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Watership Down (1978)
Director: Martin Rosen
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
All one can say about this animated feature is thank God for myxomatosis. The book is another matter: once you've got past fey footnotes explaining that rabbits can count up to five, Richard Adams presents a good solid story, ingeniously and effectively told from the rabbit's minuscule perspective. Had the original director John Hubley been allowed to persevere, maybe some of the virtues would have remained; but as rejigged by producer Martin Rosen, there is nothing. The 'camera' takes a conventionally objective viewpoint, perpetually rolling over rolling countryside, which effectively robs the plot of all its terror and tension. And the bunnies are a crudely drawn, charmless bunch, with the final nail provided by the soundtrack's famous voices, who help turn the film into a radio play.Author: GB
User reviews of this film
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- bolshy said...
- Posted on May 06 2012 12:34 This carping review entirely misses the heart of the film. This is a film for children which, unlike Disney, Pixar et al is prepared to portray the world as a savage, dark place. It is intensely moral, focussing on the temptations, and dangers of surrendering judgement and conscience to expediency. Having recently watched it again, this time as an adult, I can understand the comment above that the film has lost the book's gripping tension but it is perfectly pitched for robust pre-teens. I can personally attest to the tremendous impact that the film had on me - aged 8 - and a whole cinema of clearly affected children. By today's standards the animation is amateur, and the cutting involved in the transfer to the screen renders some of plot hard to follow, but its message shines brightly.
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Cast & crew
Director: Martin Rosen
Producer: Martin Rosen
Cast: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, Roy Kinnear, Denholm Elliott, Zero Mostel, Harry Andrews, Michael Hordern full cast
Genre(s): Children's
Duration: 92 mins
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