I'm surprised no other reviewers on this board give Lance the dog any credit at all. His work with the sheep was downright amazing, and if it was somehow staged without Lance's involvement, you could have fooled me. Exceptional work there old Lance, or 'King', I should say. I'm glad to see you got the proper screen credit.
But with Lance at the heart of the story, I found it irritating that once Chandler (Alan Ladd) decided that selling the dog wasn't the right thing to do, some more time goes by and he decides that is what he'll do after all. That back and forth agonizing over how to pay for the trip to get his son's (David Ladd) voice back would have been better served if Ladd's character had a Shane moment right from the get go. That happens near the end of the picture when Chandler straps on his firearm to take on the Burleigh's. But if you think about it, what Chandler had in mind would not be considered altogether lawful if old man Burleigh (Dean Jagger) didn't feign cooperation. He was just going there to take back Lance no matter what. The strategy works in a good guys versus bad guys sort of way, but sure wouldn't pass muster as lawful if push came to shove.
You know, I think I've finally seen what it means to be a 'handsome' woman. Olivia de Havilland is not the kind of actress I would think of to portray a spinster, but she makes it work here with a nicely nuanced portrayal that allows her inner beauty to shine through. Two decades following her appearance in "Gone With the Wind", de Havilland's features have matured to a gracefulness that doesn't have to rely on youth. I'm on the side of most other viewers who thinks more could have been done with the Chandler/Linnett Moore relationship, although I see how it might have gotten in the way of the father-son story.
So in sum, I see this as a fine family picture that takes the story to a happy ending, but there's some suspension of disbelief required for the magic to work. Especially after Chandler kills old man Burleigh and son Jeb (Harry Dean Stanton). Only in the movies do you have no aftermath to consider, like the law swooping down on the Burleigh ranch and investigating Chandler for the death of two citizens. Especially when old Judge Morley (Henry Hull) was ready to throw the book at Chandler early on just for getting beat up.
But with Lance at the heart of the story, I found it irritating that once Chandler (Alan Ladd) decided that selling the dog wasn't the right thing to do, some more time goes by and he decides that is what he'll do after all. That back and forth agonizing over how to pay for the trip to get his son's (David Ladd) voice back would have been better served if Ladd's character had a Shane moment right from the get go. That happens near the end of the picture when Chandler straps on his firearm to take on the Burleigh's. But if you think about it, what Chandler had in mind would not be considered altogether lawful if old man Burleigh (Dean Jagger) didn't feign cooperation. He was just going there to take back Lance no matter what. The strategy works in a good guys versus bad guys sort of way, but sure wouldn't pass muster as lawful if push came to shove.
You know, I think I've finally seen what it means to be a 'handsome' woman. Olivia de Havilland is not the kind of actress I would think of to portray a spinster, but she makes it work here with a nicely nuanced portrayal that allows her inner beauty to shine through. Two decades following her appearance in "Gone With the Wind", de Havilland's features have matured to a gracefulness that doesn't have to rely on youth. I'm on the side of most other viewers who thinks more could have been done with the Chandler/Linnett Moore relationship, although I see how it might have gotten in the way of the father-son story.
So in sum, I see this as a fine family picture that takes the story to a happy ending, but there's some suspension of disbelief required for the magic to work. Especially after Chandler kills old man Burleigh and son Jeb (Harry Dean Stanton). Only in the movies do you have no aftermath to consider, like the law swooping down on the Burleigh ranch and investigating Chandler for the death of two citizens. Especially when old Judge Morley (Henry Hull) was ready to throw the book at Chandler early on just for getting beat up.