Red Dog (film)
Encyclopedia
Red Dog is a 2011 Australian family film directed by Kriv Stenders. The film is based on a true story from the novel Red Dog
. At the 2011 Inside Film Awards
Red Dog was nominated in nine categories and won seven, including Best Feature Film.
) arrives in Dampier, Western Australia, late one night. Upon entering the town pub he sees the silhouettes of a group of men, one of whom is holding a gun. Believing he is witnessing a murder he rushes into the next room, where he sees that the men are trying to put down an apparently sick dog. Unable to bring themselves to carry out the euthanasia, the men, with Thomas, retreat to the bar.
Publican Jack Collins (Noah Taylor
) narrates the story of the dog - Red Dog's (Koko) - arrival in Dampier. Upon arriving, the dog befriends many of the employees of Hamersley Iron
, who have a major iron ore excavation in progress. Various miners relate their stories of Red Dog to Thomas, but state that, while Red Dog was a dog for everyone, he had no real master.
The men then tell of an American named John Grant (Josh Lucas
), who becomes Red's true master. John, a bus driver for Hamersley Iron, starts dating a woman named Nancy (Rachael Taylor
), who is a secretary at Hamersley Iron. After living in Dampier for two years, John proposes to Nancy. On the night of the engagement, John tells Red Dog to stay until he returns from Nancy's caravan. Early the next morning, John rides his motorcycle from Nancy's caravan, but is killed in an accident on the way home.
In the shock of John's accident, Rachael and the Hamersley men forget about Red Dog. Unbeknownst to them, he is still in the place where John told him to stay. After three weeks Red decides to look for John, first at Hamersley Iron, then the bar and other places where John was known to go, until all of Dampier is explored. He then continues across much of the Australian North West Pilbara region from Perth to Darwin. He is even rumoured to have caught a ship to Japan in search of John. Finally, the grief catches up to him, and he decides to return to Dampier. When he arrives, he returns to Nancy at the caravan park where she is staying, and she is overwhelmed to see him. The caretakers of the caravan park, however, do not allow dogs in the park, and threaten to shoot Red Dog. Nancy and John's friends at Hamersley then travel the community of Dampier in support of Red Dog and, after a "civilised chat" with some of the miners, the caretaker and his wife leave, leaving their cat, Red Cat, behind. A great fight between Red Dog and Red Cat ensues, and in the end, they resolve their differences and become mates.
Back in the present day, miner Jocko (Rohan Nichol) asks the gathered crowd why they should have a statue of a man (William Dampier
) set in their town when all he did in relation to the place was say that there were too many flies, and suggests that they should instead erect a statue of someone who represents the town - Red Dog. During the celebrations that follow, Red Dog gets up and walks out of the bar, unnoticed by everyone. Upon realising that the sick dog has left, everyone in the town begins looking for him, eventually finding him lying dead in front of John's grave.
One year later, Thomas once again drives up to Dampier with a new puppy, a new Red Dog and the whole town unveils a statue of Red Dog, a statue which still stands today.
/cattle dog cross who was well known for his travels through Western Australia
's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier
, which is one of the towns to which he often returned.
Red Dog is believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo, Jamunjat
in 1971 and had a variety of names to those who knew him, including: Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest.
Soon after Red's death in 1979, Australian author Nancy Gillespie
wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her book Red Dog as did Beverly Duckett in her 1993 book Red Dog: The Pilbara Wanderer.
Red Dog's story and statue have caught the attention of a number of people passing through Dampier including British
author
Louis de Bernières
, who was inspired to write a book loosely based on Red's legend called Red Dog
. A four-wheel-drive
club has been named in his honour.
, Blu-ray
and digital download December 2, 2011 (Australia).
gave the film a rating of 7.5/10 with a score of 86%. the film has made more than 21 million at the Australian box office since opening in August 2011.
. Nominated in nine categories, it won seven. It received the Best Feature Film award, as well as:
It missed winning Best Editing and Best Production Design.
Red Dog (novel)
Red Dog is a short novel by Louis de Bernières charting the life of a popular dog, a "Red Cloud Kelpie" nicknamed Red Dog, in Karratha, Western Australia. A movie based on the novel was filmed in Australia in 2011.-Part one:...
