While I have seen more classic Hollywood movies than most anyone alive, I have only come to watch any of the Lassie films recently. I had assumed they'd be schmaltzy messes...and, apparently, I was wrong. After thoroughly enjoying the first film, "Lassie Come Home", I decided to try another Lassie film, "Hills of Home"...the fourth Lassie film. With seven in all, I still have five more MGM Lassie pictures to go.This story has nothing to do with the previous Lassie stories. Oddly, this one finds Lassie as a damaged doggy, as his new master abuses the dog because it is a lousy sheepdog and won't go in the water if needed. Soon the kindly local doctor (Edmund Gwen) buys the dog and the rest of the film is mostly about his life in rural 19th century Scotland tending to the sick and dying...with Lassie as his constant companion and helper.Like the first Lassie film, this one has a lot of polish and was made in Technicolor. It also features fine supporting actors in many of the leading roles--giving these wonderful actors a chance to shine. In fact, several were from the first Lassie film as well-- Gwen, Donald Crisp and Rhys Williams. Additional actors rounding out the main cast were Janet Leigh and Tom Drake. All in all, a fine and entertaining film...and one that might be best seen with some Kleenex nearby just in case! If I have any complaints about the picture it's that just about everyone seems inexplicably angry all the time...which is kinda weird!

This is a wonderful family film, but if you are expecting the emphasis to be on Lassie and her adventures, then you will likely be somewhat disappointed. Instead, the emphasis is on Dr. William MacLure (Edmund Gwenn), the elderly physician to a rural Scottish area in the 19th century. Donald Crisp plays Drumsheugh, MacClure's closest friend and a good adviser. These two actors, along with Tom Drake, who plays MacClures's assistant, were in several Lassie films during the 1940's playing different roles each time.MacClure is one of those doctors from a bygone era that makes house calls in the middle of the night and accepts payment in goods as well as money. At one point in the film, he is sitting at a table in a restaurant having tea as patient after patient comes up to him and practically forces payment upon him. MacClure loves his work, and payment is a secondary issue with him. One person, though, decides to cheat MacClure and gives him Lassie as payment, with MacClure believing that she is a sheep dog. MacClure figures she will be a good companion and messenger dog, so it doesn't matter so much that she turns out not to be a sheep dog. However, it does matter that she is afraid of water since the glen in which they live has heavy snow and rain at times, and crossing streams when getting to patients is a necessity. At first MacClure, angry at being deceived, decides to give Lassie away. However, he changes his mind and decides to teach the dog not to be afraid of water. This doesn't work out so well, as Lassie is willing to do just about anything short of swimming. MacClure gives up on this effort, but still he keeps Lassie. In spite of his complaints about her usefulness as a working dog, she is becoming a pet to him. This is something MacClure is not about to admit since his whole life has been about service to others. He has always denied himself anything he deems as a luxury, and this would certainly include having an animal whose only purpose is companionship.The rest of the film is about the good doctor facing the various medical crises that impact the residents of the glen. During this time, dog and master bond and become fast friends. MacClure is aware that his days as a doctor are coming to an end, and thus he has picked a young man of the village (Tom Drake) to travel to Edinburgh to study medicine and become his replacement upon graduation. Towards the end of the young man's time at medical school, MacClure is called out one snowy winter night on one of his house calls. He is knocked unconscious and will freeze to death in the snow unless Lassie is able to overcome her fear of the water and swim across the stream to bring help to the doctor.This is going to be one of those films you either love or hate. If you are ever in the mood for an old-fashioned rather slow-moving story that will really tug at your heartstrings, this movie really fits the bill.

'Hills of Home' is one of the older Lassie films. This film is about Lassie and her owner, an elderly doctor in a small, rural village. I have the video of this film, and I watched it when I was younger, but out of all the Lassie films, this is my least favourite and a film that I could not get into. (Maybe this film is made for adults, and maybe that is why I could not appreciate it; I'm sure it was probably a good book and had some good ideas.) I felt the film was slow-moving, and I found it difficult to understand or really get engaged in the plot. The film only became interesting when the doctor had to go out in rough weather on a house call, and he is knocked off his horse. Lassie has to brave the weather to get help.I would not recommend this film to children as I think it is slow moving and I don't think it can fully be appreciated. Maybe I will watch it again sometime to see if I enjoy it better through the eyes of an adult.

Moving, lovely, touching and delightful--even makes you cry-- story of a dog and a doctor. This is an old Lassie MGM movie and the star, don't you ever forget, was and remains, Lassie--this was the original Lassie, the first in a long line--now there is Lassie #9. The location is Scotland and in are the very young Janet Leigh among other players such as Tom Drake, although he was 30 at this time, not looking it, however, and, of course, Lassie. I recommend this as a must see for all Lassie fans. Interesting to watch the difference in the original Lassie and today's Lassie---the sets look like sets and backdrops, easily forgiven in such a lovely story. Good fun and good family viewing. See it and you just may cry a tear or several by its completion.