| Product: |
Lady And The Tramp (Special Edition, 2 DVDs) |
| Date: |
25/10/02 (67 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good time film
Disadvantages: Bit too mushy
Slushy sentimentality, animals made human, a stack of great songs and an honest to goodness happy ending arising from the depths of despair. It can only possibly be Disney, but it would be hard pressed to suss out exactly which one is the film under consideration because the Walt Disney series of animated features is nothing if not faithful to a formula which once established and proven is not to be ignored.
Think of them - Snow White, Cinderella, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, The Fox and The Hound - they're all essentially the same with only minor variations around the ultra consistent central theme. Well, the subject of this review is one of the classics of this particular genre, Lady and the Tramp, now almost five decades old.
Disney certainly knew he'd stumbled onto a veritable goldmine when he opened up with the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If one wanted to be just that little bit scathing, one could give him a bit of a thick ear for sticking so steadfastly to that standard formula without fear of much retribution.
Nevertheless Lady and the Tramp is as fresh and appealing these days as it has ever been and every bit as popular. Indeed it was so good that the story was reprieved and revisited for both The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians with relatively few adjustments required. In fact, so close are Lady and the Tramp and The Aristocats that you can close your eyes and imagine that this is the self same film. A happy go lucky vagabond creature encounters a well to do female of the species who has fallen upon hard times and brings her safe and sound to a typically happy ending, despite a million and one perils. On the way he takes her deep into a different world from that she has known, an exciting and vivid world where the inhabitants are low lifes but with the obligatory heart of gold encased deep within. Rough and ready maybe, but friends through thic
k and thin.
Now they say that familiarity breeds contempt, but in the case of Disney familiarity just brings warmth and humour and a nice cosy feeling. You can wrap yourself up warm before a roaring log fire, brew up the hot chocolate and stick on a well worn, friendly video - come with me now as we enjoy once more the splendid tale of Lady and the Tramp.
Try as you might to maintain a cynical air and not enjoy a Disney feature, it's virtually important not to find yourself taken in by the magic as soon as you see that logo and hear the theme. These films are the backbone of every child's early years and Lady and the Tramp is one of the best loved of all such films.
Lady is the cute little female spaniel who is adored by her childless human owners and the subject of all their affection. All is sweetness and light until another little being comes into the world, cornering all the love that is going and leaving Lady out in the cold, quite literally when a heartless older female relative comes to stay, accompanied by her appalling Siamese cats. Cue one of the most memorable sections of all of Disney's films as the spiteful felines conspire to capture first the goldfish and then later the baby's milk.
The age old comparison between the sly and selfish cat and the loving but clumsy dog is exploited to perfection as Lady rushes around in exasperation, seeking to protect her defenceless family while those two despicable moggies get up to all sorts of mischief! (Did I actually write that piece of trash, I must really be getting old!) Of course, when the house is thoroughly wrecked, you know who is going to get the blame and Lady is banished to the cold and rain of the kennel and forced to wear a muzzle.
Eventually she can take no more and runs away, only to be found and befriended by the mongrel Tramp. Cue all sorts of comic adventures in the zoo with Tramp's attempts to rid his chick of her bondag
e gear. The scene with the beaver with a speech impediment is classic Disney, truly a wonder to behold.
Romance is soon blooming, along with the blandest of love songs and even greater fun is had when Lady is caught by the dog wardens. Among the other dogs she encounters in the chokey is one whose voice is provided by the divine Peggy Lee. If only the song was Fever rather than He's A Tramp, then this particular extract would represent total perfection. Oh well!
Eventually, of course, all things end well when Lady redeems herself by seeing off a horrific menace and lo and behold it's joy at a family Christmas with the whole bunch gathered around a traditional tree with the prezzies underneath.
Sorry if you didn't really want a rundown on the script but I genuinely can't believe that there's anyone out there who hasn't already seen this film at least half a dozen times and after all Disney has never really had much to do with unpredictability and mystery.
For a kids' film, Lady and the Tramp is wonderfully designed and realised with everything you could ever wish for in a family movie. It has great songs, rich humour and even gripping drama. It's honestly extremely difficult not to have a tear drifting to your eye when you watch this heart warming and endlessly enjoyable film. Next to it, The Aristocats is revealed as an insubstantial and unoriginal affair. Few films genuinely merit the adjective timeless, but Lady and the Tramp is certainly one of them.
So go on, suspend your disbelief for just an hour or so and gaze into the goggle box. You'll soon find yourself staring open mouthed at the vivid colours and lost in the magic that is a really good feature film from Walt Disney.
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