Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a story about the cure of loneliness...in a sense not remarkable, and yet told simply and with great heart. An unhappy bachelor (middle aged and middle class) has always felt unfulfilled in his love life. Then in his 50's he takes a chance and brings home an abused female German shepherd dog as his friend.
And so what we have are the daily routines - so to speak - of a man and his dog. Taking her out to the park, finding a mate for her, cleaning up after her. Tulip (the name of the dog) loves Mr. Ackerley unconditionally and through that love, he learns to love her the same way. There are no madcap adventures...no maudlin sentimentalities - no heroics - just the developing affection that the two share, as both of them get older.
What makes this film work so well is the marvelous artwork...No, it is not precise, bright, or boldly drawn. Instead, the art resembles child painting experimenting with watercolors. A street scene, a park, or the interior of the house reflects reality such as trash in the foreground. The shapes blend and mix and bend in messy ways which is a beautiful metaphor for love itself where emotions blend and mix and bend in messy ways. Love is becoming part of another - opening oneself up to another. These drawings make that emotion feel real- in a way that a perfect photographic image might not.
I cannot imagine any animal lover - particularly a dog owner - who will not (immediately) relate to the experience being detailed in this film. "My Dog Tulip" teaches us, as well as any other film, how unconditional love is a transformative power, perhaps THE transformative power in nature.
Christopher Plummer is a standout voice as the man in love with the dog. So if this film strikes your fancy, absolutely get your hands on another wonderful animation treasure, "The Man Who Planted Trees" also narrated by Mr. Plummer.
All those who have had a great relationship with a pet will want to watch this film.
Click Here to see more reviews about: My Dog Tulip (2011)
Strikingly animated and featuring the voices of Christopher Plummer, the late Lynn Redgrave and Isabella Rossellini, MY DOG TULIP is a bittersweet retrospective account of author J. R. Ackerley's 16-year relationship with his beautiful yet intolerable German shepherd, Tulip. To Ackerley's surprise, Tulip turned out to be the love of his life, the ideal friend he had been searching for in vain for so many years.Special Features: MAKING TULIP, a making-of featurette; Theatrical trailer; MUTTS Shelter Stories; Sneak peek at the filmmakers' latest project SLOCUM AT SEA WITH HIMSELF; Downloadable materials; Optional 5.1 soundtrack; Subtitles for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
0 comments:
Post a Comment