The Three Lives of Thomasina

The Three Lives of Thomasina is a 1964 British-American Disney fantasy feature film starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, and child actress Karen Dotrice in a story about a cat and her influence on a family. The screenplay was written by Robert Westerby and Paul Gallico and was based upon Gallico's 1957 novel Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God. The film was directed by Don Chaffey, and shot in Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland, and Pinewood Studios, England. Thomasina has been broadcast on television and released to VHS and DVD.

Plot
Set in the town of Inveranoch, Scotland in 1912, the story centers around Andrew MacDhui (Patrick McGoohan) a coldly-scientific, atheist veterinarian, his seven year old daughter Mary (Karen Dotrice), and her cat Thomasina (voiced by Elspeth March). Thomasina the cat narrates the movie. (Thomasina was originally called "Thomas" by her adoptive family. She explains that they amended her name "after they . . . um . . . got to know me better.")

MacDhui is a widower. His wife's death killed his belief in God, as well as his empathy for others. He has little sympathy for people's pets, preferring "useful" animals such as hard-working farm beasts and the blind man Tammas' dog, Bruce.

One night Thomasina is chased by dogs in the marketplace and falls off some boxes sustaining an injury. Mary and her friends find her the following day. Meanwhile MacDhui is operating on Bruce (who was struck by a car). He is interrupted during the surgery by his daughter begging him to help her cat. He sees that Thomasina's muscles are stiff and diagnoses tetanus.

Although tetanus is treatable and even if untreated is fatal only 73% of the time [1]), MacDhui, as with other pets brought to him in similar situations, considers it easier to simply have the cat euthanized. He orders his assistant Willie Bannock (Wilfrid Brambell) to put Thomasina to sleep.

Mary is completely shattered by Thomasina's death, and loses faith in her father, who had promised to save her cat. She turns emotionally cold to MacDhui and declares her father dead, refusing to speak to or look at him.

Meanwhile, Thomasina goes to "cat heaven" in a surrealistic scene where cats who have used all of their nine lives are transformed into Siamese and live with the Egyptian cat-god Bast for eternity. But Thomasina has only lived once, and is returned to her body alive but in a coma.

Mary and her playmates Hughie Stirling (Vincent Winter), and Jamie and Geordie McNab (Denis Gilmore and Matthew Garber) and other friends give Thomasina a funeral. They take her out to the glen beyond the town, but are (unintentionally) frightened away by "Mad Lori" MacGregor (Susan Hampshire), a beautiful and kindhearted young woman who lives in the glen and was attracted by the children's singing and bagpipe playing. The children believe she is a witch, one reason being that she seems to have a magic power to calm and cure animals. Lori brings Thomasina back to her makeshift animal hospital, but although the cat recovers she has no memory of her "First Life" with Mary. Thus begins her second life.

Lori doesn't have the surgical skill needed to repair a wounded badger she finds in a trap, and she asks God to give her help. Immediately after that, MacDhui comes to give her a piece of his mind because the children have told the townspeople to boycott his practice and to bring their pets to her instead. But that is forgotten as he treats the animal's wound while Lori watches in amazement.

Lori (and later, MacDhui) realizes that they each have half of what is needed to treat sick animals. He has the science and surgery, and she has the power of love. They start to bond emotionally when they fight gypsies who have been treating their animals cruelly.

Meanwhile, Thomasina's memory is slowly returning. She realizes she misses something very important, but she doesn't know what. She does remember the way back home, but doesn't recognize Mary, who chases her into a rainstorm. Thomasina returns to the safety of Lori's cabin in the woods, but Mary contracts pneumonia after MacDhui finds her lying in the street in the rain.

MacDhui prays for the first time in four years that God will somehow cure his daughter. Off in the glen, a lightning bolt (which may be a miracle from God) strikes a tree next to Thomasina and her memory is suddenly restored. Lori comes to the house, as does Thomasina, who is the only one able to save Mary as she has lost the will to live. However the cat sees MacDhui (who had her killed) and refuses to enter through the window despite MacDhui's pleas.

At this point, Thomasina realizes that she could get revenge on MacDhui by not entering, but (she tells us as the narrator), Lori's love has changed her, and she no longer desires revenge.

MacDhui places Thomasina in Mary's arms, thereby restoring Thomasina to Mary, Mary's life, and Mary's love for her father.

Lori's love has changed MacDhui too, and they get married, making the perfect veterinary team. Thomasina now begins her "Third Life" with all of them together.

Cast

 * Patrick McGoohan - Dr Andrew MacDhui
 * Susan Hampshire - Lori MacGregor
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Karen Dotrice Nalle - Mary MacDhui
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Laurence Naismith - Reverend Angus Peddie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Jean Anderson - Mrs MacKenzie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Wilfrid Brambell - Willie Bannock
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Finlay Currie - Grandpa Stirling
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Vincent Winter - Hughie Stirling
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Denis Gilmore - Jamie McNab
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Ewan Roberts - Constable McQuarrie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Oliver Johnston - Mr Dobbie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Francis DeWolff - Targu
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Charles Carson - Doctor
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Nora Nicholson - Old Lady
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Jack Stewart - Birnie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Matthew Garber - Geordie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Thomasina - Herself--the Cat
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Elspeth March - of Thomasina
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Patrick McGoohan - Andrew MacDhui
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Susan Hampshire - Lori MacGregor
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Karen Dotrice - Mary MacDhui
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Vincent Winter - Hughie Stirling
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Denis Gilmore - Jamie McNab
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Laurence Naismith - Rev. Angus Peddie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Finlay Currie - Hughie's grandfather
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Wilfrid Brambell - Willie Bannock
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Jean Anderson - Mrs. MacKenzie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Francis de Wolff - Targu
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Ewan Roberts - Constable McQuarrie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Oliver Johnston - Mr. Dobbie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Matthew Garber - Geordie
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Elspeth March - Thomasina
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Nora Nicholson - Old Lady
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Charles Carson - Doctor

Production Credits

 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Director - Don Chaffey
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Screenplay - Robert Westerby
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Book as Source Material - Paul Gallico
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Producer - Walt Disney
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">2nd Unit Director - Gordon Stone
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Associate Producer - Hugh Attwooll
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Unit Manager - Basil Appleby
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Production Manager - Peter Manley
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Assistant Director - Dennis Bertera
 * <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Assistant Director - Terry Churcher