Watership Down (film)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2014) |
Watership Down | |
---|---|
Directed by | Martin Rosen John Hubley (uncredited) |
Screenplay by | Martin Rosen |
Produced by | Martin Rosen |
Starring | John Hurt Richard Briers Michael Graham Cox Simon Cadell Harry Andrews Zero Mostel |
Narrated by | Michael Hordern |
Edited by | Terry Rawlings |
Music by | Angela Morley Malcolm Williamson |
Production company | |
Distributed by | CIC (UK) Avco Embassy Pictures (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $4.8 million[1] |
Box office | $3,713,768 (US)[2] |
Watership Down is a 1978 British animated adventure drama film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions. Originally released on 19 October 1978, the film was an immediate success and it became the sixth most popular film of 1979 at the British box office.[3] It was the first animated feature film to be presented in Dolby surround sound.
It featured the voices of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Harry Andrews, Simon Cadell, Nigel Hawthorne, and Roy Kinnear, among others, and was the last film appearance of Zero Mostel, as the voice of Kehaar the gull. The musical score was by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson. Art Garfunkel's hit single "Bright Eyes", which was written by songwriter Mike Batt, briefly features.
Plot
According to Adams' lapine culture and mythology, the world was created by the god Frith, who represents the Sun. All animals lived harmoniously, but the rabbits eventually multiplied, and their appetite led to a food shortage. At the prayers of the desperate animals, Frith warned the rabbit prince El-ahrairah to control his people, but was scoffed at. In retaliation, Frith gave special gifts to every animal, but some animals he made predators to prey upon the rabbits. Satisfied that El-ahrairah ("Prince with a Thousand Enemies") had learned his lesson, Frith also gave the rabbits speed and cunning; while many would seek to kill them, the rabbits could survive by their wits and quickness.
In the present, in the English countryside of Sandleford, Fiver, a rabbit seer has an apocalyptic vision and goes with his older brother Hazel to beg the chief to have the warren evacuated, but they are dismissed and attempt to make an exodus themselves. The group meets resistance from the warren's police force called the Owsla, but eight manage to fight and escape: Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, Blackberry, Pipkin, Dandelion, Silver and Violet. They travel through the dangerous woods and make it to a bean field to rest. In the morning, Violet is killed by a hawk, leaving the group without a female.
After several dangerous situations, they meet the enigmatic rabbit Cowslip, who invites them to his warren. They are grateful, but Fiver senses something unsettling in the atmosphere, as well as the resident rabbits' overly resigned attitudes, and leaves. An irked Bigwig follows, and chastises Fiver for supposedly causing senseless tension with his instincts. Moments later, however, he is caught in a snare trap. Fiver attempts to get help from their hosts, but is ignored. Bigwig is freed after nearly dying. As Fiver reveals, the warren is fed by a farmer who snares rabbits in return for his food and protection from predators. After Bigwig's narrow escape, the other rabbits willingly follow Fiver's and Hazel's advice and set out once more.
The rabbits discover Nuthanger farm, which contains a hutch of female rabbits, necessary for a new warren. However, they do not manage to free them, on account of the territorial farm animals. They find the injured Owsla captain Holly, who recounts the destruction of Sandleford by humans, and a mysterious group called the "Efrafrans" before falling unconscious. Fiver finally leads the group to the hill he envisioned, Watership Down, where the rabbits settle.
They settle in, developing their own warren, with Hazel as chief. They befriend an acerbic injured seagull, Kehaar, who offers to survey the local area for does. The rabbits return to Nuthanger to free the does; Hazel is shot by a farmhand and presumed dead, but Fiver has a vision and follows the apparition of the Black Rabbit of Inlé (a rabbit version of the Grim Reaper) to his injured brother. Kehaar returns and while removing buckshot pellets from Hazel's leg, reports of Efrafa, a large warren with many females. Holly, who encountered Efrafa, begs them not to go there, describing it as a totalitarian state, run by vicious and heavily territorial rabbits. Hazel feels they have no choice but to go there. Bigwig infiltrates the colony and is made an Owsla officer by the cruel chief, General Woundwort. Bigwig recruits several potential escapees to his cause, including Hyzenthlay, an idealistic doe and Blackavar, a scarred attempted escapee. They flee, with Woundwort and his Owsla in pursuit. Using a boat to float down the river, they evade capture, helped by Kehaar. That night, Kehaar leaves for his homeland, with the gratitude of the warren.
