So, I'm watching a Lassie movie from 1994. At one point, Lassie jumps into the water and saves the Timmy character, although he wasn't named Timmy in that movie. Lassie goes over a waterfall, and everyone is screaming. But no one bothers to so much as walk downstream to rescue the dog, or even to see if she is still alive. Later, they are all sitting around crying and talking about what a great dog she was, and about how they can get another dog when the time is right, but no one bothers to see if the dog is still alive. Predictably, Lassie later drags herself out of the water and shows up in the schoolyard of the Timmy character, who has gone to school the next day. I have seen this same plot over and over again in movies, yet no one ever bothers to try to save the dog whose life was put in danger only because she save someone else. Little House in the Prairie had a similar plot. Jack, I think it's name was, gets washed downstream as the Ingall's family is crossing a river. No one goes to look for him. As they are sitting around the campfire crying about what a good dog he was, he drags himself out of the river, walks through the forest, apparently getting in a fight with a wolf or coyote along the way, and shows up at the campfire.
I think those writers are on to something. Probably a little grass...weed...? They sure keep US on edge.
Well, if I remember correctly with Little House on The Prairie the Ingalls were worried about Jack, especially Laura who loved the dog a great deal. I guess jumping in the raging river wasn't a wise thing to do. I haven't seen the Lassie film although I have seen others that evolve around the beloved collie. Now here why didn't anyone call for help if they didn't want to go in to look for the dog themselves because it could be life threatening. I understand the Ingalls they were living in the a time where there were no cell phones are readily found rescue workers but this film seems a bit odd to me that everyone didn't do anything to find Lassie.
In both cases, they could have simply walked downstream and found their dogs. Rather, they just assumed that the dogs were gone and went straight to mourning.
First off, since the early moment I see a movie or TV show title that is "the new version of..." I refrain from watching it Then, if I would like to see Lassie again (and not recalling to have seen the movie but the TV-show) I would better watch the version I remember because I'm not interested in the revisited version of anything, not even in Creedence Revisited despite CCR was my favorite band for over 20 years, LOL
Some remakes are better than the original, particularly given advances in technology and differences in the way that characters are portrayed. In the past, movie characters were too often either good or bad while, in real life, people are usually a bit of both. We see that more in modern movies. Plus, the several Lassie movies that have been made were not true remakes, but separate stories with Lassie as the main character. Interestingly, the original Lassie was actually a male dog by the name of Pal. Pal played in the original Lassie Come Home move, then in six other MGM films through 1951. The dog that played in the television series was a descendent of Pal and Pal's descendants have continued to play Lassie in the several Lassie movies that have been made since.
Back in those days, they didn't treat animals like people. Today's story would have played out differently.
Interesting fact about Pal I never thought of. However seeing remakes from the approach of modern technology, certainly could improve some old-time movies. Still not sure about Lassie because the story doesn't longer move to watch it, even if the rerun of TV series would be aired.
I remember seeing the tv show of Lassie when I was a little girl. They used to watch it at home. I was not a dog lover then and I couldn't appreciate the dialogue because it is in English, hahahaaa. But I sometimes watch it when I have nothing to do at home. You see, we were not allowed to go out of the house and play with the kids in the block without permission from my father. So if there is no school, we just stay indoors and watch tv or listen to the radio or read or do our homework. Boring life, hahahaaa.
We have a complete collection of the Little House on the Prairie books and DVDs. We love them very much. About the Jack episode, we didn't think of the motivation-reaction unit (drowning-saving) in the plot at that time. It was too emotional for the main character to drown in her own loss and grief. I think my children said something like," Go, go look for him!!! Save him!!" I wonder now, why the author (Laura Ingalls-Wilder) didn't include the searching of her beloved Jack in her story? Seems unnatural. When our collie was gone for two hours (he loves swimming in our dam), we went out of our way to look for him, called out loud his name. But we were so happy when he showed up at porch door.
I thought my parents were the only who had this approach about not allowing to go out of the house to play because my childhood was exactly the same way for me as you describe, LOL
@Carlota Clemens, even if I grew up in the city, during the decades of 1960s and 1970s, the society is not permissive like now. Particularly with girls, parents are very protective. In those times, when a girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, the big embarrassment can cause the parents to commit suicide. And since I have 8 big brothers, the protection is an overkill, hahahaaa. Another reason for not allowing us to play outside the house is the risk of accident. Although our street is a secondary road, sometimes there are vehicles passing by and it is a risk to the children.
Sometimes, writers or directors manipulate the story in nonsensical ways so that they can get to the emotional parts. That's why, in many dramas or action movies, the protagonist often has what some people call a "plot shield", meaning he doesn't die because the writers didn't want him to. That's why nobody swam after Lassie - the writers didn't want them to do it.
It is poorly done, however, when it leaves the audience screaming, "Go after your damned dog!" This can be understood if it were the case that these were people who viewed their dogs are being merely utilitarian and easily replaced but in either case, Lassie or Little House in the Prairie, a significant theme of the story was that they loved their dogs. In Little House in the Prairie, it followed the story from the book. They didn't look for their dog in the book either, apparently because she was telling an real story, and they didn't look for their dog.
@John Donovan, I go for drama and romance but I hate seeing a very long scene where the actors would be shedding buckets of tears, so to speak. Obviously it was the director's call to extend the shots until the actors have run out of tears to shed. I'm sure the script is simple for that crying scene. In the romance, they usually do that on tv where the shots take an eternity just to show that first kiss of the boy and girl. Sometimes it is irritating because we already know what's going to happen and we feel like being fooled by the director to think otherwise but in the end what was expected happens. With dog stories like Lassie and lately Hachiko, I have no complaints because there's not much drama in it. The story takes you and not the drama.