Greyfriars Bobby (1961)

Cute film. 'Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog' makes for a good little watch. The eponymous Skye Terrier is impossible not to adore, it's actually a very well trained dog too; I felt its supposed feelings more than a few times. The run time is just 87 minutes, which is paced suitably. I wouldn't note any of the cast members as incredible, but all of the key people give appropriate performances that I appreciate. Laurence Naismith is the standout, as he portrays Mr. Traill. Donald Crisp is also solid as James Brown. It does feel repetitive in the middle parts, as the film repeats a few scenes and behaviours of the dog. The characters are also a little one-dimensional, not to the point of becoming an annoyance but certainly noticeable - at least to me. No doubt it's all hearty, even though the vibe is more adult-ish than what is usual for a Disney dog story - which is a positive, don't get me wrong. Worth watching!

There's a statue of this wee Skye terrier in Edinburgh as testament to the loyalty and tenaciousness of this dog that couldn't care less about the civic rules that banned him from the graveyards of the city. It's the shepherd "Old Jock" (Alex Mackenzie) who has passed away and it's his grave that "Bobby" sleeps on each evening, doing a bit of useful ratting at the same time! Quickly he befriends the local tea-room owning "Traill" (Laurence Naismith) who knew his late master, but he has a harder task convincing the caretaker of the cemetery. "Brown" (Donald Crisp) is a bit of a stickler for (his own) rules, but the intervention of the police (Duncan Macrae) over who owns the dog soon sees a court hearing in front of none other than the Lord Provost (Andrew Cruickshank). It is he who must decide the fate of "Bobby" in the face of these two bickering old men whose initial stubbornness about not owning the dog has completely reversed itself! It does take a little while to get going; there are a few too many scenes of the dog running about the place, but once we get into gear this is a charmingly scored and depicted story that puts together a solid cast of familiar faces to support the on form Crisp, Naismith and the young Jameson Clark who's "Tammy" was a little like Dickens' "Tiny Tim" only not quite so earnest! It's a simple family story of loyalty, devotion and curmudgeonliness that's held up well.