Studio: Shout! Studios
Release Date: February 14, 2023
Rating: Not Rated
Film: 3/5
Plot The timeless, unbreakable bond between a boy and his faithful dog is put to the ultimate test in 1930s Germany, in the heartwarming family drama
Shepherd: The Story of a Hero Dog. When the Nuremberg Laws are passed forbidding Jews to own pets, Kaleb, a German Shepherd, is separated from his Jewish family and his beloved 10-year-old master, Joshua (August Maturo). Kaleb is alone and on the streets – until he is captured and eventually adopted by an SS dog trainer (Ken Duken) at a Nazi work camp where the dog has now been trained to help round up and terrorize Jewish prisoners.
My ThoughtsI’m a sucker for films about animals and seeing how this was inspired by real events and was adapted from the critically-acclaimed novel “The Jewish Dog” by Asher Kravitz, I knew it was something I had to experience for myself. The film starts out showing the birth of the puppies and with Joshua quickly bonding to Kaleb. The first act shows an idyllic life for the family but the mood of the country is starting to change as antisemitism begins to take hold. Joshua’s father is doing his best to keep an upbeat attitude, but he doesn’t read the signs that it’s time to get out of Dodge.
As viewers, we see the writing on the walls and things aren’t going to end well for the family. While my wife and I enjoyed the film, it does have its flaws. It seems to cater to a younger audience and there are definitely scenes included to tug on your heartstrings. Our biggest gripe is the film ends rather abruptly and leaves the viewer hanging a bit. Sadly, the supplements have nothing to offer on the origin of the story in order to separate truth from fiction, but I guess that’s what the Internet is for.
Video 4/5 (AVC)
Audio 4/5 (TS-HD MA 5.1)
Conclusion Surprisingly this film was released four years ago and is just finding its way onto home video and it received a name change along the way. During its theatrical run it was referred to as
Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog. While not a great film, it does convey a good story, although the filmmaking process is a tad flawed and the script could have been further refined to delve deeper into the subject matter at hand. The presentation is quite good and the on-location shooting captures the time period of the film quite well. If you’re a sucker for animal films you may want to give this one a look, but don’t get your hopes up that it will blow you away.
Reference Review System: JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
SVS SB3000
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner