"Lady and the Tramp" opens with the following quotation: "In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money can not buy
to wit" And no, for once it's not about love we're talking, the 'one thing' that is so priceless, is simply 'the wag of a dog's tail'. And if you happen to disagree with that statement, watching "Lady and the Tramp" is the most likely experience to prove you wrong, for there is probably nothing more sincere than the secular relationship between man and his best friend: dog.
But "Lady and the Tramp" is definitely not a human-centered movie; it mostly focuses on the relationships within the dog's world, starting with the iconic romance between Lady, the sweet and timid Cocker spaniel and the Tramp, the free-spirited and happy-go-lucky stray mutt. What's so fascinating in "Lady and the Tramp" is that it transplants all the characteristics of the human world, such as class barriers, love, intolerance or ethnic differences, into the animal world. Still, the only reason we don't end up believing that animals behave like humans is because humans remain present nonetheless, and dogs are either depicted as helpers or victims of humans.
The story opens with Lady, a cute little puppy offered as a Christmas gift to 'Darling' by her husband Jim 'Dear'. The owners' names, besides the fact that their faces are rarely shown, accentuate the impression that we're watching the film from the dogs' perspectives, and in Lady's case, she's such a significant part of the family that she refers to her Masters by using their endearments. The film starts by showing Lady acting like a real dog through the irresistible silent sequence where she tries to get herself in her masters' bed, pushing the door, howling in despair, before finally triumphing over the stairs, and getting in the bed for just 'one' night, which the subsequent ellipse cleverly contradicts.
Lady is then 1-year old, she got a new expensive collar she proudly shows to her two neighbors and friends, Jock, a Scottish terrier with a fitting accent, and Trusty, an old bloodhound, who lost his sense of smell. Rather than obligatory supporting characters, Jock and Trusty are treated with depth and substance, behaving with a honorable protective instinct toward their young neighbor. Meanwhile, we also meet the Tramp, who starts behaving like a dog, begging for scraps from his old friend the restaurant owner Tony and then releasing two friends from the dog pound's truck. "Lady and the Tramp" is the cohabitation between two universes, dogs from human perspective and vice versa.
This device leads to the fundamental basis that would drive the whole film's narrative: misunderstanding. Lady fears she's coldly treated by her owners because she did something wrong, she's finally comforted by Jock and Trusty who understand that the owners are simply waiting for a baby. Tramp makes his entrance, preparing Lady for the worse: "when the baby moves in, the dog moves out" but after a fantastic pregnancy-montage, Lady finally grows fond of the baby and understands she still has a place in the family. Sadly, the second misunderstanding causes the annoying Aunt Sarah to believe that Lady, who just clashed with her trouble-making Siamese cats, is a threat for the baby, and buy her a muzzle.
It's a sad thing that only a human with a capability to love dogs can understand the meaning of a dog's bark. But it's much worse for Tramp who's treated like a dangerous animal, while only a dog's perspective can show his true nature, gentle and sensitive. Ironically, when at the end, Trusty and Jock understood that Tramp never meant harm; Jock says "we mistreated him", as if they were so alienated by their human upbringing they became as flawed and prejudiced as men. Then the two dogs, draining their force and courage from their ancestral instincts, decides to save one of their own, for one of the film's most dramatic moments, characterized by Trusty's poignant howl.
And Jock and Trusty's realization are ours, too. The dog pound is probably one of the most upsetting and disturbing scenes ever, featuring little puppies, howling and weeping dogs behind fences, this sequence alone shows the true measure of human cruelty, in contrast with dog's most defining quality: fidelity and capability for love. And this love, whether for human, babies or dogs, originates one of the most romantic, if not the most, love story in Disney's or Cinema's history, reaching a paroxysm during the iconic Spaghetti-scene. This scene is probably one of Disney's greatest moments and magnificently sums up the film's, not that dogs can behave like humans, but that they can reveal the best of our own humanity.
"Lady and the Tramp" is one of the most endearing Disney classics, hitting a sensitive in any human heart, a film that would inspire to any child the urge to have a dog, and to share with him this genuine complicity. And after watching the film again, after 20 years, I realize how particularly adult and mature it is. It doesn't have a memorable villain, although the rat is pretty terrifying, it doesn't have much of a plot, but rather deals with very sensitive matters such as pregnancy, parenthood, and even some subtle issues you wouldn't find in other Disney movies. And I guess it's mostly due to the fact that the film was based on an original screenplay, deprived from any fairy-tale material, that allowed the writers to make a film, appealing for children, but quite thought-provoking for an adult audience.
