The Painted Hills

... and I watched it yesterday already knowing the very low IMDb ratings. But seriously, everything Marion Davies ever did gets an 8/10 on this site and this gets 3/10??? I don't think so.

You can tell that this was not one of MGM's A List productions. No Liz Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, or Donald Crisp. Plus the story has been transferred to the pioneer days of the American west. The biggest recognizable star in the film besides Lassie herself (actually himself, since Lassie was played by Pal, a male dog) is Paul Kelly as an old prospector and Shep's (Lassie's) owner, and Mr. Kelly is practically unrecognizable. He's only 52 at this point, but he's donned up in whiskers and makeup that make him look like a thin version of Santa Claus. His hands clearly show he is not as old as the role he is playing.

This Lassie story is a bit different, besides just the move from Scotland. Lassie usually plays the passive lovable dog waiting for the good-hearted yet hard-headed Scots that are to decide her fate to come to their senses. Here Lassie has a more Clint Eastwood-like aggressive posture towards the man who killed her master for his gold and attempted to poison her and goes full fang on the guy at every opportunity producing a very ironic and just ending. By the way who names a female dog "Shep" anyways??? Paul Kelly is good as the prospector and master of Shep/Lassie except it is clear that he doesn't trust his partner, begging the question, why did he make this obviously nefarious fellow a partner in the first place? Bruce Cowling is absolutely awful as the villainous partner. He has a demeanor that would be better suited to a B scifi film of the 50's rather than this action adventure film. He is always looking up and around with a horrified expression on his face as though he expects an alien spacecraft to land at any moment. Gary Gray gives a good but not great juvenile performance as the murdered prospector's grandson - I didn't find him whiny at all. Native Americans are hammily and stereotypically portrayed, but at least they show them as seeming to be the only people for 100 miles around who know anything about veterinary medicine, even if one good stereotype doesn't wipe out the negative ones.

If you like or love the other Lassie films I'd say give this one a try. It's not boring and most of the film is focused on Lassie.

Another reviewer remarked that The Painted Hills was "startlingly dark" for a Lassie film. After watching it I would have to agree. It's also while not Citizen Kane material not as bad as some make it out.

I have a theory on that. This is supposed to be a family film, but Bruce Cowling isn't a family film type villain. He's an ordinary guy who succumbs to the traditions of gold fever. Fred C. Dobbs never got as psychotic as this guy when he decides he doesn't want to split the strike that his partner Paul Kelly has uncovered, neither with Kelly or Ann Doran widow of a third partner who has a son Gary Gray.

Lassie is called Shep in this film, but it's our beloved collie just the same. Shep is the only witness to what happened to Kelly. Man can't prove anything that can stand up in a court of law, but the collie knows the story and the collie settles accounts in a manner worthy of a Corleone.

The Painted Hills is from MGM's B picture unit. I'd give this one a look, not as bad as some reviewers make it out.

Occasionally, the reviews of movies are much worse than the movie, and this is one of those occasions, bec, to view any animal movie from an anthropomorphic pov is just plain silly. Great acting isn't really an option. It's just a sappy animal movie, the Lassie name is just a 'trademark', and there were many Lassies, male and female, bec one dog can't do all behaviors, and that's about all that can be said. So, as for Pal's acting, if it was all his, it was very well done, esp the 1st attack scene, and esp for a Collie. And for kids of x age; they'd love it. Transformers: Age of Extinction - Great effects, giving the Asian Tran a stereotypical accent was as bad as tha Anerinds'

The lovely Collie Lassie after 10 movies and Series on 17 seasons conquered the American's hearts with her natural skills and fearless action to uphold her beloved owner, in The Painted Hills due the tragic outcome with the greedy man who killed his master, mostly of bad reviewers and low ratings gave by large majority due the dog revenge given a bad reputation of the movie despite the picture had many qualities on those breathtaking rocky mountains landscape and an exciting story as well.

The older prospector Jonathan Harvey (Paul Kelly) at last find out a clue where the lodestone in up river on high rocky mountains always escorted by his intrepid female Collie Shep (Lassie) he turns back to the city to warn his old partner about the finding, for his astonishment his partner already died steeply, thus the grieving widow Martha Black (Ann Doran) appoints his friend Lin Taylor (Bruce Cowling) a newest partner in order to replace his late husband on his share on gold prospecting, Martha has a little boy Tommy Blake (Gary Gray) that is invited Jonathan to work with them, soon they find a lot of gold thru the fast mining process, however the wiser Jonathan realizes that Lin Taylor is under extreme distress due he will keep with one quarter of gold only.

Jonathan thinking in advance stealthy order to Tommy returns to town and deliver to your mother the map to register officially the mining area on exactly location described in the letter, meanwhile the bleak Lin Taylor sets a plan to kill Jonathan as it was a mere accident, all this witnessed by the keeper Sheep, aftermaths perceiving the abrupt change of behavior of Sheep, then Lin Taylor poison his food, the local Indians got help the dying dog trying save her life, Tommy arrives and soon figures out all about the missing Jonathan and the poisoned Sheep, to worsen the large amount of gold stored in beneath of the wooden floor disappeared from the little cabin.

In my point of view this picture is highly underrated, a true gorgeous landscape on those high snowy rocky mountain, the rapids on the clean waters river, dense forest, attached with a moving storyline and the special skilled and stunning performance by the cross-trained marvelous Lassie, said that I'm very upset to see this valuable family movie in lowest rating.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1981 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.

A Lassie movie which should have been "put to sleep".... FOREVER. That's how I'd describe this painfully dreary time-waster of a film. So mediocre in every aspect that it just becomes a dull, uninteresting mess, this is one of the most forgettable movies I've seen. It isn't even an achievement as a "so-bad-it's-good" or "so-bad-it's-memorable" movie. The idea of Lassie turning bad is intriguing but so little actually happens, and so slowly, that you feel your life slipping away while sitting there, watching the non-actors read their lines off cue cards waiting for their measly paychecks.

It's an empty, hollow shell of a movie. Seriously, it's not worth wasting your, or your kid's time on. Unless you're both heavily medicated. That's all I have to say.

Avoid, avoid, avoid! It will drive you barking mad! Hahahah, get it? BARKING! Hahahahahahaha!

Sorry, I've had a rough week.