In 1872, British born writer Marie-Louise de la Ramée (nom de plume Ouida, 1837-1908), who from age 29 until her death lived in her adopted country of Italy, published a book for children entitled A Dog of Flanders. While highly regarded at the time it was published, it was not until its translation into Japanese in 1908 that the tale of a young boy and his friendship with his dog gained international acclaim. Six years later, the first screenversion of the tale was filmed and since then, the classic story has been told on the motion picture screen three times (in 1924-called "Boy of Flanders"-and in 1935 and 1959); there was also a German mini-series that aired in 1976 and recently, an animated version was made in Japan.

Director and screenwriter Kevin Brodie always cherished the story and decided to re-work the tale for filming in the late 90s, with Brodie himself directing the project. Production began in April 1998.

Brodie comments, "The versions of 'Flanders' came before were all good in their way. But this story covers more than the physical telling of the tale. There are spiritual and religious issues at work that weren't as fully explored as they could have been. We're living in a time when the world is ready to embrace divergent systems of beliefs-we're, all of us, looking for spiritual ideals that are universal. Love, art, redemption. And they're all there in this story written more than a century ago. That's why I wanted to make a definitive motion picture version of this story."

The film was to be shot entirely in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, with various authentic Flemish historical sites and surrounding picturesque countryside serving as sets and backdrops to Brodie's retelling of Ouida's timeless story.

Veteran producer Frank Yablans was enthusiastic about his role as producer and honorary patriarch on the set. He commented, "This is, in the best and truest sense of the word, a family picture, a time-honored story that appeals to a wide range of moviegoers. I just felt that it would be a great project to produce, and it was a privilege to film in the Flanders district. This story is ingrained in the landscape, in its people and their history. There is a palpable sense of time and place here that makes 'A Dog of Flanders' distinctive, classic and timeless."

Production first set down in the ancient city of Mechelen, which is located halfway between Belgium's largest cities of Brussels and Antwerp. Interior shooting took place in the famous Rombouts Cathedral-the hallowed ground where Nello seeks to view the painting by the master Rubens and ultimately, finds redemption. The international crew led by Americans included technicians, craftsmen and artisans from such countries as Israel, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Director Brodie brought a long-standing family tradition to filming, himself being a former child star and the son of character actor Steve Brodie, who appeared in more than 200 television projects and feature films before his death at age 73.

Crucial to the story of Nello is his deeply felt respect for fellow countryman and painter Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens' masterwork, The Taking Down of Christ, hangs in the cathedral of Nello's village and becomes an elusive inspiration for the young man attempting to become a painter. In order to protect and preserve Ruben's original, the painting (which is housed in the Koninklijk Museum in Antwerp) was scrupulously copied and hung in Rombouts Cathedral.

Like Michel La Grande, the artist he portrays, Jon Voight (himself a painter) stood in awe of Rubens. He commented, "When Nello asks my character, Michel, if he is a great artist, I reply that I strive for greatness, but I probably fall short. I say that Rubens' talent is like an eternal flame, and my talent…well, I have to be satisfied with the occasional flicker. That's a nice way to put it. Rubens was a Titanic-he was a great philosopher and politician in addition to being the accomplished artist that he was."

The next location for cast and crew was Bruges, one of Europe's most impressive historical cities with its canals and small medieval houses. Bruges perfectly preserved structures provide a look at an ancient Flemish village and has been used by numerous filmmakers such as Fred Zinnemann (who shot the 1959 Audrey Hepburn classic, "The Nun's Story," there).

Nearby locations in the tiny village of Damme were also utilized, most notably a small cemetery with headstones dating back to the 14th century. While filming an emotional scene in the cemetery between Nello and his grandfather, crew members had to coordinate traffic flow on the one major road nearby. To silence the cows that had taken residence along a neighboring fence, assistants fed the animals bread from craft services.

