weezeralfalfa Review of Hills of Home

Hills of Home (1948)

The saga of Dr. MacLure and canine companion Lassie

[9/10 · 2 June 2018]

Edmund Gwenn deserved an academy award for his dominating performance as the doctor for a small Scottish highland hamlet. Just the year before, he won the award for best supporting actor, for his portrayal of Kris Kringle, in "Miracle on 34th Street". This time, he was the lead actor.......So far, about 2/3 of the reviewers say they loved the film, while1/3 found it lacked appeal. Count me in the former group! I rate it as good as the first in the series of MGM films about Lassie; "Lassie Come Home". Think of this as being primarily a film about Dr. MacLure, with Lassie(Pal) the supporting actor, and maybe you will be more satisfied with it. Although it sure looks like the Scottish Highlands, amazingly, it was filmed at the MGM studios, or at Sonora Pass, in the Sierras.......Initially, Lassie was labeled useless as a sheepdog or traveling companion because she had a bizarre aversion to getting her feet wet, let along swimming. Several sheep drowned under her watch. The doctor tried to solve this problem by laying steppingstones part way across a shallow stream, and hopefully she would be brave and walk in the water the rest of the way. But, instead, Lassie jumped on the doctor's chest, knocking him into the water. I laughed out loud! Eventually, Lassie got used to being in water, and even swimming across a raging river in several scenes. This segment, was not realistic, however. The dog certainly would have been swept downstream a good ways while crossing. The same applies to the 2 men who were following Lassie(their crossing was not shown). Also, how could these 2 carry the unconscious Dr. MacLure across this raging river, when the bridge had been washed out?? In another incident, Lassie rendered a service to the doctor during a raging snowstorm, on a partially washed out bridge. His medical kit was tied onto her back, while she tightroped cross the missing part on the still intact narrow side beam, nearly slipping off several times........Tom Drake plays Tammas Milton, who is an informal understudy of the doctor, before he goes to medical school. Janet Leigh, with a thin Scottish accent, plays his girlfriend. Donald Crisp plays a friend, and various others play the families of the people the doctor tends to......This lush Technicolor film is currently available in an economical 4 pack of MGM Lassie films. including "Lassie Come Home".