Within the opening scenes of A Dog of Flanders my hand was already reaching for the fast-forward button. As I take my job as a critic and writer seriously, I held back, and I’m very glad I did. What was initially beating me over the head with its half-century-old cinematic sensibilities quickly drew me in and got a great emotional response out of me, like few films of the era can.
The movie’s about a kid, Nello (David Ladd), who finds a beaten dog and nurses him back to health. He lives an exceptionally poor life with his grandfather (Donald Crisp), making what little living they can by selling milk for farmers. Nello has dreams of being an artist, and as we soon find out, he also has exceptional ability. But with three mouths to feed now there’s obviously no money for art supplies, so he paints with iodine, much to the chagrin of an artist friend, Piet van Gelder (Theodore Bikel). Will Nello attain his dream or will the cruel, crushing reality of the modern world befall him and everything he loves?
Well I’m not gonna tell you. Suffice it to say there is a good bit a melodrama, and the writing isn’t exactly Paul Thomas Anderson caliber, but the film’s themes and morals come across quite vividly, and if I didn’t think kids today would be so bored by the first half hour or so, I’d use no caution in recommending family viewings. If your kids have decent attention spans, this is a great way to wean them on older cinema. It’s extremely hard not to at least sympathize with Nello and his position in life. Even much more financially well-off viewers may likely empathize, simply in that he can’t do what he really wants to in life.
I do have a problem with the cinematography, as it represents an age of moviemaking that I just don’t appreciate the aesthetic of. Occasionally there will be a gorgeous shot or two but all in all this is a pretty point-and-shoot deal. While characters are typically well-framed thanks to the Cinemascope photography (thankfully maintained on the DVD), there isn’t all that much coverage. I suppose in a film like this you may not have wanted to overdo it anyway, but a few more cuts and angles here and there would’ve moved the pace along at a much faster clip. I’ve seen worse cases of this from the era (King Solomon’s Mines… like watching molasses go down a waterslide…), so I’m happy to say my enjoyment of the film wasn’t diminished so greatly.
Also, and this is just a mark of the times, there are a few weird audio anomalies that pop up now and again. Once or twice I noticed an ADR line so horribly mixed with the soundtrack it pulled me out of a scene, but again, the movie-going public of 1960, I’m sure, didn’t mind.
All qualms aside, A Dog of Flanders is a film I’m rather glad to have in my collection. I get a good bit of stuff to write up I know I’ll never look at again, but I could see myself enjoying the film at least once more. It’s a little long and has a pretty abrupt ending, but it’s a fairly timeless piece, and its focus on financial strife makes it a great fit for viewings today, even approaching its golden anniversary.
DVD Bonus Features
The DVD from E1 Entertainment could look worse. The re-mastering job they did probably won’t satisfy video junkies but will look fine on most family TV sets. The only feature on the disc is a horribly put together and narrated 45-second trailer E1 cut themselves, actually compressing the widescreen footage into a 4x3 window. It’s tied for the worst trailer I’ve ever seen on a DVD. No, I’m not going to tell you what with.
"A Dog of Flanders" is on sale July 14, 2009 and is rated NR. Children & Family. Directed by James B Clark. Written by Ouida (Story), Ted Sherdeman. Starring David Ladd, Donald Crisp, Theodore Bikel.
