The Plague Dogs

Plot synopsis:
A black dog (Christopher Benjamin) almost drowns, but at the last second he is rescued at some sort of scientific laboratory. The scenery outside that facility is grim and desolate. Dogs are kept onto cages, and when one of them dies, they are shoved aside with pales. Tyson (Warren Mitchell) is a hand workers who treats animals roughly. He throws Rowf to one side of the cage and some food carelessly on the other. Cage 732, the cage of the almost-drowned dog is left open by the careless feeder. The black dog is very weak, but another dog howls like a wolf and that makes Rowf mad. Snitter (John Hurt) sneaks into Rowlfs's cage. Rowf eats his food and he leaves with Snitter, who wears a kind of green cap.The laboratory is a scary place, even for a human. They have monkeys, rabbits, mice... imprisoned, unable to move. Regardless of what they are trying to research, it looks that Dr. W. Goodner likes torturing animals. A monkey makes noise, scaring the escaping dogs; they throw a glass mouse cage, and the mice immediately run away. They soon find a lock door, but they manage to get into the incinerator, which they consider a death place. Snitter is the first to jump, and Rowf feels that he has not other option than to go behind him. There is only ash and bones there. They rest and sleep there for a while. Snitter dreams of an owner in the city; that person died to push him out of a lorry's way. A female voice accuses Snitter of having killed the person. Snitter wakes up startled and he has trouble waking Rowf up. He can feel that fresh air comes from another opening, so they go through that hole on the wall when the doctor throws a dead dog to the incinerator and is about to turn it on. Suspense because Rowf has got stuck, but he and Snitter escape in the last second. They are free now.They stare at the stars. Snitter stares at the burnt black dead landscape, and wonders how the men destroyed the city and all the masters. He still thinks that there have to be masters somewhere, although Rowf doubts it. Rowf is hungry, but Snitter still thinks about the landscape and the stillness of the night.They reach a village. Snitter wants to be adopted, but Rowlf splashes the rubbish bin contents all over the place, so the man throws a stone at him. Snitter tells him that they have to behave properly if they want to get anything from masters. Their mouths water at the sight of a supermarket, but they see a butcher sharpening a knife, and they run away. Snitter tries to attack the white lines of a road. The driver of the car who has just run over Snitter stops to pick him up, but Rowf prevents it. Snitter thought they were beloved masters, but Rowl tells him that their green coats showed that they wanted to put Snitter back onto the prison/laboratory.Dr. Boycott (Nigel Hawthorne) and a laboratory assistant (Brian Stirner) think that the two dogs which are constantly running after the village sheep must be the dogs which escaped from the lab. Snitter sees a "master", a shepherd who uses sheep dogs; Snitter thinks that this master will take care of them pretty soon. They try to behave like the sheep dogs, but they become trampled by the flock of sheep and the sheep dogs () accuse them of spoiling their good work, as they make all the sheep run away. Snitter wants to prove humans that he can be a good dog, after all, he didn't kill his master on purpose. Rowf and Snitter wander around the land. Rowf is more aggressive, although the terrified Snitter confuses some molds with threatening bear-like silhouettes.October 18 - Day 4Blood spilling over the rocks and into a river: the two friends killed a sheep. Rowlf got quite a beating anyway, and he wants to give up. Snitter tells him that he can't stay there in the open. Snitter travels on his own until he finds an abandoned mine. Snitter has faith that, in that secret place, they will be safe and nobody will be able to find them, although Rowf tells him that there's no hope in that god-forsaken place. So the two dogs start killing sheep; there is a stream nearby where they can drink to their content. Rowf can feel that humans are a danger to them still. Rowf is a good hunter.Once, they see a fox who tells them that they have no chance without him. Snitter thinks that The Tod (James Bolam) can help them survive, but Rowf looks at him suspiciously, as he can be a vulgar thief. Tod tells them that if they keep on killing sheep that way, people will catch them soon.October 26 - Day 12Snitter scratches himself and finally gets rid of the green cap, probably contaminated with some disease; Snitter bites the cap. Meanwhile, Rowf and Tod run after a sheep. Snitter push the sheep down a cliff, killing it; he almost falls behind it, but Tod and Rowf tell him he has done good. Rowf inquires