Daily Reel - Bad Moon (1996)

Based on the horror novel Thor by Wayne Smith, Bad Moon follows the secret battle of Thor, a suburban family pet, and his fight against a deadly werewolf. The novel is written from Thor’s point of view and most of the film keeps closely in touch with their star, played by Primo.

Primo, a handsome and athletic German Shepherd Dog, appeared in many films (including Dogboys) and TV shows (including The Call of the Wild) throughout his successful career, but nowhere do his talents shine brighter than in Bad Moon. His powerful performance and superb portrayal of Thor makes this otherwise lackluster horror film without many redeeming points worth watching.

This movie is profiled in detail in Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films (see top right sidebar).

Produced by Morgan Creek Productions

Silent Screen Sunday - Where the North Begins (1923)

Where the North Begins was Rin-Tin-Tin’s first starring role after a few screen appearances and winning attention around Hollywood as a high-jumper. The talented German Shepherd Dog had been brought home from France as a puppy at the end of World War One by Lee Duncan, who trained him with the goal of getting him into motion pictures. This first major role proved Rin-Tin-Tin had what it took to star in his own films, captivate thousands of fans, and save the struggling Warner Bros. studio from bankruptcy.

In Where the North Begins Rin-Tin-Tin plays a dog raised by wolves in the Canadian north. When he encounters a man for the first time since his puppyhood, his bloodthirsty upbringing is tested against buried instincts to befriend and protect humans. When the wolves attack (all “wolves” in silent films are savage man-eaters) nature wins over nurture and Rin-Tin-Tin fights back, gaining the affection of a human and finding himself thrust into a man-made world more brutal than anything he has known in the wild.

This movie is profiled in detail in Wonder Dogs: 101 German Shepherd Dog Films (link in top right sidebar). 

Produced by Warner Bros.

Wolf Sighting!

The dreadfully dull second of the Twilight series, New Moon features much less animal footage than the first film did. Despite being almost devoid of real animals, there is a single scene in New Moon showing a living grey wolf. The wolf is part of a dream sequence, standing over the body of an actor, with blood on its muzzle. It was provided by Roland Sonnenburg and Lauren Henry, who also worked on the first film. To shoot the wolf scene, the actor and wolf were introduced to each other in advance, the area for filming was secured, and the minimum possible number of cast and crew were on set while the wolf was present. As an additional precaution, the wolf wore a waist tie that was removed in post-production.

All this for about one second of footage in the completed film.