Greyfriars Bobby

"The True Story of a Dog"

1961 1h 27m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 69

DramaFamily

Synopsis

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In Scotland 1865, An old shepherd and his little Skye terrier go to Edinburgh. But when the shepherd dies of pneumonia, the dog remains faithful to his master, refuses to be adopted by anyone, and takes to sleeping on his master's grave in the Greyfriars kirkyard, despite a caretaker with a "no dogs" rule. And when Bobby is taken up for being unlicensed, it's up to the children of Edinburgh and the Lord Provost to decide what's to be done.

“The True Story of a Dog”

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Cast

Donald Crisp
James Brown
Laurence Naismith
Mr. Traill
Alex Mackenzie
Old Jock
Duncan Macrae
Sgt. Davie Maclean
Andrew Cruickshank
Lord Provost
Gordon Jackson
Farmer
Joan Juliet Buck
Ailie
Rosalie Crutchley
Farmer's Wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Chaffey
Writers: Robert Westerby, Eleanor Atkinson
Languages: Italian, 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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Paul Beeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Tanner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Donald Crisp and Laurence Naismith and Alex Mackenzie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The True Story of a Dog".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Chaffey directs. Paul Beeson behind the camera. Francis Chagrin scores. Peter Tanner cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4Directed by Don Chaffey, shot by Paul Beeson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Francis Chagrin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Tanner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Donald Crisp and Laurence Naismith and Alex Mackenzie carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The True Story of a Dog".
9IMDB entry: tt0054944 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 69 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Paul Beeson
Original score: Francis Chagrin
Editing: Peter Tanner
Costume design: Margaret Furse
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Greyfriars Bobby (1961)

Also by

Don Chaffey

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-07-03
★ 7/10
Cute film. <em>'Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog'</em> makes for a good little watch. The eponymous Skye Terrier is impossible not to adore, it's actually a very well trained dog too; I felt its supposed feelings more than a few times. The run time is just 87 minutes, which is paced suitably. I wouldn't note any of the cast members as incredible, but all of the key people give appropriate performances that I appreciate. Laurence Naismith is the standout, as he portrays Mr. Traill. Donald Crisp is also solid as James Brown. It does feel repetitive in the middle parts, as the film repeats a few scenes and behaviours of the dog. The characters are also a little one-dimensional, not to the point of becoming an annoyance but certainly noticeable - at least to me. No doubt it's all hearty, even though the vibe is more adult-ish than what is usual for a Disney dog story - which is a positive, don't get me wrong. Worth watching!
CinemaSerf2024-05-20
★ 7/10
There's a statue of this wee Skye terrier in Edinburgh as testament to the loyalty and tenaciousness of this dog that couldn't care less about the civic rules that banned him from the graveyards of the city. It's the shepherd "Old Jock" (Alex Mackenzie) who has passed away and it's his grave that "Bobby" sleeps on each evening, doing a bit of useful ratting at the same time! Quickly he befriends the local tea-room owning "Traill" (Laurence Naismith) who knew his late master, but he has a harder task convincing the caretaker of the cemetery. "Brown" (Donald Crisp) is a bit of a stickler for (his own) rules, but the intervention of the police (Duncan Macrae) over who owns the dog soon sees a court hearing in front of none other than the Lord Provost (Andrew Cruickshank). It is he who must decide the fate of "Bobby" in the face of these two bickering old men whose initial stubbornness about not owning the dog has completely reversed itself! It does take a little while to get going; there are a few too many scenes of the dog running about the place, but once we get into gear this is a charmingly scored and depicted story that puts together a solid cast of familiar faces to support the on form Crisp, Naismith and the young Jameson Clark who's "Tammy" was a little like Dickens' "Tiny Tim" only not quite so earnest! It's a simple family story of loyalty, devotion and curmudgeonliness that's held up well.