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!

I love Lassie but this film is for the dogs (sorry). It takes place in a small Scottish village. Its doctor (Edmund Gwenn) buys Lassie from its owner. The problem is Lassie is afraid of water. The doctor realizes this and tries to help her. Tom Drake and Janet Leigh play the obligatory young couple in love. Lassie is great, the movie is shot in rich Technicolor and has beautiful settings--but that's about it. It's slow-moving, kind of confusing and has unlikable characters. The Scottish accents come and go at random and the acting is terrible. Gwenn looks miserable, Leigh is miscast and Drake is a total blank. This only gets a 4 for Lassie. She's just terrific!

'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.

If you love a dog story then this is for you. If you love a story of love in a small village then this is for you. If you love a story of courage then this is for you. Hills of Home features Lassie, that collie that shows the true meaning of friendship between Master and dog. Lass (Lassie) is afraid of the water in rivers or lakes so she will not cross any form of water. A sheepdog protects the sheep from drowning in water so her first owner decides to kill Lass because she is useless as a sheepdog. Dr. William MacLure (Edmund Gwenn) is the only doctor in the village and a rather old one. Dr. MacLure is not the brightest or most up-to-date doctor but he will fight the spectre of death with hand-to-hand combat to save those villagers that he loves. He decides that a dog will help a lonely man in meeting the needs of the village so he barters for the ownership of Lass. Drumsheugh (Donald Crisp) is Dr. MacLure's best human friend. Drumsheugh encourages his friend and offers wise advice to the head strong old doctor. This film features the growing love of this familiar trio (Lassie, Gwenn & Crisp) as they battle death, nature and time. A heartwarming story that ends with you wanting to just grab hold of your own dog as Dr. MacLures holds on to Lass.