When I first saw this movie, in 1963, I was shocked and awed (to coin a phrase). It exerted a significant shaping influence on my awareness of the relativism of cultural practices and the crassness of some in my native U.S.A. Over the years, I've recommended it to many others, but had never had a chance to view it again myself. I guess I should have left it at that. It's sad in a way how poorly the movie has aged: the bias of the vignettes is too obvious, the editing is choppy, and that awful narration is so grating you just want to scream. On the other hand, we can take some pride I think that our collective values have evolved over the past 40+ years so that this film's blatant sexism and deprecating condescension toward foreign cultures is no longer acceptable to us. I guess I'll have to start recommending something else. How about "The Loved One"?
Review of A Dog's Life
