Lassie

The worst thing that can be said about this excellent film is that it is a "family movie" as that term may turn off many cinema buffs from seeing a film that is first rate from practically all aspects. It is brilliantly directed by Charles Sturridge ("Brideshead Revisited") and features several cream of the crop actors starting with the marvelous Peter O'Toole. It is also a superb adaptation of Eric Knight's wartime novel, "Lassie Come Home." (Unfortunately, the viewer would not know this until the end of the credits.) The photography is absolutely breathtaking with scenes of the Scottish Highlands that I haven't seen equaled. There is also a grittiness and realism to the film that was impossible to capture in a 1943 version filmed on the back lots of MGM. Rather than a mere remake, this film is classic in its own right and deserves a wider audience than I suspect it has found thus far. High fives all the way.