Product Details

• Actors: Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Brömssen, Anki Lidén, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren
• Directors: Lasse Hallström
• Writers: Lasse Hallström, Brasse Brännström, Per Berglund, Reidar Jönsson
• Producers: Waldemar Bergendahl
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Criterion
• DVD Release Date: March 11, 2003
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000087EY5
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,679 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "My Life as a Dog (The Criterion Collection)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Simultaneously elegiac and raw, this uneven--but unforgettable--tearjerker tells the story of Ingemar, a 12-year-old working-class Swedish boy sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle in a country village when his mother falls ill. Beginning with several representations of the most savage, unsentimental domestic intensity imaginable (interplay between a sick parent and loving child has never looked anywhere near as explosive), My Life as a Dog wisely doesn't attempt to maintain that level of danger; rather, the change in locale to rural Sweden is accompanied by a slackening of pace and a whimsical breeziness. Nevertheless, the tragic condition of Ingemar's mother (and later, the indeterminate fate of Sickan, his beloved dog, consigned to a kennel) hovers over the narrative with a gripping portentousness. At times, director Lasse Hallström misplaces the rhythm, and the film threatens to degenerate into a series of rustic vignettes; luckily, Ingemar's relationship with Gunnar, the jocular yet somewhat sinister uncle who essentially adopts him, carries a fascinating charge. In Swedish, with subtitles. This was later rewritten, whether intentionally or not, by Spike Lee, who changed the gender of the child, set the story in New York City, added a 1970s soul soundtrack, and called it Crooklyn. --Miles Bethany

Product Description

Charming Swedish look at the adult world through a child's eyes. An 11-year-old boy in the late '50s is sent to stay with relatives in the country when his mother becomes seriously ill, and learns valuable lessons about love, separation and growing up from the locals. Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Bromssen star. 101 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Swedish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; bonus film "Shall We Go to My or Your Place or Each Go Home Alone?" (1973); interviews; theatrical trailer. In Swedish with English subtitles.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite movie of all time. August 24, 2001

By alyosha

Format:VHS Tape

Few movies come this close to perfection. This is an intelligent and moving story of a boy who must come to terms with abandonment, loss and the casual betrayal of adults. Extremely well acted on all sides, with a bold script that dares to ask the important questions. Ingemar must try to find some balance in his life, as he is tossed from one "home" to another, like a stray dog... or, like the Soviet space-dog Laika, who was sent into space only to starve to death in orbit. "They never intended to bring her back." The final scenes of "My Life as a Dog" do win out, when the odd town's crazy old man takes a swim in the frozen river. The whole cast of peculiar town-folk come out to "rescue" him, and offer him a place by the fire, a blanket, a little whiskey... Here, Ingemar finds balance in the love of other people, so one is left, not with a sense of despair, but with a sense of hope in the midst of sorrow and loss.

Note: I recommend the subtitled version over the dubbed version, as the language and inflections should be experienced in full.

66 of 76 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars When bad transfers happen to good films... March 28, 2000

By Jason A. Thomas

Format:DVD

This was so disappointing to me. "My Life as a Dog" was one of my all-time favorite films. I already had it on video, and wanted to have a cleaner copy on DVD, as well as some features.

! IT IS NOT, I repeat, *NOT* WIDESCREEN!

Worse, the transfer is grainy, and there seems to be little or no remastering. CRITERION would do a bang-up job on this film, it's just a shame that so many distributers can't get their act together and put a little effort into what they're doing.

If you want to hear commentary, see it in its original film ratio, or even see a decent transfer for heaven's sake, go to Criterion's web-site and send them a message that you want to see this film done right.

You might also go to Fox Lorber's web site, and let them know you expect more than VHS-on-a-disk. DVD, as a media, is in a critical state right now, and the studios are trying to see if the general public will accept bare-bones releases. We need to let them know that we won't.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE ALL TIME GREATS IN CINEMA June 28, 2011

By Peter Fraser

Format:Blu-ray

A massive world wide hit when it was first released.Simply the greatest film about childhood ever made.An absolute flawless film in every way. The final scene combined with the memorable music will stick in your mind forever. A masterpiece of film making - truly unforgetable and exceptionally moving.I have seen it numerous times over the years.One of the ten best films I have ever seen.