about Snitter's head, and he licks the wound.Ducks and ducklings are swimming in a pong and fighting over some green algae. Tod catches one. The three of them kills many hensAt the Crown bar, the villagers comment on the intelligent wild creatures who are killing all their poultry. They feel powerless to stop them. Tod still thinks that the sheep are still too much of a risk - humans will get really mad at them if they keep of killing their sheep. Tod decides to leave them, and Rowlf thinks it's just as well.November 1 - Day 18Snitter still believes in the master who will take care after them. The scientists raid the area with hunting dogs. The Tod comes back asking for the remains of the food; in exchange, he tells them about the dogs which are all over the place. Tod takes the two friends deep onto the mine. Bats fly by when humans reach the entrance. The three allies leave through a broken hole on the wall. They cross a stream and they let a herd of reindeer be.Meanwhile, the scientists are arguing about the dogs. Williamson (John Franklyn-Robbins) calls the research facility inquiring if they have lost any dogs, but the person who picks up the phone refuses to give a straight answer. The monkeys are still imprisoned and suffering. Rowf has learned to hunt like a wild animal, and the Tod laughs about it.November 8 - Day 25They sleep at the ruins of a derelict village home. The hunt against them continues; one of the hunters spots Snitter through his binoculars and calls at him as though he were his dog. Snitter is a bit reluctant, but he's dreamed so much about having a master... He wags his tail and tries to show his happiness licking his "master's" face, but by accident, his leg gets stuck in the trigger of his shotgun, killing him. Snitter runs away.Rowf is also spotted, but he manages to run away.November 9 - Day 26Rowf and the Tod look for Snitter, as Rowf doesn't want to leave him behind. A thunderstorm breaks.Robert Boycott (Malcolm Terris) phones the experimental station. Finally, Rowf finds Snitter, who thinks that he's destroyed every possibility they had of a happy ending. They are at an abandoned haystack. Snitter says that not even death will finish their pain, while Rowf tells him that he'll kill before being killed.November 15 - Day 32A journalist says that ecologists will oppose the hunt if they hear about it; however, they want to have the Army involved. Snitter and Rowf eat rubbish. Two female voices comment that they seem to like to eat it. One of the ladies tries to scare them away with a broom. Snitter feels depressed once again. The lady catches Snitter and puts him inside a warehouse - he thinks that he's in a place of torture once again, but then, immediately starts daydreaming about him and his master by the fireplace. Rowf runs away and finds the Tod. They try to rescue Snitter, who doesnt want to leave, as he can imagine himself in a happy place. The woman has called the police. Snitter bites a man who tries to catch him.A Pekignese (Judy Geeson) is peeing at an oil station all over the place, and she tries to call her master's attention, but the human is so stupid that doesn't bother looking down. The Pekignese gets away running after some wild birds. The owner, Lynn Driver (Penelope Lee) hears that the dog which had suffered a brain operation is thought to be dead - he was experimented upon in a mind-confusing surgery, and that's why Snitter seems to be unable to distinguish the real world from his dreams. Lynn and his companion, her cameraman and editor (Bill Maynard) think that it's a pity that now, they will never know if the surgery was successful. They drive into the Coniston Animal Research (Scientific & Experimental) facility carelessly.A hunter arrives at the derelict house the three friends have been sleeping in, but they are not there. At Coniston, they are more worried about their reputation than anything else. The villagers create a state of panic as Lynn Driver speaks about the news. Snitter is constantly scratching his head - he is dreaming about an island; Rowf licks the wound, but Tod doesn't believe that. Tod insists that they have to stay ahead of humans all the time. They try to kill a deer and its offspring; Tod mocks them when the deer wins the fight with his antlers.Tod catches a fish and a frog: For Rowf and Snitter, that is something much more difficult.November 21 - Day 38They approach a home with lighted windows in the night. Tod has drunk all the milk, and Rowf is angry, because they are really hungry. They are so desperate, that Rowf decides to enter the home to eat, although Snitter thinks that this is a bad idea. They take away a hen. The farmer's wife (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) convinces her husband not to shoot the dogs, in case they pass the