Product: Animal Farm
Rating: 5.0
a dark classic
Any child with a sensitivity to animals would find the violence in this 1955 groundbreaking British animated feature very disturbing; many of the farm animals suffer terrible cruelty at the hands of both Farmer Jones and the pigs that succeed him, so parents should use care and discernment since sometimes this film is represented as a "cartoon".The script is based on George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and retains much of its brilliance, and is narrated by Gordon Heath, with character actor Maurice Denham speaking all the animal parts.Orwell wrote "Animal Farm" with the Stalinist Soviet Union in mind, but the tale could apply to any totalitarian regime, many which start with the socialistic "one for all-all for one" idealism and propaganda. The animation is fairly simple compared to what one is used to today, but the images are powerful, and very moving. The plight of Boxer the horse and his devoted friend Benjamin the donkey is wrenching, and beautifully drawn.The sound effects are also excellent, as well as the score by Matyas Siber, which has some songs that imitate the Soviet military style, with one of them cleverly vocalized by animal sounds.This film is now in public domain, and there are some DVDs issued at a rock bottom price, which don't include the extras; I have one that has a fairly good transfer, with an adequate (considering the price) color reproduction of its Technicolor hues.Directed by Jay Batchelder and John Halas, this one is a classic, but too dark and upsetting for young children. Total running time is 73 minutes.