 October
2006
This month's reviews/features:
Lassie
Mattie: Hi, Patty. Hey, have you seen any decent movies
lately? Every time I go to a theater and sit through the previews of
coming attractions, I’m disgusted. Seems like a lot of what’s out
there is trash.
Patty: Yeah, I agree with you, but there’s some good stuff
around. I saw Lassie a few days ago and really liked
it. It’s basically a remake of the original Lassie Come Home.
Mattie: I’ve never seen that. What’s the movie about?
Patty: Well, let’s see … it’s about a family living in
Yorkshire, England, just before World War II—the dad, the mom, and
Joe, the young son. They own a really beautiful collie named
Lassie. The dad loses his job at the mine, and since they’re
in a pretty dire financial condition, their only choice is to sell
their dog to the wealthy Duke who lives in the area. They’re all sad
about it, but Joe is really heartbroken. By the way, Peter O’Toole
plays the Duke, and he does a great job. The rest of the acting is
really strong too, especially Lassie’s.
Mattie: So what happens?
Patty: Well, Lassie loves her family so much that she just
won’t stay with the Duke. She escapes several times and goes back to
the family. Finally the Duke and his grand-daughter take her to his
castle in northern Scotland. Lassie escapes again and starts a
thousand-mile trip back to Yorkshire. She has some really harrowing
adventures on the way.
Mattie: Hmm. Another animal movie, eh? Don’t get me
wrong—I love animals, but I’d like to see something with meat. It
sounds like this is just for kids.
Patty: It appeals to kids, but it’s got a lot going for
adults, too. And it definitely reflects Christian values. For me the
most interesting character is a gypsy dwarf who befriends Lassie on
the road. You know that verse in Galatians where Paul says to ask
the Holy Spirit to give you the virtues? How does it go? Love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. Well, this dwarf has them.
Mattie: Sounds pretty good. What about taking kids to it?
Patty: Older kids will really like it. Younger kids might
have a problem with it, since some animals are harmed. I might not
take anyone younger than eight or nine
Mattie: What kind of rating would you give it?
Patty: I’d say 3 stars.
Mattie: All right, my friend. I’ll see it.
Ratings:
Lassie, 3 stars
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Index of movie
reviews...
(2003 reviews through present)
Jay Maurer, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, is
a long-term movie buff and former college teacher of The Film as
Literature. He has written movie reviews for The Good News
(West Side newsletter) since 2002.
If you have comments or questions
about the movie (or play) reviews, please contact Jay at
dramachap@msn.com.
Ratings are expressed in
increments of ¼ star.
A rating of 2 ½ stars or higher is meant to be a recommendation.
1 star: poor
2 stars: minimally satisfactory
3 stars: quite good
4 stars: superb
Criteria for determining the ratings:
- Reflection, either explicit or implicit, of Christian values,
including suitability of language and lack of gratuitous violence
- Quality of the acting
- Originality
- Unity of the entire picture
- Substance, or in the words of C.S. Lewis, weight
Other Christian movie review Web sites:
Plugged In Online
ChristianityTodayMovies.com
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