THE ADVENTURES OF
GREYFRIARS BOBBY
Year: 2005
UK: The Works UK Distribution
Cast: James Cosmo, Oliver Golding, Gina McKee, Sean Pertwee, Greg Wise, Ardal O'Hanlon, Christopher Lee, Thomas Lockyer, Ronald Pickup, Ian Richardson, Kirsty Mitchell, Suzanne Dance, Ron Donachie, Charles Donnelly, Lawrence Douglas, Tom Freeman, Frank Gilhooley, Martha Leishman, William MacBain, Joy McBrinn, Alex McSherry, Christie Mitchell, Andrew Townsley
Director: John Henderson
Country: UK
UK: 103 mins
UK Certificate: PG contains mild violence, threat and peril
UK Release Date: 10 February 2006
Synopsis
Following the death of his master, Constable John Gray, Bobby, a terrier, is entrusted to Ewan, a young man whom Gray had taken under his wing. Despite Bobby and Ewan's friendship, the terrier only ever wants to be beside his master's grave at Greyfriars churchyard in Edinburgh, which is very much against church rules. Mr Brown, the sexton, chases Bobby out of the graveyard every day but he always returns. Fortunately, Bobby soon endears himself to Mr Brown and Mr Lee, the minister, by catching rats in the graveyard: before long he is an important member of the community in Edinburgh's Old Town. Everyone knows Bobby and he keeps to a strict routine every day; catching rats, heading up to the castle to get lunch from the soldiers, and sleeping on Constable Gray's grave every night.
When Constable Gray's widow, Maureen, moves to Dunbar and takes Bobby with her Ewan is heartbroken. The little dog pines for his master and, realising how unhappy he is, Maureen sets him free. Bobby runs for miles, overcoming numerous obstacles, to get back to Edinburgh. Shortly after Bobby's return Ewan's tenement collapses, trapping the boy and killing his mother. Bobby rushes to the scene, finds Ewan in the rubble and alerts rescue workers who dig him out. The now-orphaned Ewan initially stays with Mr Brown, but the sexton can't afford to keep him for long and Ewan is sent to the workhouse. Mr Johnson, the local Charity Commissioner, chooses Ewan to work for him and makes the boy thoroughly miserable in the process. Once again, Bobby comes to the rescue and helps Ewan escape. With nowhere to go Bobby and Ewan head to see Sheena, a young girl who has become smitten with Ewan. When Sheena's parents see the state he is in they offer to take Ewan in.
Furious that Ewan has run away, Mr Johnson tells the dogcatcher that Bobby does not have one of the newly-introduced dog licences. Bobby is caught and taken to the pound. With the judge sitting in court and about to pronounce sentence it seems Bobby is about to be put down. Ewan runs to the Lord Provost, William Chambers, and begs him to save his dog. Desperately, Ewan explains that Chambers actually owns Bobby because, as Lord Provost, the Greyfriars churchyard comes under his jurisdiction. Chambers rushes to court to argue with the judge but Johnson points out that the Lord Provost has to guarantee that Bobby would never stray from Greyfriars.
This he cannot do and it seems that there is no law that can save this loyal dog. Then Ewan remembers a treasured history book Constable Gray left him that points out that important people can receive the freedom of the city. The Lord Provost duly grants Bobby the freedom of Edinburgh and he is saved. Bobby lives well into old age, rarely moving far from Constable Gray's grave.