Several days later, Efrafan trackers discover their trail and follow them to Watership Down. Hazel offers a treaty with Woundwort, who dismisses Hazel, telling him to turn over Bigwig and the other deserters or he will kill the entire warren. The Watership rabbits barricade their warren and are besieged by the Efrafans. Fiver slips into a trance, in which he envisions a dog loose in the woods. His moans inspire Hazel to free the dog from Nuthanger and lead him to the warren to intervene. He escapes with Blackberry, Dandelion and Hyzenthlay.
Hazel prays to Frith, offering his life for that of those in the warren, a bargain Frith acknowledges, but does not accept, as the outcome is ultimately up to Hazel. Hazel frees the dog while his companions bait it into following them to Watership Down; Hazel is attacked by the cat, but saved by Lucy (the owner of the hutch rabbits). When the Efrafans break through the warren's defences, Woundwort leads the attack. Blackavar confronts Woundwort, but is overpowered and killed. Bigwig ambushes Woundwort and they fight to exhaustion. The dog arrives and kills many of the Efrafan soldiers. Hearing the commotion, Woundwort abandons Bigwig and fearlessly confronts the dog. No trace of Woundwort is found, leaving his fate ambiguous.
Years later, the warren is thriving. An elderly Hazel is visited by the Black Rabbit Of Inlé, who invites him to "join his Owsla", assuring him of Watership Down's perpetual safety. Reassured, Hazel accepts and dies peacefully. Hazel's spirit follows the Black Rabbit Of Inlé through the woodland and trees towards the Sun, which metamorphoses into Frith, and the afterlife.
Cast
Hazel | John Hurt |
Fiver | Richard Briers |
Bigwig | Michael Graham Cox |
Holly | John Bennett |
Threarah | Ralph Richardson |
Blackberry | Simon Cadell |
Pipkin | Roy Kinnear |
Silver | Terence Rigby |
Dandelion | Richard O'Callaghan |
Cowslip | Denholm Elliott |
Kehaar | Zero Mostel |
Woundwort | Harry Andrews |
Hyzenthlay | Hannah Gordon |
Campion | Nigel Hawthorne |
Cat | Lynn Farleigh |
Blackavar | Clifton Jones |
Vervain | Derek Griffiths |
Frith | Michael Hordern |
Black Rabbit | Joss Ackland |
Production
The film was originally to be directed by John Hubley, who died in 1977. His work can still be found in the film, most notably in the "fable" scene. He was replaced by the film's producer Martin Rosen, his directorial debut.
After the genesis story rendered in a narrated simple cartoon fashion, the animation style changes to a detailed, naturalist one, with concessions to render the animals anthropomorphic only to suggest they have human voices and minds, some facial expressions for emotion and paw gestures. The animation backgrounds are watercolours. Only one of the predators, the farm cat, Tab, is given a few lines, the rest remaining mute.
The backgrounds and locations, especially Efrafa and the nearby railway, are based to the diagrams and maps in Richard Adams's book. Most of the locations in this movie either exist or were based on real spots in Hampshire and surrounding areas.
Although the film was fairly faithful to the novel, several changes were made to the storyline, mainly to decrease overdetailed complexity and improve pace and flow of the plot. In addition, the order in which some events occur is re-arranged. Unlike many animated features, the film faithfully emulated the dark and violent sophistication of the book. As a result, many reviewers took to warning parents that children might find the content disturbing. When the film was first submitted to the British Board of Film Classification, the BBFC passed the film with a 'U' certificate (suitable for all ages), deciding that "whilst the film may move children emotionally during the film's duration, it could not seriously trouble them once the spell of the story is broken and a 'U' certificate was therefore quite appropriate".[4] However in 2012, the BBFC admitted that it had "received complaints about the suitability of Watership Down at U almost every year since its classification".[5]
This attitude extended to when the animated Watership Down TV series was marketed with the producers making an effort to reassure parents that the violence was softened and that the main characters would not be permanently harmed in their adventures. Though the third season took a slightly more darker tone to try and attract more of an audience, though because of the darker tone, that season was never aired.
Some marketers in the U.S. were also worried that the main promotional poster (see above) appeared too dark and might scare some children. The poster is actually showing Bigwig in a snare (his distinctive fur is clearly visible), and the image on the poster does not appear in the film, which has a far bloodier depiction of the scene.
Music
The musical score was by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson, Morley replacing Williamson after the composer had fallen behind and only composed the prelude and main title theme in sketch form.[6] A list of the musical cues for the film can be found on the composer's website, which also gives information about the different composers working on the project.[7]
The soundtrack included Art Garfunkel's British No. 1 hit, "Bright Eyes", which was written by the British singer and songwriter Mike Batt.