. At the 2011 Inside Film Awards
Inside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
Red Dog was nominated in nine categories and won seven, including Best Feature Film.
Cast
- Koko as Red Dog
- Josh LucasJosh LucasJosh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
as John Grant - Rachael TaylorRachael TaylorRachael Taylor is an Australian actress and model. She made her leading role debut in the short-lived Australian program headLand. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in the films Transformers, Shutter, and Splinterheads.-Personal life:Taylor was born in Launceston, Tasmania, the...
as Nancy - Noah TaylorNoah TaylorNoah George Taylor is an English-born Australian actor.-Early life:Taylor, elder of two boys, was born in London, England, the son of Maggie, a journalist and book editor, and Paul Taylor, a copywriter and journalist. Taylor's Australian parents returned to Australia when he was five, and he grew...
as Jack Collins - Keisha Castle-HughesKeisha Castle-HughesKeisha Castle-Hughes is a New Zealand film actress who rose to prominence at the age of eleven when playing Paikea "Pai" Apirana in the 2002 film Whale Rider...
as Rose - Luke FordLuke Ford (actor)Luke Ford is a Canadian-born Australian actor.-Early life:Ford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada but raised in Sydney, Australia. He attended Parramatta Marist High School in Westmead, Sydney, and once worked at the Winston Hills Hotel, and a short stint at Universal Magazines in...
as Thomas - John BatchelorJohn Batchelor (Australian actor)John David Batchelor is an Australian television and film actor. He is most known for portraying Chief Petty Officer Marine Technical / Chief Engineer Andy 'Charge' Thorpe on the Australian drama series Sea Patrol, and Peeto in the Australian feature film Red Dog.-Career:Beside portraing Andy...
as Peeto - Rohan Nichol as Jocko
- Arthur Angel as Vanno
- Eamon Farren as Dave
- Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Patsy
- Loene CarmenLoene CarmenLoene Carmen is an Australian singer/songwriter and actress.-Background:Carmen's father is rock/jazz/blues pianist Peter Head...
as Maureen
Plot
Truck driver Thomas (Luke FordLuke Ford
Luke Ford is an American writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
) arrives in Dampier, Western Australia, late one night. Upon entering the town pub he sees the silhouettes of a group of men, one of whom is holding a gun. Believing he is witnessing a murder he rushes into the next room, where he sees that the men are trying to put down an apparently sick dog. Unable to bring themselves to carry out the euthanasia, the men, with Thomas, retreat to the bar.
Publican Jack Collins (Noah Taylor
Noah Taylor
Noah George Taylor is an English-born Australian actor.-Early life:Taylor, elder of two boys, was born in London, England, the son of Maggie, a journalist and book editor, and Paul Taylor, a copywriter and journalist. Taylor's Australian parents returned to Australia when he was five, and he grew...
) narrates the story of the dog - Red Dog's (Koko) - arrival in Dampier. Upon arriving, the dog befriends many of the employees of Hamersley Iron
Hamersley Iron
Pilbara Iron is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Rio Tinto Group, that manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio and three Japanese steel companies Mitsui Iron Ore...
, who have a major iron ore excavation in progress. Various miners relate their stories of Red Dog to Thomas, but state that, while Red Dog was a dog for everyone, he had no real master.
The men then tell of an American named John Grant (Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
), who becomes Red's true master. John, a bus driver for Hamersley Iron, starts dating a woman named Nancy (Rachael Taylor
Rachael Taylor
Rachael Taylor is an Australian actress and model. She made her leading role debut in the short-lived Australian program headLand. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in the films Transformers, Shutter, and Splinterheads.-Personal life:Taylor was born in Launceston, Tasmania, the...
), who is a secretary at Hamersley Iron. After living in Dampier for two years, John proposes to Nancy. On the night of the engagement, John tells Red Dog to stay until he returns from Nancy's caravan. Early the next morning, John rides his motorcycle from Nancy's caravan, but is killed in an accident on the way home.
