Lassie Come Home/Son of Lassie/Courage of Lassie [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This incredible collie is the real star in this trio of films which steadfastly proves that dog is man's best friend." Includes Lassie Come Home (Elizabeth Taylor, Roddy MacDowall. 1943/89 min.), Son of Lassie (Peter Lawford. 1945/102 min.) and Courage of Lassie (Elizabeth Taylor. 1946/92 min.). 2 DVDs. Color/G/fullscreen.

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Subtitle: Eng/Fre/Spa
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • Vintage shorts & cartoons
  • Tom & Jerry cartoon Flirty Birdy
  • Theatrical trailers

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1943 (Leonard Smith)

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1992

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1943

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Elizabeth Taylor - Kathie Merrick
       Donald Crisp - Sam Carraclough
       Dame May Whitty - Dally
       Edmund Gwenn - Rowlie
       Elsa Lanchester - Mrs. Carraclough
       Elizabeth Taylor - Priscilla
       Catherine McLeod - Alice Merrick
       Ben Webster - Dan'l Fadden
       Mitchell Lewis - Gil Elson
       Alan Napier - Andrew
       Arthur Shields - Jock
       John Rogers - Buckles
       Alec Craig - Snickers
       Donald Curtis - Charlie
       Clancy Cooper - Casey
       Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer - First Youth
       Conrad Binyon - Second Youth
       Addison Richards - Officer

• Director:

  Fred Wilcox, S. Sylvan Simon

• Producer:

  Samuel Marx, Robert Sisk

• Screenwriter:

  Hugo Butler

• Book Author:

  Eric M. Knight

• Screenwriter:

  Jeanne Bartlett, Lionel Houser

• Cinematographer:

  Leonard Smith, Charles E. Schoenbaum

• Composer (Music Score):

  Daniele Amfitheatrof, Herbert Stothart, Bronislau Kaper, Scott Bradley

• Editor:

  Ben Lewis, Conrad A. Nervig

• Art Director:

  Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Hubert Hobson, Paul Youngblood

• Set Designer:

  Edwin B. Willis, Mildred Griffiths, Paul Huldschinsky

• Costume Designer:

  Irene, Irene Sharaff

• Special Effects:

  Warren Newcombe, Arnold A. Gillespie, Daniel Hall

• Consultant/advisor:

  Basil Wrangell

REVIEWS:

• Lassie Come Home is one of the best-loved family classics of all time. Based on the novel by Eric Knight, the story has all the elements that would become formulaic over the years: an honest, hardworking family must sell the child's pet; the pet goes to the new home only to run away; the pet endures great hardships in returning home; and the happy-ending reunion. In Lassie Come Home, the actors fully inhabit their characters, making them come alive as though they were real people. Donald Crisp is excellent as the father, and Roddy McDowall is perfectly cast as the son who loves Lassie. There's even a nice bit part for the young Elizabeth Taylor, as the granddaughter of the dog's new owner, Nigel Bruce. The film has the usual high-quality MGM look, thanks greatly to the production designs of Edwin B. Willis and Cedric Gibbons and the Oscar-nominated cinematography of Leonard Smith. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
• Son of Lassie does prove, rather unfortunately, that the apple can indeed fall pretty far from the tree. A big step down from Lassie Come Home, Son doesn't begin to follow in its mother's pawprints. It's not the dog actor's fault, as Pal played Lassie herself in the original. Blame it on the scriptwriters, who somehow seemed to think that the offspring of the world's smartest dog should be a contender for the dumbest (as well as the most annoying). Actually, for the most part the dog is just doing what a dog might do -- but in the "dramatic" context of the film, it comes off as sheer stupidity. It doesn't help matters that the story itself is pretty contrived from start to finish. Peter Lawford does a decent job as a grown-up Roddy McDowall, but June Lockhart is a wan substitute for Elizabeth Taylor. Donald Crisp and Nigel Bruce reliably reprise their earlier performances to good effect, and the supporting cast in general is fine. But the biggest asset is the gorgeous Technicolor lensing by Charles E. Schoenbaum, which pops off the screen in a most pleasing manner. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi