PAWS
Australia, 1997, 95 minutes, Colour.
Nathan Cavalieri, Emilie Francois, Caroline Gilmer, Voice of Billy Connolly.
Directed by Karl Zwicky.
Paws is a very entertaining children's and families' film, focusing on a talking dog (though different from Babe where the mouths of the animals were electronically fixed to the speech). Here the Scots Terrier has the voice of Billy Connolly - and a quite elaborate computer explanation is given for the voice and the choice of Billy Connolly's. The dog and the voice make an excellent combination.
The film is something of a detective story - it has an inner-Sydney setting, in Glebe and around the Harold Park greyhound stadium. A computer expert is killed by his greedy former wife (from Iceland) and the disk giving information about where his wealth is stored is given to a pleasant family. However, the dog has an accident and is taken up by the neighbouring family. There are a lot of adventures, a bonding between the dog, PC, and Zach, a young computer expert whose father has died and his mother remarried and the family moved, unwillingly, to Sydney. The friendly neighbours are English.
The film is often very witty, enjoyably slapstick and has an over-the-top performance by Sandy Gore as Anja, the villain, who looks as if she is doing an exaggerated audition for the role of Cruella de Ville. Musician Nathan Cavaleri is the boy, Joe Petruzzi is his stepfather, Norman Kay is the computer expert, Rachel Blake the boy's mother and Caroline Gilmer is the friendly neighbour.
The direction is by Karl Zwicki, director of many television episodes, children's television as well as the thriller Vicious. There is an amusing animated sequence at the beginning which gets audiences in the mood for the film.
1.Popular entertainment and its appeal, for families, for children?
2.The inner-city settings, Glebe, Harold Park, the harbour bridge, the homes and the streets?
3.The framework of the mystery and the investigation? The musical score and the variety of moods? The Peter Gunn music etc.?
4.The use of special effects? The dog and its speaking? The moment where it frightens people (like Jim Carrey in The Mask)? The special effects for Sandy Gore as Anja - especially at the ending with her riding of the greyhound rabbit?
5.The opening animated sequence and its suggesting a mood? Moving into realism? Zach's voice-over and its telling the story - as well as ironic comment on the events and characters, expressing Zach's silent exasperation?
6.Billy Connolly and the choice of his voice for the talking dog, the dog and its ability to use the computer, the microphone, the translation from dog-talk - and the humour about dogs talking, vocabulary, expressions - and the fainting effect on people? Making the ploy credible?
7.The opening with the greyhound track, the characters, the races, chasing the rabbit? The mood? Alex and his reliance on PC as a courier dog? Suzie and her stall? Samantha irritated? Anja and her sinister presence?
8.Alex and his ability with computers, playing puzzles, his reliance on PC? Anja and her arrival, threats? His shrewdness with the disk? The confrontation, his death? The later information about his relationship with Anja, his skill in Iceland, her betrayal and greed, pursuit to Australia? His wanting to outwit her?
9.Sandy Gore as Anja, the Cruella de Ville villain? At the track, confrontations with Alex, his death? Her desperation to get the disk? Her lending money to Steven and audience suspicion of him? Her own wolf-like dog and its threats to PC? Her clashes with PC? The streets, hovering, confrontations with Steven? With Suzie? At home, the wigs? At the track? The finale, her wanting to get the rabbit, her desperate ride on the rabbit, pursued by the greyhounds?
10.Zach and his age, character? Longing for Melbourne? Angry with Sydney? His father, the death, the computer gifts, his face on the computer and Zach able to make him speak? His love for his mother? Love for Binky - yet clashing with her? His anger at Steven? At Steven interfering with the disks? His birthday party, the presents, the clash with Steven? Friendship with Suzie, friendship with Samantha, awkwardness, The Midsummer Night's Dream and his decision to do the lights, the rehearsals? PC causing chaos at the play itself and his reaction? His jealousy of the boy actor? His discussions with PC, his reaction to Steven? The gift and his change of heart? PC, exasperation, his running away, the hundred-dollar hairdo for the dog? Following Steven, discovering the truth? The action adventure at the end and the appropriately happy ending?
11.PC and his personality, with Alex, witnessing the murder, trying to retrieve the disk, the accident, friendship with Zach, typing on the computer, talking, the microphone? Choosing Billy Connolly's voice? His terror, cowardliness, afraid of the wolf, attracted to the dog across the street - and her having a shampoo, paying for the hairdo? His finally becoming a hero?
12.Suzie, the stall at the track, friendship with Alex, the gift of the disk, her love for her daughter, their clashes? Anja and threatening her?
13.Sam and her English background, the divorce, relationship with her mother, with Zach, The Midsummer Night's Dream, the play, the humiliation, her anger, wanting to take part in the investigation?
14.Binky, love for Zach, their clashes, bringing her girlfriend to see the talking dog?
15.Steven and his wife, trying, suspicions of him going to Anja for the money? Zach's mother and her playing the trumpet - and her explaining that his father was too busy and that she enjoyed playing the trumpet?
