For the Love of Benji

"The world's most huggable hero!"

1977 1h 25m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 56

Family

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Benji gets lost after a flight overseas and becomes a stray in Athens, Greece. He then tries everyday to reunite with his family while mysterious people pursue him, in a race to get a code which was secretly tattooed on his paw at the airport. But who are the bad guys and who are the agents that can be trusted? Will Benji and his kids and their nanny ever get to enjoy their vacation?

“The world's most huggable hero!”

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Cast

Benjean
Benji
Patsy Garrett
Mary
Cynthia Smith
Cindy
Allen Fiuzat
Paul
Ed Nelson
Chandler Dietrich
Art Vasil
Stelios
Peter Bowles
Ronald
Bridget Armstrong
Elizabeth

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joe Camp
Writers: Joe Camp, Joe Camp, Ben Vaughn
Languages: Greek, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Greek, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Benji Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joe Camp, shot by Don Reddy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Euel Box. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Benjean and Patsy Garrett and Cynthia Smith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joe Camp directs. Don Reddy behind the camera. Euel Box scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Greek, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
249 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Greek, English.
4Part of the "The Benji Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Joe Camp, shot by Don Reddy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Euel Box. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Benjean and Patsy Garrett and Cynthia Smith carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The world's most huggable hero!".
10IMDB entry: tt0076044 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Don Reddy
Original score: Euel Box
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: For the Love of Benji (1977)

Part of

The Benji Collection

Benji is the name of a dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the Benji franchise. The eponymous canine character is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually to help someone overcome a problem. Joe Camp is the creator and director of the Benji films. The first dog to play Benji was a shelter dog named Higgins, trained by Frank Inn. Later, Higgins' offspring Benjean took over the role for a few films.