Lassie Come Home facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lassie Come Home |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Fred M. Wilcox |
| Produced by | Samuel Marx Dore Schary |
| Screenplay by | Hugo Butler |
| Starring | Pal (credited as "Lassie") Roddy McDowall Donald Crisp Dame May Whitty Edmund Gwenn Nigel Bruce Elsa Lanchester Elizabeth Taylor |
| Music by | Daniele Amfitheatrof |
| Cinematography | Leonard Smith |
| Editing by | Ben Lewis |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | October 7, 1943 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $666,000 |
| Money made | $4,517,000 |
Lassie Come Home is a classic 1943 movie from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It's a heartwarming story about the strong bond between a boy named Joe Carraclough and his amazing dog, Lassie. The film stars Roddy McDowall as Joe and a talented dog actor named Pal as Lassie. It was directed by Fred M. Wilcox and is based on the 1940 book Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight. This movie was the first of many "Lassie" films made by MGM.
The film was so popular that it led to a sequel, Son of Lassie, in 1945. Five more Lassie movies followed throughout the 1940s. A new version of the 1943 movie was made in Britain in 2005, simply called Lassie.
In 1993, Lassie Come Home was chosen to be part of the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. This means it was seen as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and important to save for the future.
Contents
Film Story: Lassie's Journey Home
The movie takes place in Depression-era Yorkshire, England. Joe Carraclough's family faces tough times and has to sell their beloved collie, Lassie. A rich man, the Duke of Rudling, who has always admired Lassie, buys her. Young Joe is very sad to lose his best friend.
Lassie, however, doesn't want to stay with the Duke. She keeps finding ways to escape her new home and return to Joe. Because of this, the Duke finally takes Lassie hundreds of miles away to his home in Scotland.
Lassie's Escape and Long Trip
In Scotland, the Duke's granddaughter, Priscilla, understands how unhappy Lassie is. She helps the dog escape. Lassie then begins a very long journey back to her home in Yorkshire.
Along the way, Lassie faces many dangers. She has to avoid dog catchers and survive a big, scary storm. But she also meets kind people who help her by offering food and comfort.
A Joyful Reunion
At the end of her long trip, Lassie is very tired. Joe has almost given up hope of ever seeing his dog again. But Lassie finally returns to her favorite resting spot in the schoolyard back home. There, Lassie and Joe are joyfully reunited, showing their strong bond.
Main Characters
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play in the movie:
- Roddy McDowall as Joe Carraclough, a schoolboy from Yorkshire.
- Donald Crisp as Sam Carraclough, Joe's father.
- Dame May Whitty as Dally, an older woman who helps Lassie on her journey.
- Edmund Gwenn as Rowlie, a traveling tinker who becomes Lassie's friend.
- Nigel Bruce as Duke of Rudling, Priscilla's grandfather.
- Elsa Lanchester as Mrs. Carraclough, Joe's mother.
- Pal as Lassie (credited as Lassie), the amazing collie.
- Elizabeth Taylor as Priscilla, a young girl who feels sorry for Lassie.
Film Music
The music for Lassie Come Home was created by Daniele Amfitheatrof. The film's score helps tell the story and makes the audience feel the emotions of Lassie's journey.
In 2010, the music from this film and other Lassie movies was released in a special CD collection. It was a big project to put the music together because many of the original recordings were lost over time.
Remake Film
A new German version of Lassie Come Home was released in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: La cadena invisible (película de 1943) para niños