bubonic plague onto them. The farmer pushes the body of the dead hen onto Rowf's mouths.It's increasingly cold - snow is everywhere now. The dogs are bony and hungry all the time.November 23 - Day 40Now, it looks that they are in the North Pole, although they are supposed to be still in the Lake District. They sleep rough, covered by the remains of a wall.On the radio, Jeffrey Westook retells how he was attacked by the dogs -- or rather his car. Lynn Driver keeps on reporting from the Lake District. A farmer sees his own sheep dog talking to the two dogs. The sheep dog says that humans are afraid of the sickness within the two dogs.A hunter keeps after the two friends, and The Tod keeps after the hunter. The dogs are more and more tired. The hunter prepares to shoot the two exhausted dogs - a vulture has begun to fly in circles above them. The Tod distracts the hunter, so that he falls from a hill - his shot only succeeds in breaking Rowf's green collar. Now, the army and the police use even helicopters to follow the tracks of the animals: they find the eaten dead body of the hunter.They walk alongside a stream. Rowf says that he owes his life to the Tod.Dr Boycott can't deny that the green collar is one of theirs. The Major (Patrick Stewart) wants him to accept what happened. He says that the researchers didn't want to admit that the dogs may have infected with the bubonic plague; now, they are trying to kill all animals. The Minister of Defense sends two companies to catch the dogs.Rowf gets clumsy because of the weakness. Sheep keep on munching and chewing. They use dogs, helicopters, lorries, shotguns... The Tod thinks that if they manage to cross the valley unseen, they will be free forever... but it may be too late for Rowf and Snitter, they are so weak. The Tod opens the way and comes back for them. They have no other option than try to run for it. A helicopter sees them but loses them from sight soon.The dogs enter a train which has stopped for maintenance while the Tod lures the hunting dogs away. However, he gets hurt. When the train starts to move, Snitter and Rowf prefer to think that the Tod has managed to run away somehow, although we can see that he was killed.The train arrives at Ravenglass. They, the dogs can smell the sea. A helicopter spots them outside a tea bar. They run like crazy until they reach the shore. They stare at the beach, the sand, and they sit to rest for a while. Meanwhile, at the facility, the monkey keeps on hearing human voices.Snitter starts swimming towards the island of his dreams. Rowf hesitates, but the approaching soldiers push him to swim.Shots are heard. There is a thick fog which hides the helicopter and the two dogs.Rowf and Snitter swim and swim; they keep going and going within the thick fog. Snitter looks to be the more exhausted, and it's Rowf who encourages him saying "Stay with me", deep into the thick fog.CAPTION: Martin Rosen's production of  The Plague Dogs  and end credits. The summits of three mountains in an island can be seen against the horizon.---written by KrystelClaire

Tags: tragedy, violence, cruelty, sadist, flashback

Review:
As far away from fluffy Disney films as one could imagine, this is a disturbing account of the hardships of two dogs who escape from an animal testing lab.
The animated version of The Plague Dogs, released four years after the acclaimed Watership Down, never quite achieved the kind of success its predecessor had; not because it wasn't as good, but because of pretty much the same reasons for the novel's limited success.
Therefore, movie-goers didn't quite know what to make of the film; it didn't seem right for an adult to go watch an animated film about animals - and a parent who takes his little child to this film would face an even bigger problem of explaining to them why the bad people do such horrible things to the poor dogs.Fortunately, today we know that animation isn't just for kids, and we can fully appreciate this masterpiece.
The story is that of two laboratory dogs, voiced brilliantly by John Hurt and Christopher Benjamin, who escape from their cages and from the lab seeking the freedom of the outside world, and finding out that surviving in the wilderness isn't as easy as that.
The story of two infected dogs who escape from a containment facility is the most heart wrenching story I think I have read, and the film recreates that world perfectly.
As everyone else has already said - this is not a movie for kids,at least they should watch it with an adult.I first saw it at the cinema maybe 19-20 years ago and it has never left my mind.I remember crying in the end of the movie and when I hear "time and tide" it still makes me cry.It is very well made yet disturbing and as said before it has nothing in compare with Disneys animated musicals.
