Of Mice and Men (1992)

There are scenes at the beginning of the film and then toward the end of the film involving men on horseback and tracking dogs. These were basically simple scenes involving the riders moving from A to B for various distances. In all scenes the area to be covered was examined prior to filming and any obstacles such as rocks were removed from the horses’ paths. For the dog’s action, trainer number 1 would release the dog who would respond to a second trainer giving the command to cross in front of the camera to the designated area. In an early scene, George takes a dead mouse from Lennie. Lennie had kept the mouse, but because he petted it too hard, he unwittingly killed it. George throws it into a field as they walk along a rural road. A fake mouse was used for this scene. There is a very memorable and poignant scene involving an old farmhand and his equally ancient dog. The other farmhands who share the bunkhouse complain about the odor from the old dog. They insist upon taking the dog out to be shot which the old farmhand sadly agrees to. The dog used in this scene was not old but a three-year-old dog that had a non-toxic make-up applied to his coat to make him appear older. The scene where the dog is shot is performed off camera, but the pain of it is felt through the skillful performance of the actor portraying the elderly farmhand. Another memorable scene involves a tiny puppy that Lennie has adopted. The puppy is seen at various times usually being held and petted by Lennie. However, not knowing his own strength, Lennie accidently kills the tiny puppy. The act is not seen but a heartbroken Lennie holds the dead puppy saying, “Why did you get killed?” A fake puppet was used to portray the dead puppy. Farm animals are seen mostly as atmosphere in various scenes; horses are pulling wagons or plows, a mule is walked across a barnyard, chickens and a pigeon in a barn further enhance the ranch atmosphere.