Shiloh

Good film about a love starved man who heartlessly uses dogs as his means of earning a living. When one of his dogs runs off and adopts a neighbor's son, trouble begins over who will take possession of the animal. Anyone who goes for cutesy canine films will like this picture.

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.

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.

If you look at the jacket, you would expect Shiloh to be about a cute dog that has an I.Q. of 150 who saves the day, or who perhaps accompanies some children on a long hike, fending off wolves and cougars. Or perhaps a dog that makes messes. It is nothing like that at all. Shiloh is a cute, but completely ordinary dog, who does nothing more exciting than licking people's faces and gobbling food.

It is a morality tale. There is the evil Christian who believes God gave us animals to use as we please, including sadistic pleasure.

There is the postman father who equates right with legal.

Then there is the hero, a boy about ten, who argues articulately again and again for a higher heart-centred morality motivated by his loving caring for the young dog Shiloh. He gradually wins over his mom, his dad and even the evil Christian. There is plenty of ambiguity and conflict. It is not a totally black and white tale.

Even though the boy is only ten, he is one of the most heroic figures in movies.

The sudden happy ending did not ring true for me. A more plausible ending would have had the villain eaten alive by his dogs, or some such bad karma.

Shiloh is a very sweet and charming film, and I guarantee that the whole family will love it. It has nice music, good acting and an above average script. Of course the pace is a bit slow, and the story rather thin in places. On the other hand, the music is absolutely beautiful, and Shiloh was absolutely adorable. The script was very touching and beautifully crafted, making this very gentle and moving to watch. Blake Heron is wholly believable as Marty, and I felt the connection between him and Shiloh. Scott Wilson gives a very good account of himself as the hateable yet sympathetic Judd Travers, and David Moriaty and Rod Stieger also give nice supporting performances. The cinematography was fantastic, even looking at it made the film twice as engaging, and the song Are There Angels? was sung by the ever lovely Sheena Easton, who has done some soundtrack singing before on FernGully, Pebble and the Penguin and the sequel to All Dogs Go To Heaven. Overall, a charming and heartwarming film, that the whole family will treasure. 8/10 Bethany Cox