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Shiloh
Warner Bros. // PG // October 23, 2001
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
Among recent kids movies Babe is the gold standard. Exceptionally complex writing, fine directing, beautiful cinematography, and terrific acting, along with a deep and moral message make Babe one of the finest films both for kids and adults. Other films, like the 1997 puppy drama Shiloh, strive for the amazing balance achieved in Babe, but rarely hit as solidly. Still, Shiloh offers worthwhile lessons and a cute doggie, even if parents might roll their eyes at a few of the kiddy flick conventions. The story is simple: The incredibly evil hunter Judd (Scott Wilson) takes his unnamed dogs out to catch some critters. When his new beagle puppy doesn't take to hunting Judd introduces his little forehead to the butt of a rifle. The dog runs off in a spray of buckshot. This violent opening scene may be a little intense for young viewers but it does establish Judd as the bad guy. Soon the dog has latched onto young Marty (Blake Preston), who names him Shiloh for the bridge on which they met. Much of the film from this point on consists of the dog shuttling back and forth between Marty and Judd as the struggle to liberate the dog takes on the proportions of epic drama. Tough lessons are dealt with as Marty argues that Shiloh faces certain abuse (Judd promises to break the tiny dog's legs if he runs away again) while Marty's father (Michael Moriarty) suggests that even though Marty disagrees, the dog doesn't rightfully belong to him and all he can do is voice his opinion, a hard truth, but a realistic one. Still, Marty perseveres and makes a deal with Judd for a little yard work in exchange for the dog. Judd of course reneges on the deal and more conflict ensues. Even though the film's publicity compares it to Old Yeller, however, there is a happy ending with boy and dog united, thanks to a totally uncharacteristic change of personality on the part of evil Judd in the last second. Shiloh is not a bad movie. It does teach kids that telling the truth is important, that sometimes things may not seem fair but are beyond the scope of simple change, and that cruelty to dogs is wrong. Marty specifically wants Shiloh because he senses that the dog needs him and is in danger. At one point another character suggests he just find another stray and make that his pet, but he is sure that rescuing Shiloh is his mission. With the unbelievable animal overpopulation going on in this country (with over 5 million dogs and cats euthanized each year for the crime of not finding a home) teaching kids to adopt strays and rescues rather than buy or breed dogs is a very noble cause. Unfortunately, the side-effect of a movie like Shiloh (or any movie that highlights a particular breed of dog) is that it creates a demand for that breed which causes increased breeding and, ultimately, more strays and abandoned animals. Ideally kids will watch Shiloh and then demand to be taken to their local animal shelter, pound, or ASPCA, or over to Petfinder.org. Still, good intentions aren't everything and the film is not perfect. Two of the strangest character actors in Hollywood (Moriarty and Rod Steiger) are wasted in thankless roles and Preston is not a very good child actor. While still worthwhile family viewing, Shiloh falls short of the mark of some other great kiddy films. VIDEO:
The widescreen anamorphic video is ok. Colors are dull and the picture lacks vitality. There's a bit of dirt on the print but nothing fatal. Full-screen is available on the flip-side. AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is also serviceable but unexciting. Subtitles are available in English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Thai, and Korean. EXTRAS:
A few minor extras are included: A trailer, interviews with the cast, a public service announcement for reading. The strangest extra is an amateurishly shot introduction by Roger Ebert, captured at one of his "overlooked" film festivals. This intro also plays before the film but it is a strange addition. I'm not sure why kids would want to watch it and it isn't of much interest to adults either. There was a time when a thumbs up was enough. Oh well. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Folks with kids old enough to watch this PG-rated film may want to pick up Shiloh. The dog is cute, the story will resonate, and the message is uplifting and moral. Not necessarily as good as others in its genre, Shiloh still works well enough. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
Among recent kids movies Babe is the gold standard. Exceptionally complex writing, fine directing, beautiful cinematography, and terrific acting, along with a deep and moral message make Babe one of the finest films both for kids and adults. Other films, like the 1997 puppy drama Shiloh, strive for the amazing balance achieved in Babe, but rarely hit as solidly. Still, Shiloh offers worthwhile lessons and a cute doggie, even if parents might roll their eyes at a few of the kiddy flick conventions. The story is simple: The incredibly evil hunter Judd (Scott Wilson) takes his unnamed dogs out to catch some critters. When his new beagle puppy doesn't take to hunting Judd introduces his little forehead to the butt of a rifle. The dog runs off in a spray of buckshot. This violent opening scene may be a little intense for young viewers but it does establish Judd as the bad guy. Soon the dog has latched onto young Marty (Blake Preston), who names him Shiloh for the bridge on which they met. Much of the film from this point on consists of the dog shuttling back and forth between Marty and Judd as the struggle to liberate the dog takes on the proportions of epic drama. Tough lessons are dealt with as Marty argues that Shiloh faces certain abuse (Judd promises to break the tiny dog's legs if he runs away again) while Marty's father (Michael Moriarty) suggests that even though Marty disagrees, the dog doesn't rightfully belong to him and all he can do is voice his opinion, a hard truth, but a realistic one. Still, Marty perseveres and makes a deal with Judd for a little yard work in exchange for the dog. Judd of course reneges on the deal and more conflict ensues. Even though the film's publicity compares it to Old Yeller, however, there is a happy ending with boy and dog united, thanks to a totally uncharacteristic change of personality on the part of evil Judd in the last second. Shiloh is not a bad movie. It does teach kids that telling the truth is important, that sometimes things may not seem fair but are beyond the scope of simple change, and that cruelty to dogs is wrong. Marty specifically wants Shiloh because he senses that the dog needs him and is in danger. At one point another character suggests he just find another stray and make that his pet, but he is sure that rescuing Shiloh is his mission. With the unbelievable animal overpopulation going on in this country (with over 5 million dogs and cats euthanized each year for the crime of not finding a home) teaching kids to adopt strays and rescues rather than buy or breed dogs is a very noble cause. Unfortunately, the side-effect of a movie like Shiloh (or any movie that highlights a particular breed of dog) is that it creates a demand for that breed which causes increased breeding and, ultimately, more strays and abandoned animals. Ideally kids will watch Shiloh and then demand to be taken to their local animal shelter, pound, or ASPCA, or over to Petfinder.org. Still, good intentions aren't everything and the film is not perfect. Two of the strangest character actors in Hollywood (Moriarty and Rod Steiger) are wasted in thankless roles and Preston is not a very good child actor. While still worthwhile family viewing, Shiloh falls short of the mark of some other great kiddy films. VIDEO:
The widescreen anamorphic video is ok. Colors are dull and the picture lacks vitality. There's a bit of dirt on the print but nothing fatal. Full-screen is available on the flip-side. AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is also serviceable but unexciting. Subtitles are available in English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Thai, and Korean. EXTRAS:
A few minor extras are included: A trailer, interviews with the cast, a public service announcement for reading. The strangest extra is an amateurishly shot introduction by Roger Ebert, captured at one of his "overlooked" film festivals. This intro also plays before the film but it is a strange addition. I'm not sure why kids would want to watch it and it isn't of much interest to adults either. There was a time when a thumbs up was enough. Oh well. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Folks with kids old enough to watch this PG-rated film may want to pick up Shiloh. The dog is cute, the story will resonate, and the message is uplifting and moral. Not necessarily as good as others in its genre, Shiloh still works well enough. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
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