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2014) |
The film was an immediate success at the UK box office and has received a generally positive critical reception, with an 80% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a rating of 67% from select critics.[8] The film was nominated for Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1979. In 2004, the magazine Total Film named Watership Down the 47th greatest British film of all time and it was also ranked 15th in the "100 Greatest Tearjerkers".
Investors in the film reportedly received a return of 5,000% on their investment.[9]
Despite its success at the UK box office, the film underperformed at the US box office, earning only US$3 million against a budget of $4 million.
Media
Picture book
A picture book of the animated film was also produced, titled The Watership Down Film Picture Book. Two editions of the book were published, one a hard-cover, the other a reinforced cloth-bound edition. The contents include stills from the film linked with a combination of narration and extracts from the script, as well as a preface written by Richard Adams and a foreword written by Martin Rosen.[citation needed]
Home releases
- Watership Down (region 1, USA, currently out of print) (2002)
- Watership Down 25th Anniversary Edition (region 4, Australia) (2003) (Big Sky Video)
- Watership Down (Australia, 2005, Umbrella Entertainment)
- Watership Down Deluxe Edition (region 1, USA) (7 October 2008)
- Watership Down The Criterion Collection (region 1, USA) (24 February 2015)[10]
Watership Down was originally scheduled to be released on Blu-ray in the UK in October 2010 but this release was postponed for reasons unknown. The Blu-ray release, however, was released in Germany. The UK release was eventually released on 28 October 2013, not by Warner Home Video, but by its original domestic rights holder, Universal Pictures, with a higher quality restoration and a 1.78:1 widescreen presentation.[11]
International distribution
- Theatrical
- UK: Cinema International Corporation
- Australia: Filmways Australasian Company
- US: Avco Embassy Pictures, later by Warner Bros. via Warner Animation Group
- Netherlands: Concorde Film
- Finland: Suomi-Filmi
- Video/DVD
- UK: Video Collection International (1986)/Guild Home Video (1987)/PolyGram Video (1990s)/Warner Home Video (2000s)/Universal Pictures (2013–present)
- USA/internationally: Warner Home Video (1983–present)
- Finland: Finn Innovation Products (1995) / Future Film Ltd (2005)
- Australia: CIC Video (1980s-1999)/Roadshow Home Video (1999–2000)/Blue Sky Video (2005)
The film has also been dubbed in Japanese.[12][13]
TV series
Almost twenty years later a TV series with the same title Watership Down was created. It has thirty-nine episodes and was loosely based on the events of the film, albeit the storyline is more child-friendly. However, the third season does take a slightly darker turn than the first two seasons did.
Reboot
On 10 March 2015 the BBC announced a new script for a CGI animated film based on the book of the same name is in early productions.[9][14]
References
- ^ FILM CLIPS: 'Rabbit Test' a Rivers Conception Lee, Grant. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 23 May 1977: e9.
- ^ "Would You Believe an Industry Could Die?" Sunday Times [London, England] 15 June 1980: 63. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
- ^ "Watership Down". Toonhound. Retrieved 18 December 2006.
- ^ BBFC Examiners Report 15 February 1978 http://www.bbfc.co.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/Watership-Down-report.pdf
- ^ BBFC Centenary Archive, From the Archive… a "repressive rabbit regime
- ^ Watership Down at angelamorley.com
- ^ Cue sheet at angelamorley.com
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/watership_down
- ^ a b Alexander Walker, Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984-2000, Orion Books, 2005 p6
- ^ http://www.criterion.com/films/28620-watership-down
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watership-Down-Blu-ray-John-Hurt/dp/B00EF44B52
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-03-10/watership-down-remake-in-development-at-the-bbc
External links
- Watership Down at the BFI's Screenonline
- Template:BFI Explore
- Watership Down at the British Board of Film Classification
- Template:Bfidb title
- Watership Down at IMDb
- Watership Down at the TCM Movie Database
- Watership Down at AllMovie
- Criterion Collection Essay by Gerard Jones
- Use dmy dates from October 2011
- 1978 films
- Watership Down
- 1970s adventure films
- 1970s drama films
- 1978 animated films
- British films
- British fantasy films
- British adventure films
- British drama films
- British animated films
- English-language films
- Directorial debut films
- Warner Bros. animated films
- Warner Bros. films
- Independent films
- Epic films
- Films about animal rights
- Films based on fantasy novels
- Films featuring anthropomorphic characters
- Films set in Berkshire
- Films set in Hampshire
- Films directed by Martin Rosen
- Compositions by Malcolm Williamson