A Dog of Flanders (1959)

It is a performances centric movie

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Pre-teen Nello (David Ladd) lives with his grandfather (Donald Crisp) in Antwerp. The young boy's parents are dead and the two remaining family members are extremely poor. Renting a small house, the two eek out a meager living delivering milk for the local dairymen. But, alas, grandpa has a bad leg and other health issues, too. One day, Nello finds a badly beaten dog on the side of the road, having been left there to die by his horrible peddler owner, who used the dog to pull a small wagon. Despite their poverty, Grandpa consents to taking the canine home and trying to save his life. They succeed. Now, there are three mouths to feed. Nello spends his spare time drawing, having talks with a neighboring girl, and going to the local cathedral to view a painting by Rubens. Now, the dog helps Nello make deliveries of milk while grandfather rests his leg, leading to the peddler trying to "steal" his dog back when he sees the boy. Also, Nello makes friends with a local artist, who encourages the lad to enter a drawing contest. The prize money would help him greatly. But, with Grandpa's health declining and the local milk merchants turning to others for the deliveries, what will be that fate of three good-hearted and hard-working souls? This is a lovely, lovely film that, once again, I have missed over the years. For one thing, the film may have been shot in black and white but the colorized version I watched was vibrantly appealing. What's not to love about the country of Holland, with its windmills and tulips everywhere? The cast is very fine, too, with Ladd and Crisp giving extremely touching turns, backed up nicely by the supporting cast members. The lovable four-legged star is a pleasure as well. Also complimenting the film are a nice score, a sweet script and a varied direction, where twists and turns result in tears and smiles alike. Families, everywhere, do your clan a huge favor and get this classic 1959 film. Every viewer, young and old, will benefit from AND enjoy a showing.

I do know the true story so it lives me disappointed to see that most of the movies make it a happy end while it should be a very sad ending. The story should tell an other morality then that the romantic version does. But yes that is what we've come to expect from Hollywood productions. In the real story the boy Nello Dies with his Dog Patrasche in front of the painting they visited many times before since it provided them with hopes for life and his painting aspiration. They died in a cold and harsh time because of things like: no income (selling milk was made impossible since he was accused of setting fire to a mill), no food and no one who could or cared to help. So the lessons to be learned from this and similar stories remains merely an echo and are quickly forgotten. Like all the real important ones. Yes it's hard to deal with real live and to be confronted with the truth. But like once said; if we pretend to be searching for the truth we also should be ready to hear it or be willing to listen.

Fans of the movie "Old Yeller" nay be interested in knowing that the same dog who played the title role in that movie, plays the title role in this version of "A Dog of Flanders".The dog trainer on this movie is Frank Weatherwax, the brother of Lassie's trainer, Rudd Weatherwax.Fans of "Lassie Come Home" (1942) may notice that Donald Crisp, who played the father in that movie, plays David Ladd's father here. Donald Crisp had roles in three "Lassie" movies, and was also in Disney's "Greyfriars Bobby".Donald Crisp has a long history with dogs. He himself was the owner of "Strongheart", a German shepherd who stared in several silent movies.Wax

Here is the classic Flemmish version of the "boy and his dog" tale as young Nello, apparently about 11 or 12, struggles to establish his identity as an artist amidst adverse circumstances. David Ladd, Alan Ladd's son, plays the protagonist: he was 13 at the time, but somehow managed to play an 8-year-old in his next film! Anyway, this is the real story, without all the silly, sappy and frankly unbelievable stuff and coincidences gratuitously added in the Disney version of 1999. Even the dog is more convincing! David Ladd is quite good, though his emotions seem a bit forced at times and he's certainly not "one of the greatest child actors of all time" as his filmography touts. Donald Crisp as the grandfather and a so-young Theodore Bikel as the temperamental artist both offer excellent performances. Perhaps life was indeed harder then, and as the late Douglas Adams would point out, digital watches had not been invented, but children were still considered PEOPLE: they could work for a living, enjoy the fruits of their labor, and even live alone if they chose -- or with a dog. All that is gone now. Am I the only one who questions that this is "progress"?