It was in between takes while filming in Damme that stars Jack Warden and Jon Voight got the chance to share time and reminisce about another family film (albeit American in origin) in which they had both starred-Zeffirelli's remake of "The Champ." In addition to the Oscar-winning Voight and lauded character actor Warden, filmmakers had filled roles with a wide range of accomplished actors, including Cheryl Ladd, young actors Jeremy James Kissner and Jesse James (who portray Nello), Steven Hartley and Bruce McGill.

Popular television and motion picture actress Ladd took the story of Nello to heart. She offered, "'A Dog of Flanders' is so much more than a story about a boy and his remarkable pet. It's really about the value of human life and the God who lives in us through art and music."

To fill the role of Patrasche, Nello's Bouvier des Flanders, filmmakers turned to studio animal trainer Cindy James Cullen, who used three different Bouviers. (The breed now known as Bouvier des Flanders originated in the Flemish monasteries of the Middle Ages, with the line evolving into the 1800's, where they were utilized by farmers in the regions of East and West Flanders. Two different types of the dog, one smaller than the other, eventually developed into the Bouvier Belge des Flandres, recognized in 1910 by the Societe Royale St. Hubert, Belgium's national kennel club. The breed's name officially became Bouvier des Flanders in 1933.)

Following shooting in Bruges, the production moved to Veurne for filming exterior shots in the town's colorful town square. While a beautiful relic of times gone by, the square was not designed by medieval architects with camera angles in mind; to make the picturesque square a little more camera-ready, some of the facades were rebuilt.

Filming then moved approximately 100 miles east, to the spacious open-air museum in Bokrijk. The museum, which served as "A Dog of Flanders"' location for three weeks of filming, is actually a collection of historic houses and buildings that have been removed from all over the country and reassembled in this concentrated area. The structuress, which are meticulously maintained, are visited by thousands of tourists yearly, who are led on tours by retired coal miners from the area. (The once highly-productive mines have been shuttered for some time.) Cast and crew were housed in the nearby town of Genk.

Because of the richness of the historic structures, hardly any renovation was necessary for filming in Bokrijk. The only exception was the construction of the Cogez family barn, which burns in the course of the story and for which Nello is wrongly blamed. The barn fire (filmed at night) provided the most impressive action sequence of the shoot, which called for Genk's fire brigade of approximately 20 men to remain on standby with several fire engines ready to protect the priceless ancient houses surrounding the specially built set; Genk's best were not needed as the carefully controlled blaze was ignited, filmed and extinguished without mishap.

Another eventful night of shooting took place at Bokrijk's 17th century (and fully functioning) windmill. The mill and surrounding fields were blanketed in a dusting of artificial snow (which was augmented with more natural snow as the evening progressed), and the scenes were shot in a filmmakers' winter landscape in the middle of a heat wave in mid-May.

With the majority of filming done (all exteriors completed, with some interior work remaining), a downsized crew moved to the sound stages of MG Studio in Brussells, where several scenes between Nello and Jehan were shot. The studio is a former electric company that was later transformed into a fully-functioning studio facility. (The facility has been used to shoot numerous television commercials, as well as Jaco Van Mormael's award-winning Belgian film "le Huitième jour.") Following the "martini shot" (or last shot of the film), post-production was completed in Vancouver.

Woodbridge Films Presents A Film by Kevin Brodie: Jack Warden, Jeremy James Kissner, Jesse James as Young Nello, and Jon Voight as Michel in "A Dog of Flanders," starring Cheryl Ladd, Steven Hartley and Bruce McGill. The costume designer is Beatrix Aruna Pasztor. The music is by Richard Friedman. The film is edited by Annamaria Szanto; the production designers are Hubert Pouille and Attila F. Kovacs; the director of photography is Walther van den Ende. The executive producer is Mark Damon; the executive producers are Martin J. Barab and Larry Mortorff. The line producer is Rony Yacov. The screenplay is by Kevin Brodie and Robert Singer. "A Dog of Flanders" is produced by Frank Yablans and directed by Kevin Brodie. Distributed by Warner Bros., A Time Warner Entertainment Company.