Watership DownThe societies that survive are those which adapt to adversity, which honor wisdom over strength, and put value in its people...or rabbits, as the case may be in Martin Rosen's animated adaptation of Richard Adams' Watership Down. The story goes that Fiver (voiced by Richard Briers), the runt rabbit in a warren goes to his brother, Hazel (John Hurt) to inform him that he has seen a vision of bloody fields, their warren torn asunder. When they take this message to their chief, Threarah (Ralph Richardson), they are quickly dismissed. Trusting his brother, Hazel--along with several other rabbits--depart the warren to strike out for a new home.
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It would be no great mystery to say that over the course of watching Watership Down, one observes an abundance of parallels to our own society in that of the rabbits, maybe not to the extreme of our contemporary, first-world civilization, but the historical similarities are present all the same. The film has much to say about the nature of leadership and how to lead as well as how to not. From the onset of the film, we learn the myth of the creator Frith and the prince of rabbits, El-ahrairah, whose hubris condemned his race to a life where they are not predators, but prey, and their greatest defense is their cunning and their ability to evade conflict. This important lesson is illustrated early on through a disarmingly innocent montage, yet still tinged with violence, a warning not to forget the lesson imparted. The chiefs in the warrens--which Fiver, Hazel, and the rest visit are dominated by--are either indifferent, impotent, or outright tyrannical leaders, who have clearly lost their way in how to govern. Hazel, on the other hand, represents an ideal leader, embodying the principal strengths of his race. He listens to his fellows when they express their concern, is forward thinking in his estimates of how to build their own warren's resources, but is also not afraid to utilize a little manipulation for the greater good of all concerned, such as when he allows Kehaar (Zero Mostel) to believe he came up with the idea to search for mates for the warren. Hazel is intelligent, but he is also brave, notably when he decides to attempt a parlay with General Woundwort (Harry Andrews) before he and his Efrafrans prepare to lay siege to their warren of Watership Down. His bravery is also reflected in his willingness to sacrifice himself when Woundwort stubbornly refuses to negotiate, and he seeks drastic measures to defend the warren, even at the risk of his own safety. But as Hazel also realizes, a leader is no leader without his followers. His younger brother's visions are unnerving and strange, but Hazel trusts him, and his trust is rewarded time and again. After departing their initial warren, he recruits the strong Bigwig (Michael Graham Cox) into their fold, who not only serves as muscle for the group, but also is successful as a cunning infiltrator into the Efrafrans warren, and enacts a plan to allow the captive female rabbits--under the guidance of the resistance leader, Hyzenthlay (Hannah Gordon)--to join them at Watership Down. And since Woundwort only understands strength, he mistakes Bigwig for the chief of their warren, reinforcing the Efrafrans' narrow sighted view of power.
Watching Watership Down is to see the world through the eyes of prey, not as a predator. The world around the rabbits is harsh, and they find themselves needing to be cautious of the perils surrounding them, lest they be devoured. Much of the world of Watership Down is familiar, and shares commonality with moments of history, such as World War II; the Efrafrans share much in common with Nazi Germany-like a uniform order and marking system--and they quash dissent with violence and employ spies on their own people...they even all share blue eyes, if one were to go further into it. The warren that the party of rabbits visit on their way to Watership Down is one filled with a herd of rather sickly-looking rabbits, in a surprisingly deserted warren, where they are fed by men without any apparent reason. Fiver rightly assumes something is wrong, and flees; Bigwig's ensnarement proves that the resigned Cowslip (Denholm Elliott) is working in some kind of collusion with the farmer trapping the rabbits in exchange for the food. This kind of enabling of one's captors or oppressors shares similarities with Vichy France during the war. Even chief Threarah's relative indifference to the warnings of Fiver about the destruction of the warren shares similarities with the United States' lackadaisical unwillingness to get involved in World War II until finally struck by the Japanese, ignorant to the threat of terrorism until it was too late. In this light, one could also compare the principle cast of rabbits to be like the Jews who fled to form the nation of Israel in the wake of World War II. Watching Watership Down with this kind of metaphor in mind makes for an interesting analogy, and gives new context for moments in the film. And as is often the case in stories of exodus and the liberation of a people from under the forces of a government which does not love them, Watership Down reminds us of the dangers of a society not ruled in the spirit of the people it represents, and of the dangers of forgetting who you are and where you came from.
Recommended for: Fans of a serious animated film with an important message about leadership. Although the film contains a few scenes of violence, it is still a fine film for children, especially since it does not patronize or beleaguer the viewer with pointless musical numbers.
Watching Watership Down is to see the world through the eyes of prey, not as a predator. The world around the rabbits is harsh, and they find themselves needing to be cautious of the perils surrounding them, lest they be devoured. Much of the world of Watership Down is familiar, and shares commonality with moments of history, such as World War II; the Efrafrans share much in common with Nazi Germany-like a uniform order and marking system--and they quash dissent with violence and employ spies on their own people...they even all share blue eyes, if one were to go further into it. The warren that the party of rabbits visit on their way to Watership Down is one filled with a herd of rather sickly-looking rabbits, in a surprisingly deserted warren, where they are fed by men without any apparent reason. Fiver rightly assumes something is wrong, and flees; Bigwig's ensnarement proves that the resigned Cowslip (Denholm Elliott) is working in some kind of collusion with the farmer trapping the rabbits in exchange for the food. This kind of enabling of one's captors or oppressors shares similarities with Vichy France during the war. Even chief Threarah's relative indifference to the warnings of Fiver about the destruction of the warren shares similarities with the United States' lackadaisical unwillingness to get involved in World War II until finally struck by the Japanese, ignorant to the threat of terrorism until it was too late. In this light, one could also compare the principle cast of rabbits to be like the Jews who fled to form the nation of Israel in the wake of World War II. Watching Watership Down with this kind of metaphor in mind makes for an interesting analogy, and gives new context for moments in the film. And as is often the case in stories of exodus and the liberation of a people from under the forces of a government which does not love them, Watership Down reminds us of the dangers of a society not ruled in the spirit of the people it represents, and of the dangers of forgetting who you are and where you came from.
Recommended for: Fans of a serious animated film with an important message about leadership. Although the film contains a few scenes of violence, it is still a fine film for children, especially since it does not patronize or beleaguer the viewer with pointless musical numbers.