There is nothing funny in this movie.Nothing to laugh at and it makes you feel very sad and depressed and ashamed of being a human.It is very sad that most people have never ever heard of it.It deserves a far better destiny than to just fade away in to the past.The only animated movies I can think of that is almost as touching (but still far from) as "Plague dogs",is perhaps Watership Down,Secret of NIHM,An American tail and Grave of the fireflies.I really hope that animators nowadays could watch Plague dogs and get some inspiration.Disneymovies are nice but they are far to sentimental in my opinion.Thats just one of the great things about Plague dogs - Its dark,grim and depressive but it NEVER EVER gets sentimental.Why cant anybody re-release it on VHS and DVD?"Memories is only about the past,the present time will never last, the future lies within your heart.I left this cruel world behind and I found my peace of mind.I don't feel no pain no more...".
simply the best animated film i have seen.nemo's great but this one hits you in places others won't and probably never will again..i watched this back in the early 80's and never forgot it..its great that it has been released on dvd as i have been after it for years..for all those who have not seen it i recommend you to see it as it will always stay with you..its not your average kids animated movie and many were shocked when it was first released..there is one particlar gory scene with a farmer and a shotgun, say no more don't want to spoil it..and this scene could not have been animated and script better...beats watership down every time!
Once the narrative is under way I defy anyone to find the animation detrimental to the experience.Certainly in regards to the genre of animated films this is superior to anything Disney have ever done, both in respect of visual and intellectual content, and stands alone as a benchmark of what can be achieved in the genre.From the creators of 'Watership Down', this film shares the same author and production company, but despite its PG certificate you should be warned that some scenes may be upsetting, not specifically for younger viewers but for everyone - this is a genuine tear-jerker of a film.Highly recommended.
The movie is a kind of cycle from water to water, the dogs try to make sense of a world they can never totally understand, they're constantly searching for some kind of mythical human affection, I could ramble on...This film, unlike Watership Down, actually improves on the book by refining and/or removing many of the more tedious sections which dealt with people and politics.
This tale of two dogs's adventues to try and stay alive and stay out of the testing center they were in at the beginning and while many wouldn't agree with me, this film ends the only way it could (though you have to read the book to understand it).Much like Watership Down, the things they had to cut out are minor, but there are times you'll scratch your head wondering why they said that, but I can tell you, if you want to know, READ THE BOOK!!!This is one of the finest flicks ever made, simple as thatP.S. one of the soldiers is voiced by Patrick Stewart, not brought up on the earlier screens.
While making a serious animated film about rabbits might sound like more of a challenge, and is a great film, I would be more inclined to people I know for them to watch The Plague Dogs to see how truly brutal Rosen could be as a filmmaker.
Adapting from a book by Richard Adams, who also wrote Watership, this is a movie that a kid might be inclined to see right away just by the picture of dogs running around on the front cover - some may not understand the word 'Plague' and even if they do they'll want to see it anyway...
Not all of the animation syncs up completely (albeit this may be sour grapes as I have only seen the 82 minute severely censored version that may have cleared up a couple of gaps- as far as I could tell it wasn't a flaw on Rosen's part), but everything in terms of atmosphere, or provoking a certain place of dread brought about when humanity is at its worst, and dogs at their most vulnerable, that you can't help but be moved.
Hell, we even get one of Hurt's best performances, voicing a bi-polar dog who should already be dead or past the point of no return, and at one point even asks for it in a moment that had me floored (the bit about not having to worry about eating if one is dead).The Plague Dogs isn't a 'for-everyone' animated adventure - for the love of all that is sacred do NOT show it to your dog-loving first-date - but it's entirely successful, and criminally underrated, as a mature work of art, a precisely sorrowful story that should appeal to anyone looking for a good, warranted cry and a look at dogs that is the sort of clear version of some diluted movie made at the same time like The Fox and the Hound.
While most animated films have allowed us to admire aesthetic beauty, many times of nature, "The Plague Dogs" is a cerebral experience that hits home even more through the fact that animation is usually used for more uplifting stories.
