Courage of Lassie (1946)

Peril lurks behind every scene resolution in the 1946 hit Courage of Lassie. After an odd, peaceable-kingdom beginning, Lassie is shot by Carl Switzer, the kid who used to play Alfalfa (really!), and rescued by Elizabeth Taylor. She inexplicably names Lassie "Bill" (maybe in revenge because Lassie got on the movie's title) and trains him to be a sheepdog. Bill gets hit by a truck, then impressed into service in the U.S. war effort in the Philippines. Presaging Rambo, Bill becomes a war hero, yet returns home from the front a broken dog and is considered a menace to society. The war scenes are a bit too grueling for a family film (at least with very young children). Bill gets shot (again) and has to do a reconnaissance mission that Joseph Conrad would admire. Taylor doesn't so much act as sob and gush, and only Frank Morgan, the actor known best as the Wizard of Oz, comes off as well as the collie. That collie, though, is pretty wonderful and fans of the first film won't be too disappointed. --Keith Simanton Amazon.com

Wonderful film for people who love dogs and nature...

This is one of the best movies of all time; it's wholesome, beautifully shot, and holds the attention, despite what some on here would say. It's about Bill (Lassie), who goes from being a stray dog growing up in the forest, to being a sheepdog owned by Taylor's character, to being a traumatized wartime hero, and finally back to being Taylor's dog again. There are many sad parts in this (particularly the cruelty toward Bill during the war scenes), and many times I wondered if Bill was going to make it out alive. Needless to say, he does, and even when the end seems near for Bill, he somehow survives, and he touches your heart throughout. I both laughed and cried for Bill. A great film for all ages to enjoy. June 29, 2008

Heartwarming Adventure!

In an age where we have graphic brutality, sex and violence on both the small and big screen how refreshing it was to watch this movie released in 1946. It was made a year before I was born and it took me back to a time in America when Hollywood produced clean, wholesome, decent entertainment that appealed to all ages.The wildlife sequences at the beginning of the film are priceless and one wonders how they could be coordinated with such precision and Elizabeth Taylor's performance is emotionally endearing. If you can watch this movie without tearing up at least three or four times you must have ice water flowing through your veins! Well worth the price and the DVD transfer is excellent considering the vintage of the the film! Three thumbs up! August 7, 2007

Best use of Technicolor

While this film really can't compare with the story line of the original Lassie Come Home, it is cetainly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Is there really a place so beautiful? Then I read from the cover notes of the two disc,three film version, that it was filmed in Canada during the Second World War. That country is gorgeous! It must have more pristine scenery packed into it than anywhere else on earth. January 31, 2007

Liz is again the overwrought, ecstatic child...

In "Courage of Lassie," the dog gets top billing, but a pretty teenager (Liz Taylor) has plenty of crying and hugging to do as a supremely devoted mistress...

Another heart-warming story, filmed in the wilderness of Washington State, the movie (which begins with a long, curious, wild-life sequence) mixes farm-family folksiness with an unusual dog story: Lassie goes to a training school for war dogs, is shipped to the front and performs heroically... Returned to America, the dog suffers a nervous collapse, becoming a menace to society...

As the willful farm girl who finds a dog, loses a dog, and regains a dog, Liz Taylor is again the overwrought, ecstatic child, lavishing her attention on Lassie...

Because her greatest fame came later, as a young woman, most people forget what a skillful child actress she was... Less burdened than at any later time by her beauty and fame, she is at her least self-conscious in these early performances... Untouched, she reveals in these animal stories her natural flair for tears and hugs--the paraphernalia of an emotional female...

December 24, 2006

Courage of Lassie

This a great movie for the whole family. Who could not love this dog? February 23, 2006

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