The Painted Hills

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TheMovieSearch R Lassie in the Painted Hills is remembered as part of the long-running Lassie legacy, not because the film itself is particularly groundbreaking, but because of the cultural icon at its center. Lassie wasn’t just a dog on screen—by the time this film came out, the character had already been immortalized as the heroic collie who could outsmart danger, rescue humans, and serve as the ultimate symbol of loyalty and courage. In that sense, this movie didn’t need to reinvent the wheel—it just needed to let Lassie shine. Watching it now, with a more critical eye as an adult, I found myself noticing things that slipped past me when I was younger. Lassie is portrayed as this super-intelligent animal capable of almost human-like reasoning, but in reality, the film relies heavily on clever editing and convenient framing. The dog itself wasn’t always performing these grand feats; instead, it was the director and editors splicing together shots to give the illusion of Lassie doing far more than what was actually happening. That doesn’t take away from the character’s legacy, but it does highlight how much of the magic came from behind the camera rather than the animal itself. That said, the Painted Hills setting adds a nice visual layer, grounding the story in a rugged, frontier-like atmosphere. The plot—revolving around betrayal, greed, and justice—feels like a simple morality tale where Lassie is the ultimate force of good against human corruption. The human actors do their job, but let’s be honest: nobody is tuning in for them. This is Lassie’s show through and through, and the filmmakers knew that. But even with that being said, they are classic films that just last forever—they’re going to sit in the cinematic archive no matter what. They aren’t movies you run back to revisit often, because some of them are admittedly rough to watch, but they’re still iconic nonetheless. I sometimes feel like screenplays back then were just scribbled on a piece of paper, and suddenly you had a finished film. There are plenty of plot holes and a lot of misdirection—not the clever kind, but the kind that makes you wonder if the writers forgot what they were even talking about. Personally, I feel like this movie is okay. It’s iconic because of Lassie, but I don’t think it was a great film overall. It exists more than it thrives. That said, I still enjoyed it because I love Lassie and the little back-and-forth moments sprinkled in. What surprised me, though, was how little Lassie was actually featured—this was supposed to be her movie, yet she almost takes a backseat to the human characters. That was a bit of a letdown. Ultimately, I love Lassie, and I appreciate The Painted Hills for what it is, but at the end of the day, it’s just okay. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/30/25 Full Review bill t Unusually dark Lassie movie here, as she (known as Shep here) is the dog of a gold prospector. When his old partner dies, he takes a younger man under his wing. Unfortunately, the new one gets increasingly paranoid of the gold they have found, and he kills the prospector. This doesnt sit well with Lassie of course. Oh, and yes, there's the prerequisite young boy in this, a friend of the prospector, who is as clueless as they come. Actually, there's a lot of cluelessness in this, like a lot of scenes don't make sense. But oh yes, there is a bit of a darker side to this one.. Lots of deaths, lots of peril, and Lassie gets hurt more than once! Oh no! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It turns out that The Treasure of the Sierra Madre wouldn't have been as good if they replaced one of the characters with Lassie. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member The plot is intriguing enough, but there's a lot of corny moments, particularly towards the end. Obviously the dog is the best part, but the rest of the characters work well. The film can't get pass its slow moments and sad bits though. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member typical lassie vehicle Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Bad acting makes this drivel even worse. Poor script and dialog. Bland story. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Painted Hills

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