In the shock of John's accident, Rachael and the Hamersley men forget about Red Dog. Unbeknownst to them, he is still in the place where John told him to stay. After three weeks Red decides to look for John, first at Hamersley Iron, then the bar and other places where John was known to go, until all of Dampier is explored. He then continues across much of the Australian North West Pilbara region from Perth to Darwin. He is even rumoured to have caught a ship to Japan in search of John. Finally, the grief catches up to him, and he decides to return to Dampier. When he arrives, he returns to Nancy at the caravan park where she is staying, and she is overwhelmed to see him. The caretakers of the caravan park, however, do not allow dogs in the park, and threaten to shoot Red Dog. Nancy and John's friends at Hamersley then travel the community of Dampier in support of Red Dog and, after a "civilised chat" with some of the miners, the caretaker and his wife leave, leaving their cat, Red Cat, behind. A great fight between Red Dog and Red Cat ensues, and in the end, they resolve their differences and become mates.
Back in the present day, miner Jocko (Rohan Nichol) asks the gathered crowd why they should have a statue of a man (William Dampier
William Dampier
William Dampier was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer...
) set in their town when all he did in relation to the place was say that there were too many flies, and suggests that they should instead erect a statue of someone who represents the town - Red Dog. During the celebrations that follow, Red Dog gets up and walks out of the bar, unnoticed by everyone. Upon realising that the sick dog has left, everyone in the town begins looking for him, eventually finding him lying dead in front of John's grave.
One year later, Thomas once again drives up to Dampier with a new puppy, a new Red Dog and the whole town unveils a statue of Red Dog, a statue which still stands today.
Story basis
Red Dog (c. 1971 – 21st November 1979) was a KelpieAustralian Kelpie
The Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog successful at mustering and droving with little or no command guidance. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours...
/cattle dog cross who was well known for his travels through Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
's Pilbara region. There is a statue in his memory in Dampier
Dampier, Western Australia
Dampier is a major industrial port in the north-west of Western Australia. The Dampier Port is part of the Dampier Archipelago. The port services petrochemical, salt, iron ore and natural gas export industries. Rio Tinto exports large volumes of iron ore through the port, and in September 2010...
, which is one of the towns to which he often returned.
Red Dog is believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo, Jamunjat
Paraburdoo, Western Australia
Paraburdoo is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The name of the town comes from the Aboriginal word for 'white cockatoo'. It is located 1,536 kilometres north of Perth and 79 kilometres southwest of Tom Price. Paraburdoo was developed in the early 1970s to support Hamersley...
in 1971 and had a variety of names to those who knew him, including: Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest.
Soon after Red's death in 1979, Australian author Nancy Gillespie
Nancy Gillespie
-Life:She was born in Taihape, New Zealand, and moved to the Pilbara in the 1970s.She wrote the original Red Dog book, titled “Red Dog”.This book is no longer in print, however a new edition of the book is to be released September 2011....
wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her book Red Dog as did Beverly Duckett in her 1993 book Red Dog: The Pilbara Wanderer.
Red Dog's story and statue have caught the attention of a number of people passing through Dampier including British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Louis de Bernières
Louis de Bernières
Louis de Bernières is a British novelist most famous for his fourth novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine...
, who was inspired to write a book loosely based on Red's legend called Red Dog
Red Dog (novel)
Red Dog is a short novel by Louis de Bernières charting the life of a popular dog, a "Red Cloud Kelpie" nicknamed Red Dog, in Karratha, Western Australia. A movie based on the novel was filmed in Australia in 2011.-Part one:...
. A four-wheel-drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
club has been named in his honour.
Home media release
Red Dog is scheduled to be released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
and digital download December 2, 2011 (Australia).
Review
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a rating of 7.5/10 with a score of 86%. the film has made more than 21 million at the Australian box office since opening in August 2011.
Awards
Red Dog dominated the 2011 Inside Film AwardsInside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
. Nominated in nine categories, it won seven. It received the Best Feature Film award, as well as:
- Best Actor - Josh LucasJosh LucasJosh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
- Best Direction - Kriv Stenders
- Best Script
- Best Cinematography
- Best Music
- Best Box Office Achievement
It missed winning Best Editing and Best Production Design.