Customer Reviews

Son of Lassie [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think this movie has more plot and action in it, making it one of my favorite Lassie movies. It shows how good people will risk their lives not only for human beings, but also for animals, which is true in real life. I'd risk my life to save my pets. It also had a more adult theme for adults and children to ponder. It was more realistic, in that some parts of the movie were very sad and tearful. It does end happy.

Bought this for the children as they had seen all the pre-quels and wanted to see what happened to the next generation. It did not disappoint and was, in a way, a happy conclusion to the other Lassie movie starring Elizabeth Taylor. Has all the excitement of seeing someone grown up, doing something worthwhile as an adult, things not always going to plan, but somehow ending up happily. A feel-good movie that kids will love and remember.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND ENJOYED SEEING IT AGAIN.

In this movie, Lassie actually plays Laddie, Lassie's harum-scarum son who can't seem to do anything right, but Joe Carraclough stands by him, even when he is called up to do service in World War II. When Laddie stows away in Joe's bomber and is shot down with his beloved master, the search is on: separated from Joe, Laddie does his best to catch up with him, inadvertantly leading the Nazis directly to his master. This is an adventure film, not a sentimental story like its predecessor LASSIE COME HOME, but that's fine--I'm just marking it down a little for those four child actors who find Laddie after Joe disappears. These have to be the worst child actors in MGM history. Every minute with them is excruciating. Thank God they are gone from the story after about 15-20 minutes. Otherwise a terrific film.

A WWII melodrama and problematic recasting hamper "Son of Lassie" a really dismal successor to "Lassie Come Home." The collie is now recast as Laddie - a haplessly playful mutt that runs amuck until Joe (now recast as Peter Lawford) is enlisted as a flyer for the Allies. Laddie sneaks aboard Joe's plane and the two are off into the wild blue yonder. Unfortunately the wild blue fizzles out when the Nazis shoot down Joe's plane. In need of medical attention, Joe summons Laddie to seek help and inadvertently brings half of Nazi Germany to the rescue. Clearly attempting to rekindle the essences of the original film, the characters of Priscilla (now recast as June Lockhart) and the Duke of Radling (alumni, Nigel Bruce) return to lend moral support to a dragging tale that is barely reminiscent of the original's glory. This film is an adventure yarn with the dog thrown in, but it doesn't play as either an adventure of a family drama, the latter of which must have clearly been the target of MGM's publicity campaign for the film. The cast of Lawford and Lane in the roles originated by Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor is a huge error in judgment from which the film never recovers.

Small ironies aside, Warner's DVD is the most satisfying of the bunch, presumably because it didn't get much play over the years and has therefore been spared most of the ravages of time. Tonal quality is the least dated of the three "Lassie" films with consistently rendered colors that are vibrant. Age related artifacts are, on the whole, absent. Edge enhancement and pixelization are kept to a minimum. Overall, fine details are very nicely realized. Contrast and black levels are very solid. The audio is mono but respectably cleaned up and presented with a fidelity that outweighs the visual characteristics. There are NO extras.