These days, with computer graphics, there is another option, but the animation is so excellently done that it's a pleasure just to watch.This is a story about two dogs that escape from a kennel of some sort and begin to wander the British countryside, looking for...they're not sure.
The movie is amazing in it's realism and messages.The story of two dogs who end up escaping from a laboratory and trying to adapt and survive to the outside world.
And with such strong writing and a heart-felt message, I can only nit-pick at minor things to down-grade this unique film.Plague Dogs isn't only one of the most powerful films I've seen in a long time, but it's also one of the best.
Martin Rosen's THE PLAGUE DOGS is one of the most moving and downbeat animated films ever made, almost rivaling the incredible (original black and white) "Calimero" TV series for its depressed tone.No need to synopsize, as that's already been done, but try to get your paws on a copy of this gem because it is a step up from the brilliant animation of WATERSHIP DOWN (from the same director) and is an intensely moving experience.All DVD's of the film currently available (as of January 25) are, unfortunately, cut...there is no drowning in these versions..
This subject is the theme of Martin Rosen's animated film The Plague Dogs.Based on the novel by Richard Adams who also wrote "Watership Down," The Plague Dogs is a disturbing movie that pulls no punches and is heartbreakingly real in its depiction of the sad effects of animal experimentation.
In the film, a black Labrador named Rowf (John Hurt) and a fox terrier Snitter (Christopher Benjamin), subjected to endless tests of endurance as well as undefined brain surgery, make a daring escape from an animal research facility in Coniston, but find the outside world less welcoming than they remember.With no specific destination in mind, the two wander through the English Lake District hoping to find a master that will take care of them (Snitter is racked with guilt, thinking he caused the death of his previous master in an accident).
Thematically similar to Watership Down, The Plague Dogs tells the story of two dogs who escape from a animal testing laboratory in Coniston in the Lake District.
Whilst the film is not so fondly remembered as Watership Down, The Plague Dogs still represents a piece of pure animation that does not shy away from confronting very disturbing and emotional issues.
Martin Rosen ("Watership Down " )makes another excellent animated movie inspired in the book of Richard Adams .
"The Plague Dogs " is one of the most artistic and beautiful animated movies that I have seen and ts'one of my all -time favorites ..
The Plague Dogs is impressively animated (especially in the opening scenes) and, for a cartoon, remarkably downbeat.While the book suffered from a "tell, don't show" attitude, spending much of its time in an impassioned and sometimes overwrought critique of animal experimentation (perhaps justified; the horrific and generally ludicrous experiments in the book were apparently based on actual horrific and ludicrous animal experiments), the movie is content to show you what happens and let you be horrified on your own.
What I like about the human's is there role in the movie, instead of being cowardly villains, they are scientists that do experiments on animals and they won't stop until they capture the two runaway dogs."The Plague Dogs", is a movie definitely worth watching if you're looking for a good animated film to watch.
At first they are eager to escape the experiments performed upon them and get to the outside world, but they soon find that it is extremely hard to survive on the outside since they have no familiarity with the wild and their handicaps received from experiments performed upon them make life even harder (because of the drowning experiments performed on Rowf, he is constantly weak and possesses very little energy, and because of the brain experiments performed on Snitter, he has a very poor and misguided grasp of reality and is prone to psychotic episodes, especially when his open head sore begins to "act up").Plague Dogs, simply, is a very affecting film, and one that I would recommend to almost anyone to seek out (but there are some people who could possibly get bored, and others who would get too depressed by the film).
Titles like "When the Wind Blows", "Animal Farm" and "Watership Down" easily rank amongst my all-time favorite movies and I could narrowly add "The Plague Dogs" to this list as well.
From Martin Rosen and Richard Adams, the same geniuses that brought us the aforementioned "Watership Down", comes the slow-brooding and saddening tale of Snitter & Rowf; two very different lab dogs that manage to escape from the research facility where they are being held captive under miserable circumstances.
The main reason why "The Plague Dogs" is such a tragic and heart-wrenching film is because you get to know Snitter and Rowf like entirely innocent and timid animals and they remain so throughout the entire film.
That is at it should be given the 90 minute-length.A synopsis: Snitter and Rowf, two dogs in an animal research facility, escape from their tormentors and tortured existence into the wilds of the English Lake District.
