The film Red Dog came out in cinemas just a few days after I left for Ethiopia. I was sorry to have missed it, not the least of which because the delightful Josh Lucas plays the lead role of John, and am looking forward to seeing it on DVD when I get home! As I was browsing through Bingham’s library I found the novel by Louis de Bernières. It’s a lovely little novel that more or less fictionalises the story of the real Red Dog who lived mostly in the top end of Western Australia in the 1970s. There is a statue of Red Dog in Dampier apparently. You can read more about the real Red Dog on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dog_%28Karratha%29
The novel brought tears in a couple of places; I’m guessing the same thing happens in the movie, so I won’t reveal any spoilers. However the people I know who have seen it have really enjoyed it! There is a trailer for the film here: http://www.reddogmovie.com/. There is a lovely article from the Sydney Morning Herald about the making of the film here: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tall-tails-20110729-1i3nz.html.
If you’ve seen the film or read the novel, feel free to post a comment, giving your opinion!
It’s a good movie – you will enjoy it.
Hi Rose,
we saw red dog with the whole family and the girls loved it. Particularly Tilly who is our animal lover. Great Aussie film.