Greyfriars Bobby **** (1960, Donald Crisp, Laurence Naismith, Andrew Cruickshank) – Classic Movie Review 1447

It’s Scotland in 1865, and Old Jock (Alex Mackenzie), an ancient, kind-hearted shepherd man, is fired by his callous employees and is followed by his cute wee Skye terrier doggie when he heads for the capital Edinburgh, where the old man dies of pneumonia.

Producer Walt Disney’s hugely likeable and ultra-appealing real-life shaggy dog story tells how the bereaved, uber-loyal Bobby the Skye terrier mounts permanent watch at the grave of his old owner in Greyfriars Kirkyard (churchyard), prompting the good people of Victorian Edinburgh to feel desperately sorry for the wee mutt when he’s evicted by the church caretaker who won’t allow dogs in the yard, and finally decide to award him the freedom of the city so he can stay there.

Admittedly richly sentimental and perhaps not a good watch if you’re a cat person, director Don Chaffey’s nevertheless delightfully told, beautifully shot and incredibly heartwarming 1960 movie is a glorious real tearjerker and is blessed with atmospheric and evocative Scottish location filming and an expert, effective screenplay by Robert Westerby, adapting Eleanor Atkinson’s story.

Even more notable are the gorgeously sweet, telling performances from the dog, Andrew Cruickshank as the Lord Provost, Laurence Naismith as the restaurant owner and Donald Crisp as the church caretaker, plus other true Scots in Duncan Macrae (sergeant), Moultrie Kelsall (magistrate), Jameson Clark (constable) and Gordon Jackson (farmer).

Crisp also starred in an earlier version of this story: 1949’s Challenge to Lassie (replacing Bobby with Lassie). It was remade in 2005, again as Greyfriars Bobby, with James Cosmo and Christopher Lee.

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