Although you have to listen carefully in the film to catch the human world reprecussions of the dogs' escape, the situation spins out of control as it becomes known that the research facility was doing experiments with bubonic plague and the fear that the dogs might be carriers (their actions at the beginning of the film show they are not).This is a wholly remarkable animated film -- a cartoon that is a DRAMA in the truest sense, not a comedy or cheesy Disney-esque reinterpretation of the original work.
There are plenty of disturbing and/or shocking scenes as well as moments that will move some adult viewers to tears.Stunning animation, excellent vocals from top English actors (including a voice cameo by Patrick Stewart), a good story, and likable "heroes" tops off this film as a must see if you are an animation buff, or simply a taste of something different from usual movie fare for the average viewer..
Let me get it out of the way now, Plague Dogs suffers from only pace, at times slow and prolonged, but just like that of Watership Down, redemption is found and something magical is created.
More brutal and violent than I expected, tapering away from a family film, The Plague Dogs is a social commentary on what we thought we knew and will give you a new perspective on the world of animal testing.
The Plague Dogs is a beautifully animated film that I can't rate highly enough.
The story follows the escape from an animal testing facility and subsequent adventure of two dogs, Rowf and Snitter as they battle against the environment for survival.
I came to him by casuality: a couple of months ago I had to get away from my dog for a while (first time in 10 years) and so I came across this film, there I saw that the main voice was John Hurt (Snitter) and called even more my attention.
I like that Martin Rosen did animated movies of both the Watership Down and Plague Dogs novels of Richard Adams with a more adult oriented tone to them, because neither of them are kids movies.
The dialog in itself is engaging, but the animators could have made it more touching than it already is with more charisma added to the main character dogs Snitter and Rowf and perhaps a little more graphic scenes.
I watched The Plague Dogs and Felidae, as a huge fan of animation and of Watership Down, and I was very impressed with both features, especially this.
The Plague Dogs is obscure admittedly with a very grim beginning, but that isn't a bad thing, I actually like obscure movies.
There are some horrific animated scenes in this movie, such as a graphic drowning of a dog while two cold-hearted humans look on making comments.
Plague Dogs is an animated film simply telling a great story without a  single limitation placed upon it because it belongs to a genre.
Like Watership Down, Plague Dogs was written by Richard Adams, his statement against the horrors of vivisection.The story follows Rowf and Snitter, two dogs who escape from an animal research laboratory (just outside the Lakeland village of Coniston), and their attempts to evade capture, at first by farmers for killing sheep, and later by soldiers for reasons more sinister.By today's standards the animation does not look at all smooth - though I prefer this handmade quality, and I also appreciate the synthesised soundtrack, though it lapses into silliness at times.
They escape into the wilderness, and after the deaths of livestock and humans, it is believed that they carry the bubonic plague, putting the Lake District, and the entire UK at risk, leading up to a search by teams to destroy these two dogs.The film is not for the faint of heart, there is a lot of violence in it, including some animal abuse.
it's kind of hard to describe why this film is so good, because of all the things it manages to execute to near perfection.The animation, for it's time, is amazing, especially seeing that Martin Rosen's approach to this and "Watership Down" (another great) was to make the world and the animal characters in it seemingly realistic to a key (to an awkward point, when they draw out the dogs "package").
Nonetheless, the settings are dreary and threatening for our characters Rowf and Snitter (voiced by John Hurt, who also voiced Fifer in Watership Down) to traverse, and both the animals and even the humans are very well done.Such a provocative story as well, one that makes this more of an adults film rather than a children's (given a PG-13 rating for a few bloody reasons).
Wherever you stand on the issue, this film still manages to prove its point well, and makes you think about the aspects of animal experimentation/cruelty in labs.To top it off with dark story elements, such as the dogs trying to revert to the "wolf" ways to kill to survive, and bloody details of injuries, attacks on both animals and humans (one in particular that Snitter did not mean the cause may very well scar you for life), "The Plague Dogs" never ceases to amaze in my eyes.This film is definitely one to see at least once in your life, and many times thereafter if you truly grasp what the film attempts to evoke to its audience.