Greyfriars Bobby [VHS]
Released in 1961--the same year asThe Absent-Minded ProfessorandThe Parent Trap--Greyfriars Bobbyepitomizes the heart-on-its-sleeve sentimentality that was the special preserve of the Disney Studio. Based on a true story, the film follows the adventures of a wee Skye terrier who refuses to be separated from his master, even in death. Bobby sleeps on the old man's grave in the cemetery of Greyfriars church; he won't be driven away by Mr. Brown, the groundskeeper (Donald Crisp), or adopted by Mr. Trail (Laurence Naismith), the kindly restaurant owner. Bobby wins over both men, as well as the children in the neighborhood tenements. When a priggish policeman charges Mr. Trail with harboring an unlicensed stray, the case becomes a tempest in a dog dish.Greyfriars Bobbyoffers handsome vistas of Edinburgh; however, even at 91 minutes the pace is meandering. Crisp and Naismith offer engaging performances as the reluctant friends (and rivals for Bobby's affection), but everyone speaks with such thick Scottish burrs it's like attending Groundskeeper Willie's family reunion. Suitable for all ages.--Charles Solomon