Year: 1905
Director: Cecil Hepworth
Country: US
Language: English
I have reviewed Cecil Hepworth's most notable work before. 1900's How It Feels to be Run Over was a shocking trick film for the time, making the audience feel like it had been hit head on by a precarious automobile. The man is an important name in early British Cinema, and although that film may be his best well known, his reputation as a great filmmaker at the time lied primarily in Rescued by Rover.
In this film, a beggar woman steals a baby and the family dog comes to the rescue.
Of all the films Cecil Hepworth made in his career, Rescued by Rover was his most beloved. It was also his most critically acclaimed and financially successful. In short, this Lassie predecessor pleased pretty much everyone from all corners of the globe. Made on a budget of seven pounds thirteen shillings and sixpence it's quite fair to say that the man got his money's worth several hundred times over.
Hepworth remade the film twice, because he burned through two negatives. While most films averaged about 100 prints, his did 400, which was twice that of the second most popular film of that year. The film claims to be a lot of "firsts" (first dog in a film?) and may have changed film greatly. It is a smoothly edited film helped by a strong narrative and decent human (and canine) acting.
Rescued by Rover is a fairly entertaining film that paved the way for other "dog" pictures later in Cinematic history. It's a fine film with quite a magnetic charm to it, I can certainly see why this would be a family fair for 1905.
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