Big Red Movie Review (1962)

I was pleasantly surprised by this next movie which was one that I had never heard of prior to this project. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.

A Brief Summary

(Taken from D23)

A boy’s conviction that a handsome red setter can be handled and trained with love rather than harsh discipline brings him into conflict with Mr. Haggin, the owner of the kennel where he works. As an orphan hungering for love, he understands Big Red, who does not respond to Haggin’s training methods. The boy’s disobedience results in the dog being injured and the boy leaving. A series of adventures involving the dog, the boy, and Mr. Haggin brings about many valuable lessons to all and Mr. Haggin’s eventual adoption of the youngster who will fill a vacuum that existed in the Haggin home since the death of an only son.

What works

• I was so glad that the movie was pretty straightforward in getting to the main plot. It’s not that long of a movie, so every second counts.
• The character introductions were quick and simple. Not only that, but they were so natural that it didn’t hinder the plot at all.
• Rene is the main human character is adorable. He was so enjoyable to watch.
• I’m a big fan of dialogue, and the dialogue for Big Red was on point. it doesn’t try to be more than it should which made the scenes flow much better.
• Therese is my favorite character. She’s one of the supporting characters and though she’s not in many scenes when she is on screen, she shines in the best way possible.
• There is steady pacing with the plot, with conflicts of different types that kept the story moving forward without feeling that something was on repeat. For that, I say a resounding thank you.
• The ending was super sweet. Overall, I was satisfied
  

What may or may not work

• The amount of time Mr. Haggin spent trying to reach for his gun should have given the mountain lion plenty of time to attack.
  • Also, the mountain lion didn’t really fight Big Red much. Kind of anti-climatic but not that bad.
    

Honorable Mentions

• The ‘mating moose call’ to get the moose off the track was an entertaining way to allow the dogs to escape
• I totally thought the harmonica music was just the actual movie music, but no, it was Rene playing. A delightful surprise, though I should have seen it coming since he played the harmonica earlier in the movie.
  

Side Questions

• Though money is not the point of this movie, I was super curious about how much Mr. Haggin has lost by the end. He lost the chance to make money from Big Red’s show (due to Big Red’s injury) and then lost the chance again to make money when Big Red and his mate escape from the train (on their way to being sold). True, they come back with 4 pups, but I would love to know what the final total was on essentially lost money.
  

Would I watch this movie again?

• It might be a while before I do a rewatch, but I wouldn’t mind watching it again. It was a simple story and I enjoyed the ending.
  

If you’ve seen Big Red, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!

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