The Dog and His Various Merits (1908) User Reviews

Dog lovers will be interested, but fans of rabbits, ducks, & foxes beware

[wmorrow59 · 5/10 · 10 August 2002]

This little documentary film made in France almost a century ago has turned up in at least two different collections of very early movies, so it continues to receive rather more exposure than the average French documentary of 1908. It is well photographed and retains a certain amount of interest, especially for dog enthusiasts, of course, but viewers whose love of animals extends to other species should be cautioned-- this movie is not for the squeamish.

The version included in Kino's series "The Movies Begin" has been abridged, with the unpleasant scenes removed. In its unedited form, the film is divided into eight brief sections showing eight different kinds of dogs: 1) a setter; 2) a "working dog"; 3) a beggar's dog; 4) a shepherd's dog; 5) a baker's dog; 6) a milkman's dog; 7) a poacher's dog; and 8) a fox terrier. These are all dogs who work for a living, so to speak, and each one is shown on the job. This is not David Letterman's Stupid Pet Tricks, these are real-life situations, and the atmosphere is gritty. Within the first few moments of the film, the setter promptly kills a rabbit. The beggar's dog guides a legless man who rolls along on a cart. The poacher's dog swims out into a pond and kills a duck. Worst of all, from a sensitive viewer's perspective, is the final portion, in which the fox terrier kills a struggling fox by chewing its neck. The sequence goes on and on, interminably, and then concludes with a horrible close-up of a grinning hunter proudly holding up the stiff dead fox for the camera. Yecch!

Interesting, perhaps, from a historical and sociological viewpoint, but this film is not recommended for casual viewing.

"Landmarks" Alternate Version

[spirit11 · 5/10 · 15 February 2003]

Possible spoilers!

Viewer/reviewer wmarrow59 gives an overview of this film in his comments, however the version captured on the DVD "Landmarks of Early Film -- Volume 1," released by Image Entertainment has been edited. Landmarks version contains 1) a "working dog"; 2) a beggar's dog; 3) a shepherd's dog; and 4) a milkman's dog. The other four segments described by wmarrow59 have been edited out -- and based on wmarrow59's comments, these are the segments that would be most objectionable to viewers.

The Censored Version

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 1 August 2010]

The version of this film I saw on the internet was clearly the edited one, even though its running time corresponds with the time given on this site, which means, judging by wmorrow's review of the complete film, that the opinion given will obviously differ considerably.

As films grew more sophisticated and film-makers learned to tell stories, actualities like this eventually fell out of favour, and there's a good reason for this: most people don't go to the cinema to see things they can look at from their front door. While this film does contain images that are a little unusual - such as a tramp on a board being towed by his dog - most of the film is fairly uninspired and is of interest only for its historical value.

Probably for Foreign Distribution

[Tornado_Sam · 20 May 2017]

Pathé Frères, the prime French company of film distribution at that point, is and was often known for their elaborate trick films and story extravaganzas in the 1900s, enhanced by the stencil-color process that made them successful. However, as evidenced by this feature, documentary was also an explored genre of theirs--with directors such as Mundwiller and Chomòn creating travelogues on other areas of the world. "The Dog and His Various Merits" is a very simplistic piece featuring four different dogs working for their masters, doing the separate jobs they are assigned. While not especially fascinating, it provides an interesting look into French lifestyles of the time.

Addressing JoeytheBrit's commentary, I would say that a film like this was not intended to be shown in France itself, because the locations appear to be quite local. Instead, a documentary like this was probably produced for worldwide distribution, to provide a look into what would be a foreign country to the rest of the world. Also, this is a documentary not an actuality--actualities are the single scene, 1-minute movies made by Lumière in the 1890s. This short is more sophisticated than those, since while it remains a documentary, it also utilizes a cut to a medium closeup to get the dog on the wheel--as well some good continuity to get the milkman leaving and then going to the doors.

Because of being presumably produced for other countries, it makes perfect sense why there were two versions (as wmorrow59 has pointed out). The edited one is all I've seen, and considering the gruesome and questionable content of the other four scenes cut out it makes sense why two versions were made. Such scenes as wmorrow59 describes would be unacceptable in certain areas. It's also possible that the edited version was assembled by the showmen for their audiences.