A Dog of Flanders Details

This is the fourth film version of Ouida's famous story, but never before has it been adapted with such disregard for its humbling simplicity. Director Kevin Brodie's bid to make the trials of an orphan artist accessible for today's youngsters is laudable enough and he makes splendid use of the Flemish locations. However, the cast (with the honorable exception of Jack Warden's grandfather) singularly fails to invest the action with human warmth — whether it's Jon Voight's soulless painter or Jesse James and Jeremy James Kissner's gauche attempts at conveying Nello's struggle with both his talent and the world's harsh realities.

Less about a dog than a boy of (19th century) Flanders: Nelo, who lives in poverty with his grandfather and wants to... read more on Time Out