed, enjoyable but a bit too sentimental for me. |
| C | Endearing story but a little over-sentimental! |
| C | Lacked a little pace at this but at times reminiscent of “Strictly Ballroom” |
On-line:
IMDB user rating 7.3 out of 10:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803061/
Rotten Tomatoes – audience rating 81%:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771243442/
A 2-star review from Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/23/red-dog-review
Philip French in the Observer says “The movie received considerable support from the controversial Rio Tinto mining company on whose land much of the film was shot, and they are no doubt hoping to gain some friendly public relations warmth from the Rio Rin Tin Tinto effect.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/26/red-dog-review
And here's a You Tube link to the Odeon Club song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RJOUrKXBZ8
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.