The film is dedicated to all dogs, "be they Ladies or Tramps" and in a way, it's an encouragement for us, humans, to realize that humanity doesn't only apply for our relationships and communication with humans, and maybe the wag of dog's tail is the closest expression of 'humanity' a dog would ever show.
But "Lady and the Tramp" is definitely not a human-centered movie; it mostly focuses on the relationships within the dog's world, starting with the iconic romance between Lady, the sweet and timid Cocker spaniel and the Tramp, the free-spirited and happy-go-lucky stray mutt. What's so fascinating in "Lady and the Tramp" is that it transplants all the characteristics of the human world, such as class barriers, love, intolerance or ethnic differences, into the animal world. Still, the only reason we don't end up believing that animals behave like humans is because humans remain present nonetheless, and dogs are either depicted as helpers or victims of humans.
The story opens with Lady, a cute little puppy offered as a Christmas gift to 'Darling' by her husband Jim 'Dear'. The owners' names, besides the fact that their faces are rarely shown, accentuate the impression that we're watching the film from the dogs' perspectives, and in Lady's case, she's such a significant part of the family that she refers to her Masters by using their endearments. The film starts by showing Lady acting like a real dog through the irresistible silent sequence where she tries to get herself in her masters' bed, pushing the door, howling in despair, before finally triumphing over the stairs, and getting in the bed for just 'one' night, which the subsequent ellipse cleverly contradicts.
Lady is then 1-year old, she got a new expensive collar she proudly shows to her two neighbors and friends, Jock, a Scottish terrier with a fitting accent, and Trusty, an old bloodhound, who lost his sense of smell. Rather than obligatory supporting characters, Jock and Trusty are treated with depth and substance, behaving with a honorable protective instinct toward their young neighbor. Meanwhile, we also meet the Tramp, who starts behaving like a dog, begging for scraps from his old friend the restaurant owner Tony and then releasing two friends from the dog pound's truck. "Lady and the Tramp" is the cohabitation between two universes, dogs from human perspective and vice versa.
This device leads to the fundamental basis that would drive the whole film's narrative: misunderstanding. Lady fears she's coldly treated by her owners because she did something wrong, she's finally comforted by Jock and Trusty who understand that the owners are simply waiting for a baby. Tramp makes his entrance, preparing Lady for the worse: "when the baby moves in, the dog moves out" but after a fantastic pregnancy-montage, Lady finally grows fond of the baby and understands she still has a place in the family. Sadly, the second misunderstanding causes the annoying Aunt Sarah to believe that Lady, who just clashed with her trouble-making Siamese cats, is a threat for the baby, and buy her a muzzle.
It's a sad thing that only a human with a capability to love dogs can understand the meaning of a dog's bark. But it's much worse for Tramp who's treated like a dangerous animal, while only a dog's perspective can show his true nature, gentle and sensitive. Ironically, when at the end, Trusty and Jock understood that Tramp never meant harm; Jock says "we mistreated him", as if they were so alienated by their human upbringing they became as flawed and prejudiced as men. Then the two dogs, draining their force and courage from their ancestral instincts, decides to save one of their own, for one of the film's most dramatic moments, characterized by Trusty's poignant howl.
And Jock and Trusty's realization are ours, too. The dog pound is probably one of the most upsetting and disturbing scenes ever, featuring little puppies, howling and weeping dogs behind fences, this sequence alone shows the true measure of human cruelty, in contrast with dog's most defining quality: fidelity and capability for love. And this love, whether for human, babies or dogs, originates one of the most romantic, if not the most, love story in Disney's or Cinema's history, reaching a paroxysm during the iconic Spaghetti-scene. This scene is probably one of Disney's greatest moments and magnificently sums up the film's, not that dogs can behave like humans, but that they can reveal the best of our own humanity.
"Lady and the Tramp" is one of the most endearing Disney classics, hitting a sensitive in any human heart, a film that would inspire to any child the urge to have a dog, and to share with him this genuine complicity. And after watching the film again, after 20 years, I realize how particularly adult and mature it is. It doesn't have a memorable villain, although the rat is pretty terrifying, it doesn't have much of a plot, but rather deals with very sensitive matters such as pregnancy, parenthood, and even some subtle issues you wouldn't find in other Disney movies. And I guess it's mostly due to the fact that the film was based on an original screenplay, deprived from any fairy-tale material, that allowed the writers to make a film, appealing for children, but quite thought-provoking for an adult audience.
The film is dedicated to all dogs, "be they Ladies or Tramps" and in a way, it's an encouragement for us, humans, to realize that humanity doesn't only apply for our relationships and communication with humans, and maybe the wag of dog's tail is the closest expression of 'humanity' a dog would ever show.