Film director Kriv Stenders shares his 10 best films involving dogs
For those times when all you want is to chill out and watch an awesome dog on screen, Australian film director Kriv Stenders has created the ultimate list of his top 10 dog films.
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Australian film director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Danger Close) chooses his Top 10 favourite
films about dogs.
“The famous image of Mad Max walking along a deserted highway with his blue heeler beside him has now become one of the most iconic in Australian cinema,” Stenders said.
“And to me it symbolises completely the profound connection we share with these animals”.
KRIV STENDERS TOP 10 FAVOURITE FILMS ABOUT DOGS
MARLEY AND ME (2008)
I first saw this in a cinema in Manilla.
I was surprised by how universal the film was and how much the Filipino audience loved it.
The experience of seeing that film in that environment really stayed with me.
I admire the film for its’ ability to encapsulate how a dog, or any pet for that matter becomes a beloved member of the family and how their passing is a natural, inevitable and profoundly defining chapter in the life of any family.
DOG’S PURPOSE (2017)
When I first went to LA on the back the of the local success of Red Dog, this was one of many “dog’ scripts that was sent to me.
It was a beautifully written screenplay and I was blown away by the conceit of a dog’s soul being continually reincarnated across the length of the story.
When I finally saw the film (which was eventually directed by Lasse Halstrom) I remember being really affected by the whole concept of dogs as sentient beings who experience love and longing just as intensely as humans do.
HACHI: A DOG’S TALE (2009)
This film was a “must-see” in the lead up to shooting Red Dog.
I learnt a lot from the film, especially in terms of how naturally and effortlessly the dog action was shot and how emotionally grounded the film was.
Like Red Dog, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale was a famous true story that had become legendary. Hachi was a dog that waited loyally for his dead master to arrive home from work at the local train station, but of course he never arrived.
The film shares a lot in common with Red Dog in that it really pulls on the same heartstrings.
CUJO (1983)
This is probably the only “dog horror” movie I know of. Based on the Stephen King novel I went and saw this in the cinema when I was a teenager and remember being pretty underwhelmed. I think the biggest issue is that St. Bernards are such loveable and lumbering dogs, and I always thought it was a strange choice to turn it into a terrifying rabid monster.
MAD MAX 2 (1981)
I know this is not really a dog movie but it does happen have what I believe is one of the greatest dog performances in cinema history.
Simply known as “Dog”, this blue heeler steals virtually every scene he is in.
The chemistry between “Dog” and Mel Gibson is a pure delight and it's a master class in how to shoot and elicit a performance from an animal.
A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975)
This is a very strange and somewhat obscure American black comedy from 1975 that has gone on to become a cult movie and is certainly worth tracking down.
It stars a very young Don Johnson as a teenage boy who along with his telepathic dog work together as a team in order to survive in a dangerous post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The dog is a great character, a well-read, wise misanthrope who advises and guides the boy as they scavenge for food and try and escape marauding gangs.
BENJI (1974)
The original 1974 classic was one of the most defining films of my early childhood. It since went on to spurn a whole franchise of movies and TV series, but this first film directed by Joe Camp has a simple, elegant purity.
I loved Benji as he reminded me of our first dog who was also a scrappy cross mix of breeds and who like Benji was always there for us, happy to just be the family dog.
DIGBY, THE BIGGEST DOG IN THE WORLD (1973)
I remember this came out around the same time as Benji and being taken to see it by my grandmother in an old, crumbling, musty suburban cinema in Brisbane. It was a British film and starred some great.
English character actors including Spike Milligan and Jim Dale. It’s a delightful movie about
an Old English Sheep Dmarley and meog who accidentally drinks a liquid growth formula and
expands to gigantic proportions.
CATS AND DOGS (2001)
This is probably the most surreal and nutty dog movie I have ever seen.
The story centres on the relationships between cats and dogs, depicting their differences as an intense rivalry in which both sides use organisations and tactics that mirror those used in human espionage.
It is a spy-action comedy that uses a combination of real cats and dogs and augmented CG to create what can only be described as a fever dream version of Mission Impossible.
BOLT (2008)
Despite being an animated Disney film, this is a thoroughly enjoyable dog movie that’s very funny and that has a wonderful kinetic energy from start to finish.
The film’s plot centres on a white dog named Bolt who, having spent his entire life on the set of a TV series, thinks that he has real super powers.
It is The Truman Show meets Rin Tin Tin and is a beautifully crafted fusion of great writing, quality animation and classic Disney showmanship.
Originally published as Film director Kriv Stenders shares his 10 best films involving dogs