Shiloh (1996)
An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.
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Wow! Such a good movie.
Wonderful Movie
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Everything about this film is clichéd. From the one dimensional nuclear conservative family values to the animal rights message, this movie reeks of something that is 50 years past it's best viewed by date. From the characters to the plots, this film puts me in mind of a long Leave it to Beaver episode with a little more edge.But it's cliché after cliché after cliché... simply horrible. Even my 5 year old didn't like it.Acting, especially Blake Heron, was great, but the cast was let down by the plastic screenplay.I would have liked to have seen a little more subtlety, let the viewers discover things instead of just throwing so many clichéd images and lines of dialog at them. Kids are smarter than some give them credit for. Let them discover gravity by watching an apple fall, not by smacking them on the head with an anvil.
I can't remember the first time I saw this movie, but it's a great movie for anyone. Be warned; there's animal abuse in this movie, though. The scenes where Judd Travers (Scott Wilson, I think?) is abusing Shiloh will wrench your heart; it did mine. I literally cry every time I see them. The first time Judd abuses Shiloh is at the beginning of the movie: Judd's out hunting with his dogs. Judd hits him with the butt of his rifle for barking and scaring a raccoon, then he kicks the poor puppy, then he tries to shoot him, then he yells at him to come back.'Come back' to someone who's abused you and tried to kill you? If anyone thought a dog would do that, they'd be crazy.I like the end of the movie. Marty gets to keep Shiloh.
Heartwarming story with real values for family viewing. Well written script is faithful to the Phyllis Reynolds Naylor bestseller which won the Newbery Award. Scott Wilson excels as Jud Travers bringing a palpable menace to the character while at the same time making him a fully believable human being with his own back story. Blake Heron shines as the boy who falls in love with the dog and fights to keep him. An engaging performance from a young man with promise. Rod Steiger adds distinction to the film and emotional weight in his portrayal of the kindly store owner. Anne Dowd is the perfect Mom, gently chiding and always loving. Michael Moriarty lays down the law as the father with a sense of humor and engagement with his children. Dale Rosenbloom wrote the screenplay and directed the film with a finely tuned sense of the heartbeat of the story. A film that will be evergreen for the generations.
I think that this is just the cutest little movie! It is about the special relationship between a boy and a stray puppy that he finds, the little floppy ears are the most irresistible thing in the world.This movie was well done, especially with the casting. Michael Moriarty (Bang the Drum Slowly and Law & Order) plays a believable discipline-oriented father. He turns out to be the character that you both love and hate.I saw this with my two nieces (4 and 6 years old) and we all cheered. I might warn though that there are some scenes which imply abuse of animals, so be sure to watch this movie with your children.