1978 Directed by Martin Rosen
When the warren belonging to a community of rabbits is threatened, a brave group led by Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry and Hazel leave their homeland in a search of a safe new haven.
John Hurt Richard Briers Michael Graham Cox John Bennett Ralph Richardson Simon Cadell Terence Rigby Roy Kinnear Richard O'Callaghan Denholm Elliott Lynn Farleigh Mary Maddox Zero Mostel Harry Andrews Hannah Gordon Nigel Hawthorne Clifton Jones Derek Griffiths Michael Hordern Joss Ackland Michelle Price
Tony Haines Julian Holdaway David Smith Moses Agyemang Ron Boston Alan Buchan Les Green Denis Hall Bob Mintern Christopher Morgan Barry Orsborn Chris Williams
워터십 다운의 토끼들, Daleká cesta za domovem, Kaninbjerget, Unten am Fluss, Orejas largas, El príncipe de los conejos, La folle escapade, גבעת ווטרשיפ, Gesztenye, a honalapító, La collina dei conigli, ウォーターシップ・ダウンのうさぎたち, 워터십 다운, Waterschapsheuvel, Wzgórze królików, Uma Grande Aventura, Обитатели холмов, Den långa flykten, Watership Tepesi, 沃特希普高地
Sweden
Sweden7
UKU
IrelandG
USAPG
Netherlands9
France
AustraliaPG
Germany6
Netherlands9
Australia
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Sweden
UK
USA
I am shocked at how many middling-to-poor reviews of this film there are here on Letterboxd.
With its painterly visuals, excellent story as a not-very-subtle metaphor for the evils that men do, and good direction, this is nothing short of a masterpiece. I'm not one for hyperbole, nor am I one to conflate my own opinion with fact, but I am surprised anyone could think of this as anything less than a very good film.
C'est la vie, one man's trash..., etc...
If nothing else, this parable shows that animation is not just for kids. For this alone, the film feels ahead of its time.
An animated feature that is as pitch black as tar! Bleak, hopeless and excruciatingly violent! It is all about perseverance, endurance and that flicker of hope that carries us through the most dire of circumstances!
Graphic violence, blood, death and other gruesome elements tells me this is definitely NOT meant for young children! Supposedly this film is a result of the stories he told his young daughters on long trips in the car! Considering the blood curdling scream and streaming tears my son expelled while viewing of Old Yeller! I'm pretty sure if I had popped this in the old vcr instead it would have put him in a catatonic state!
It did make me pause and ponder man's encroachment…
This is the story of Bugs Bunny played for drama instead of comedy. And it works because as much as we love to laugh with Bugs Bunny we know in the back of our heads that he would be doomed in real life if he spoke to a hunter like that.
The only reason it has bad reviews is because everybody saw it when they were a child and are holding the movie responsible for their parents being asleep at the wheel. I saw it when I was a child too, but I’m not a coward like you sorry lot.
Hi everybody, watched this movie after decades and everybody should know that this is no animated film for kids, it’s more an animated movie for adults. The story about a rabbit who must find a new home for him and his friends.
The movie is a thrilling and emotional ride. Based on the best sellling book by Richard Adams, it is said to be on of the best adaptation of all time and it was selected in the list of the 50 best British movies of all time. And they are right. This film is more a refugee drama, then a Disney like family film. Despite the dramatic topic, and in some scenes bloody violence, it can be a film…
The Jewish diaspora seen through the eyes of fluffy little rabbits living in the English countryside? Who would've thought? The author has distanced himself from any kind of religious or racial parallel, always maintaining it is meant to be read as a straight forward story, what you see is what you get, nothing more, although it's dark nature has left it open to interpretation over time.
On the surface it plays as a straight forward story of man against nature, a parable of protecting the animal kingdom against the evils of our species. Burrow down a little further and place the Jewish people as the animal despised by almost everyone it attempts to co-habit with and we get a little…
"They'll never rest until they spoil the earth!"
I bought the soundtrack (45 rpm single) of this a few months ago and being a big fan of Art Garfunkel i listened to it quite bit. I liked it so much that i was afraid, that the movie wouldn't be able to keep up with its soundtrack, but after the first 5 minutes of Watership Down that fear was pretty much instantly demolished.
An overload of poetic symbolism, heavy dialogue and characters (rabbits) more human and sympathetic than most live-action-"personalities" .
Take notes, Disney!
The nightmares of childhood. Bulging eyes and blood-drenched fields. Much like the majority of my generation, I first saw Watership Down when I was much too young. The list of horror films I’d seen long before I should’ve consisted of chillers like The Exorcist, The Shining, and Alien, and yet, it was always this Tolkien-esque bunny cartoon that kept me up at night. I always thought my memories of this film were exacerbated due to my seeing it as a child, but this viewing disproved my doubts of its sadistic tendencies in a second. No, this is still the scariest film ever marketed towards children, and generally one of the nastiest animations ever produced. Martin Rosen’s deftly drawn adaptation of…
For some reason, this is the one movie that’s been on my watchlist for the longest. Something about rabbits dealing with refuge and finding their new home seemed quickly intriguing to me. I’ve heard a couple of times that this is “Tarkovsky slow,” which I’m not exactly sure what that means since I’ve yet to watch a Tarkovsky film, although I’m slightly assuming it’s a good thing. It has those moments; but with the right mindset, those “slow” moments can become tranquil and peaceful. For example, there are multiple scenes of the rabbits simply taking a nap and it is pure serenity. The flawless animation makes them feel natural and lifelike despite how heavily humanized they are. It’s nice to know that they didn’t hold back on the more mature themes of its source material, as well.
Watership Down is a mature and beautifully dark tale of tyranny and hope. I cared SO MUCH for this group of rabbits and it’s crazy how the stakes feel through the roof when it’s just about a bunch of forest animals. Like I was genuinely on the edge of my seat at times.
The visuals are incredible and nightmarish. Combining the rich amount of intense themes and the disturbing violence, Watership Down has infamously upset children and I can totally see why now.
I loved this haunting film.
MILD SPOILERS
This evocative adaptation of Richard Adams’ classic children’s novel is brought to vivid life with the help of both skilled animators and a talented British cast, coming together to craft a tale which demonstrates just because a film is animated doesn’t mean it has to play down to its audience.
Adams’ original book is famously quite dark, and this adaptation is able to lean into the mature elements of the source material without ever losing its more heightened imaginative approach, making for an finished product that takes itself seriously enough for us to invest in these characters while still getting across a core sense of…
