Product: Animal Farm
Rating: 5.0
Home Vision does justice to Halas and Batchelor
Dark, disturbing, and very European, _Animal Farm_ marked an auspicious feature debut from Britain's Halas and Batchelor animation studio. The film was produced by "March of Time" newsreel mogul Louis de Rochemont, and partly financed by the CIA (though by all accounts the CIA had no editorial control over the finished product).In adapting George Orwell's anti-Stalinist beast fable for the screen, Halas and Batchelor dropped several minor characters, jettisoned most of the humor, and created a new finale -- which, though slightly more optimistic than the novel, hardly qualifies as a happy ending. Orwell purists have never forgiven them, even though this version of _Animal Farm_ succeeds admirably on its own terms.Avoid cheap public-domain copies: Home Vision Entertainment's edition is the one to buy, with an in-depth television documentary, a thoughtful if overenthusiastic commentary from Brian Sibley, excellent liner notes, and a first-rate full-frame transfer.Despite a few Disneyesque moments, _Animal Farm_ is not suitable for children.