For me, this is a film that has certainly withstood the test of time. Although I have seen it many times, it still makes a very strong emotional impact on me. Even though I know the outcome by now, observing this poor dog endure so many hardships in "her" journey from England to Scotland through many obstacles is still a very painful but engaging view for me.
Although I appreciate Elizabeth Taylor as an adult actor, there is an awkward, stilted aspect to her childhood roles. There is an overshadowing aura of sadness to them. Roddy McDowell, as Joe, seems far less oppressed here than poor Elizabeth. By the time she starred in "Place in the Sun", she managed to achieve a welcome sense of balance and ease before the camera. In my humble view, she owes much to the great director, George Stevens, for showing her the way forward to a very successful career.
In addition to the extraordinary talent and charisma of Pal as the lead dog, the film features an outstanding human cast, including Donald Crisp, Elsa Lanchester, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, and Edmund Gwenn. Fred Wilcox's excellent direction, some very good writing by Eric Knight (the novel) and Hugo Butler (screenplay), beautiful cinematography, and a fitting musical score by Daniele Amfitheatrof (love that name) combine to create a very visually appealing film, especially for dog lovers and lifelong dog companions like me.
Although I appreciate Elizabeth Taylor as an adult actor, there is an awkward, stilted aspect to her childhood roles. There is an overshadowing aura of sadness to them. Roddy McDowell, as Joe, seems far less oppressed here than poor Elizabeth. By the time she starred in "Place in the Sun", she managed to achieve a welcome sense of balance and ease before the camera. In my humble view, she owes much to the great director, George Stevens, for showing her the way forward to a very successful career.
In addition to the extraordinary talent and charisma of Pal as the lead dog, the film features an outstanding human cast, including Donald Crisp, Elsa Lanchester, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, and Edmund Gwenn. Fred Wilcox's excellent direction, some very good writing by Eric Knight (the novel) and Hugo Butler (screenplay), beautiful cinematography, and a fitting musical score by Daniele Amfitheatrof (love that name) combine to create a very visually appealing film, especially for dog lovers and lifelong dog companions like me.