Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World |
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 • UK • 1973 • 88m •   • Directed by: Joseph McGrath. • Starring: Jim Dale, Spike Milligan, Angela Douglas, John Bluthal, Norman Rossington, Milo O'Shea, Richard Beaumont, Dinsdale Landen, Garfield Morgan, Victor Spinetti, Harry Towb, Kenneth J. Warren, Bob Todd. • Music by: Edwin Astley.   Before his adventure begins, Digby is given to Bill by a friendly vet, but as Bill's grandfather doesn't like to have an English sheepdog in his house, Bill is forced to give him away. He gives Digby to a guy who works in a defense lab that experiments with animals and plants for space travel. A growth-boosting chemical is made in the lab, and the animal trainer steals some to boost his own tomato crop. Accidentally, the dog is fed some and, as a result, is growing all the time; eventually, he's the size of an ocean liner. As weird animals are attractions, Digby is stolen by two well-dressed hoods and sold to a circus, from which Digby escapes, hunted by the military, both Army and Air Force!
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Review:
Very much a cult family classic of the 70's this is better when remembered instead of watched. We all remember it as a great film when we talk about it in a pub 20 years on, but it isn't really that good. The story itself is not inspiring and is a rather easy story. What makes it better is that the director has made some nice set pieces and adult jokes in the mix. He also fashions it as a sort of King Kong spoof making it cine-literate sort of! But when the chips come down it a lame story held up by distracting laughs.
The direction is OK but the effects are bad even by 1970's standards. The back project is awful and the use of people dressing in big dog (horse) costumes doesn't work at all. It's a minor complaint because the film avoids putting Digby and humans in the same shot preferring to use the real dog and small furniture instead.
The cast are good value. Jim Dale (with Carry On partner Angela Douglas) is always good and clowns well here. The support cast comprise many many well known faces from 1970's TV but I have one major let down. One of the UK's best and most influential comedians - Spike Milligan is in this film. He's sadly dead now, but he was a genius that sometimes was years ahead of his audience. Here he has some nice touches but he is not allowed to adlib very much and he has very little screen time. I felt that if you had Spike in a film and he was funny that you would edit it to give him as much time as possible it's a bit of a waste.
Overall this has some funny moments but is nothing more than a kids movie with bad effects. If you have fond memories of this as a child then don't watch it you'll only sully your memory.
Review by bob the moo from the Internet Movie Database.
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