Dreadfully Boring

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

"The Three Lives of Thomasina" is a very good movie. No questioning, this is one of Disney's best live-action movies. Maybe it's not one of their best known, but it sure is one of the great Disney ones. Curiously, the movie's title doesn't refer to the traditional nine lives of a cat, it refers only to three of them. Curiously, the opening scene is made in one of the strangest ways too, but I like the way that's made for being quite unusual.The movie can be considered a family drama above all things, but it also has numerous moments of fun. There is very little soundtrack (unlike in many - if not most - Disney movies), but the song "Thomasina" is nice.The story is set in Scotland, particularly in the town of Inveranoch. The year is 1912. The Scottish scenario makes this a very rich production. Words are not enough to describe these sceneries/landscapes: dazzling, wonderful, beautiful, magnificent, inspiring, fantastic, completely natural and pure. The purity of nature and the surrounding vistas always make a more than perfect panorama. The pleasant sound of the bagpipes accent the Scottish atmosphere.Our story centers mostly around Andrew MacDhui (a cold and distant veterinarian who doesn't show much feelings for pets), his daughter Mary and Mary's beloved cat Thomasina. Not only on these characters, but also on Mary's friends Hughie, Jamie and Geordie.Mary's 3 friends make the movie's funniest moments, especially whenever they peek at Lori (the beautiful and kind young woman who cures all injured and sick beings) and runaway from her. It's hilarious when one of the boys says «She's crazy», a line which sounds even funnier because of the way he says it and especially because of his English with a Scottish or Scottish gaelic accent.This is the first of 3 films which Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice star together. Matthew is Geordie, Karen is Mary. Both are excellent. The fact that these 2 lovable kids are here is great. It's impossible not to laugh with Geordie. Yet at the same time he is adventurous and carefree, he is kind and shy. In any of the 3 movies with Matthew and Karen, the funniest of the two is always Matthew.Thomasina is a beautiful orange tabby cat. She doesn't speak "per se", but in some parts we can hear what she feels. That means, a voice narrates her feelings. For me, this is a more interesting solution that to literally put them talking (moving lips and all). Elspeth March does a great narration job for Thomasina.Susan Hampshire is great in her role as Lori. Patrick McGoohan is tremendous as Andrew MacDhui. The film was directed by Don Chaffey, the same man who directed "Pete's Dragon".The movie is generally simple, but there is a scene with spectacular special effects for its time: the sequence which Thomasina is going on a fantasy trip to "Cat Heaven" and encounters Bast (the ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess). Another very well made scene among others is Thomasina's "almost" funeral.The puppy that Mr. MacDhui tries to offer his daughter is really cute and adorable. Mr. MacDhui changes later in the movie, becoming a better person, more sensible and generous.This should definitely be on Top 250.

Looking at the publicity you might think this was a film about a cat. Don't be misled. Thomasina is a foundling cat, so named because the family that took her in mistook her for a male cat at first and naturally called him Tom, changing it later to the feminised form. This error is a bit of a worry given that the father of the family is a veterinarian, Andrew MacDhui (pronounced Macdooee), played by Patrick McGoohan.MacDhui is a young man of science. His 'book-learning' skills are being sponsored in the local community by his patron, the local vicar. Gradually his scientific methods are becoming accepted by the traditionally superstitious farming community. However MacDhui has emotional scar tissue. His wife died five years before, leaving him with a young girl-child to raise. Furthermore it is revealed that Macdhui really wanted to be a doctor but was repressed into animal doctoring by his own father. Whilst efficient with the farm beasts MacDhui's lack of sensitivity leads to social disaster when he shows too much willingness to declare old, spoiled pets beyond useful life and offer only one option to the pet-lovers: "Put 'em doon. 'tis the best thing for the poor creature." Once he applies his strictly rational approach to his own daughter's cat the village society ostracise him. Tragically so does his daughter, declaring him as having died when her cat did. Strong stuff.Fortunately for the children in the audience,much of the film is made up of the schoolboy adventures of three young lads. They break open the isolation of an eccentric young woman, Lori MacGregor (Susan Hampshire) by taking their various injured animal friends for her to look after, she having an instinctive way of healing that has led to her being labelled a witch.Gradually the forces of Rationality and Empathy are brought together as MacDhui and MacGregor seek help, one from the other. She needs his surgical skills to repair her patient's broken limbs that cannot be fixed by nursing alone. He eventually calls on her assistance to reach out to his daughter who becomes so emotionally withdrawn that she then physically sickens, nearing death.The cat, who has been a peripheral character makes a symbolic choice at the climax of the film. Her sub-plot has been negotiating the mythic nine lives of a cat. After being "poot doon" by MacDhui she had found her next life in the care of MacGregor. In the final scene MacDhui has to persuade the cat to enter the window of the dying daughters bedroom. His love for his daughter is enough to convince the cat he has learned his lesson and she trusts him enough to jump into his arms. The daughter is resurrected , MacDhui marries MacGregor and the world is all made better.McGoohan is excellent in the keynote role. He expresses both the sensible scientific man and the father bewildered by his daughter's baffling behaviour in a superbly believable manner. He even gets to do some fisticuffs in an ebullient fight-scene with the brutal staff of a travelling circus. His Scots accent seems spot-on too. Like his other 1960's Disney epic, Dr. Syn, there is a solid moral plot as well as plenty of interest and excitement. A super film.

The Three Lives of ThomasinaAnother classic Disney story of a smart stray cat named Thomasina who dies and comes back to life, living with a so-called "witch" on her farm in the middle of a desolate wooded area--until the little girl Thomasina used to belong to finds out the cat is still alive and tries to get her back.I have a fuzzy old tape of this movie buried somewhere in my stash of recorded videos. I used to watch it quite a lot and it is very entertaining for the kids. Don't watch it without children around or else you might be put off by its quaint silliness.**** / *****

A movie with everything from first class acting to a storyline where fantasy meets reality.In this case the Cat...who is also a voiceover...is really the central part of the story. Patrick McGoohan plays the vet,whose daughter Mary (played by Karen Dotrice)is owned by the Cat. Its definitely a weepie but everyone lives happily ever after as Thomasina returns from an unusual resurrection performed by Susan Hampshire...supposedly a witch!!!