Little House on the Prairie
Director: David Cunningham
Cast: Cameron Bancroft, Erin Cottrell, Kyle Chavarria, Danielle C. Ryan, Gregory Sporleder, James Cosmo, Gina Stockdale
Inspired by the classic children’s stories authored by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie follows the journey of young Laura Ingalls (Kyle Chavarria), as she and her family embark on a dangerous and exciting journey across the wild and untamed prairie to find a new home in Kansas.
One of the elements of Laura’s journey that the film captures perfectly is the bond Laura shares with her dog, Jack. While Laura has always shared a special bond with Jack, this film illustrates their bond in a unique way that goes far deeper than mere friendship.
When the Ingalls family meets Dr. Tan, he tells Laura that Jack is what the Indians call a ‘spirit dog’ because he has one blue eye and one brown eye. The good doctor tells them that this makes him sacred to the Indians. Jack shows his devotion and his desire to protect the family…especially Laura…many times throughout the story. When Laura is playing with Jack in the snow, a hunter almost kills her. Jack was there to protect Laura and alert Pa of the danger. When the family is traveling…be it across an icy river or getting stuck in a storm, Jack is always there by Laura’s side, watching over her. When the family falls sick with a fever, Jack is the one who saves them, when he alerts a passerby (who by the grace of God, just happened to be a doctor) and rather than attacking this man and barking incessantly (as he did with the Indians when they attacked the family), Jack begs the man to come in and save his family. When the Indians set fire to the prairie to force the settlers to leave their land, it is brave and noble Jack who watches over the children, guarding them protectively, as Ma and Pa fight against the inferno that threatens their home. When the family takes refuge with the Scotts, Mrs. Scott is initially frightened of Jack (perhaps remembering when he treed her on the woodpile when she came calling), but when Laura tells her that Jack is a spirit dog and will protect them from the Indians, Mrs. Scott allows Jack to stay by her side during the attack.
Jack proves his devotion to Laura again when Laura is playing with him in the woods, and they happen upon a tribe of Indians. When one of the Indians approaches Laura and threatens her with his bone hatchet, Jack stands protectively in front of her, and leads her away from the danger. Although Pa scolds Laura for wandering onto the Indians’ land, saying that she could have been killed, the Indian that Laura encountered, a wise Chief named Soldat du Chene, came to the family's home and shared a pipe with Pa, thus proving that he is a good Indian and meant them no harm…and indeed, once he sees Jack protecting the family and sees his spirit eyes, I believe that this is what compels Soldat du Chene to watch over the family and protect them from the savage Indians. This is illustrated in two ways. When Jack warns Pa that something is amiss on their land, and Pa is attacked by a wild cougar, it is Soldat du Chene who saves Pa by killing the beast. When the Indians go to war against the settlers, it is Soldat du Chene who intervenes on the settler’s behalf, and tells the Indians that if any of the tribes attack the settlers, du Chene’s people would fight them to protect the settlers.
I have always had a special love for the Little House books. Laura holds a very special place in my heart. She is one of my childhood heroes…and one of the reasons that I was inspired to become a writer, myself. While they captured many facets of Laura’s story and the essence of the characters almost perfectly in this film, I did see some creative liberties that were taken with this story and the characters that I felt was added purely for dramatic intensity or aesthetic value, rather than illustrating the true essence of Laura’s journey. Little details that one might not notice unless they knew Laura’s character and story by heart. Still, it is a very good re-telling of the classic Little House story. We see, through Laura’s eyes, the wild, untamed land that her father loved so very much, we hear the soothing music of Pa's fiddle that comforted Laura through her childhood, and we see as well, the love and the enduring spirit that held this family together through all the struggles and hardships. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Laura’s story as much as I do.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved
Director: David Cunningham
Cast: Cameron Bancroft, Erin Cottrell, Kyle Chavarria, Danielle C. Ryan, Gregory Sporleder, James Cosmo, Gina Stockdale
Inspired by the classic children’s stories authored by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie follows the journey of young Laura Ingalls (Kyle Chavarria), as she and her family embark on a dangerous and exciting journey across the wild and untamed prairie to find a new home in Kansas.
One of the elements of Laura’s journey that the film captures perfectly is the bond Laura shares with her dog, Jack. While Laura has always shared a special bond with Jack, this film illustrates their bond in a unique way that goes far deeper than mere friendship.
When the Ingalls family meets Dr. Tan, he tells Laura that Jack is what the Indians call a ‘spirit dog’ because he has one blue eye and one brown eye. The good doctor tells them that this makes him sacred to the Indians. Jack shows his devotion and his desire to protect the family…especially Laura…many times throughout the story. When Laura is playing with Jack in the snow, a hunter almost kills her. Jack was there to protect Laura and alert Pa of the danger. When the family is traveling…be it across an icy river or getting stuck in a storm, Jack is always there by Laura’s side, watching over her. When the family falls sick with a fever, Jack is the one who saves them, when he alerts a passerby (who by the grace of God, just happened to be a doctor) and rather than attacking this man and barking incessantly (as he did with the Indians when they attacked the family), Jack begs the man to come in and save his family. When the Indians set fire to the prairie to force the settlers to leave their land, it is brave and noble Jack who watches over the children, guarding them protectively, as Ma and Pa fight against the inferno that threatens their home. When the family takes refuge with the Scotts, Mrs. Scott is initially frightened of Jack (perhaps remembering when he treed her on the woodpile when she came calling), but when Laura tells her that Jack is a spirit dog and will protect them from the Indians, Mrs. Scott allows Jack to stay by her side during the attack.
Jack proves his devotion to Laura again when Laura is playing with him in the woods, and they happen upon a tribe of Indians. When one of the Indians approaches Laura and threatens her with his bone hatchet, Jack stands protectively in front of her, and leads her away from the danger. Although Pa scolds Laura for wandering onto the Indians’ land, saying that she could have been killed, the Indian that Laura encountered, a wise Chief named Soldat du Chene, came to the family's home and shared a pipe with Pa, thus proving that he is a good Indian and meant them no harm…and indeed, once he sees Jack protecting the family and sees his spirit eyes, I believe that this is what compels Soldat du Chene to watch over the family and protect them from the savage Indians. This is illustrated in two ways. When Jack warns Pa that something is amiss on their land, and Pa is attacked by a wild cougar, it is Soldat du Chene who saves Pa by killing the beast. When the Indians go to war against the settlers, it is Soldat du Chene who intervenes on the settler’s behalf, and tells the Indians that if any of the tribes attack the settlers, du Chene’s people would fight them to protect the settlers.
I have always had a special love for the Little House books. Laura holds a very special place in my heart. She is one of my childhood heroes…and one of the reasons that I was inspired to become a writer, myself. While they captured many facets of Laura’s story and the essence of the characters almost perfectly in this film, I did see some creative liberties that were taken with this story and the characters that I felt was added purely for dramatic intensity or aesthetic value, rather than illustrating the true essence of Laura’s journey. Little details that one might not notice unless they knew Laura’s character and story by heart. Still, it is a very good re-telling of the classic Little House story. We see, through Laura’s eyes, the wild, untamed land that her father loved so very much, we hear the soothing music of Pa's fiddle that comforted Laura through her childhood, and we see as well, the love and the enduring spirit that held this family together through all the struggles and hardships. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Laura’s story as much as I do.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved