Because Sirius, the “dog star” is prominent in the heavens
during the hottest part of summer, both the Greeks and Romans
referred to this period as “dog days.” Today, late summer is a time
when many “dogs” are released by movie studios which assume
air-conditioned comfort alone will be enough to attract
audiences.
Instead, why not find a cool place with natural
cross-ventilation and rent some great double-bills about dogs:
Lady and the Tramp (1955) – Disneyfied story
of a pampered Cocker Spaniel who falls in love with a street-wise
mutt. The spaghetti scene is classic. Watch with 101
Dalmations (1961) – The dastardly Cruella DeVil wants to
make a new coat from spotted-puppy fur.
Old Yeller (1957) – A heartfelt film which
continues to make generations teary-eyed about a beloved family
hound and the boy who loves him. Watch with Sounder
(1972) – a realistic portrayal of African American
sharecroppers (and their family hound) in the old south ends on a
somber, but satisfying note.
Benji (1974) – the canine star from TV’s
“Petticoat Junction” steals the show from the humans as he rescues
two kidnapped children.
Watch with Benji the Hunted (1987) – A new dog
with the same name gets stranded on a remote island and ends up
being the “mother” to four orphaned cougar cubs. Note: Realistic
portrayals of predation make this one for older and wiser kids.
Lassie Come Home (1942) – In depression-era
England, a family is forced to sell their Collie but the dog always
manages to escape and come home. Lassie is finally relocated 100
miles away, but…. Watch with The Incredible Journey
(1963) – A cat and two dogs lose their owners on vacation
in the Canadian wilderness. Think they can travel over 200 miles to
home?
Finding Rin-Tin-Tin (2007) – Set at the end of
WWI, this is the (almost) true story of how an American pilot found
the German Shepard puppy who became a Hollywood movie star.Watch
with Bolt (2008) – This canine star believes he
has superpowers and can perform all his own stunts simply because
nobody tells him it’s not reality—it’s just a TV show’s special
effects. Accidentally shipped to New York, Bolt must suddenly cope
with hunger and cold and other dangers of the “real” world while
finding his way home.
White Fang (1991) – Jack London’s classic tale
of gritty survival in the frozen North tells the tale of a wolf-dog
and a seeker of Klondike gold. Watch with Never Cry Wolf
(1983) – A biologist sent to the Arctic to study wolves
becomes fascinated with them and struggles to protect his pack from
hunters and trappers.
Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) – When a girl
saves a scruffy mutt from the dog catcher at a supermarket, she
names the animal after the store and brings him home. The pet
eventually helps her become reacquainted with her absent father.
Watch with My Dog Skip (2000) – Small for his age,
young Willie is bullied at school but finds a friend when his
mother brings a Jack Russell Terrier into the family.
The Shaggy Dog (1959) – This black-and-white
original about a teen-aged boy who is transformed into an English
Sheepdog because of a magic ring actually sold more tickets than
the Oscar-winning “Ben Hur” the year it was released. Watch with
The Shaggy DA (1976) – The teen who used to turn
into a shaggy dog is now a lawyer running for district attorney.
The magic ring reappears and shaggy dog stories abound.
Snow Dogs (2002) – When a Miami dentist
inherits a team of Alaskan sled dogs, he discovers his mother once
won the Arctic Challenge cross country dog sled race and he decides
to follow her lead. Watch with Eight Below (2006)
– An Antarctic expedition is forced to abandon their sled dogs when
a brutal storm engulfs their base. While the eight Huskies struggle
against sub-zero conditions, avalanches, icebergs, and hungry orcas
and leopard seals, the dog’s trainer is stuck far away in the
U.S.A.
Woof? Comments? E-mail:
gi*********@co*****.net
.
