A Serious Matter.

The story follows two brothers, Hazel and Fiver. Think of Hazel as Mario and Fiver as Luigi, only in this instance the younger, weaker brother has purpose because Fiver is a seer.

Author

Tom
June 06, 2023

Good morning Consumers. This is Please Consume, the Film newsletter that loves you more than Ben Affleck loves being from Boston.

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Watership Down (1978)

Today we’re taking a complete turn away from the tones and themes of yesterday’s film to discuss the animated children’s movie Watership Down.

The film is based on the Richard Adams book of the same name about a band of rabbits fleeing their warren in order to find a better, safer place to live.

But as much difference as there is from American Psycho on the surface, they are the same in their reputation for being violent and disturbing.

Unlike with American Psycho, however, it’s worth looking at why this film is so infamous for its disturbing content, because it actually gets at the heart of what makes it such a great movie.

A Serious Matter

The story follows two brothers, Hazel and Fiver. Think of Hazel as Mario and Fiver as Luigi, only in this instance the younger, weaker brother has purpose because Fiver is a seer.

Fiver has a vision of a field covered in blood and is convinced that their warren will soon be ravaged, completely eradicating the rabbit population.

Unable to convince their Chief of the impending danger, Hazel and Fiver escape the warren with a few other rabbits who believe them. The resulting journey is one of terror and survival. Their goal: to start a new warren.

The seriousness of this film is what elevates it above other animated films and lands it in the disturbing category.

Watership Down is intensely interested in death and the life that is surrounded by it.

This comes straight from Richard Adams’ initial purpose when writing the story. One of Adams’ daughters, Juliet, recalled “Daddy didn’t like the way people babied, and pandered to and ‘icky-ised’ children, lying to them about death and so on.”

And the story reflects this belief. Even though it was written for children (it started out as road trip stories Adams told his daughters), it contains examples of fascism, mythology, sexual politics, intense violence,and hallucinatory visions.

Another interesting thing the story does is offer the reader and viewer an alternate perspective.

In this world, cars are hrududil, mysterious creatures that leave the rabbits flat and broken on the roadside. Floppy eared basset hounds appear cute to us, but are predators to our heroes. Even fights between the rabbits are brutal and dark; teeth tear through ears and eyes are lost.

Death and danger are not merely plot developments in this film, they are tangible entities that surround our heroes at all times. The fact that the film treats these threats with respect, and as a result, the audience, makes it a much graver story.

All the World Will Be Your Enemy

Finally, the film starts out beautifully and tragically with a mythological creation sequence.

I know, it’s heavy for a kid’s movie.

But what this does is give the story meaning and spiritual purpose. This is no longer a tale of survival, it’s a continuation of the divine legacy of all rabbits.

Just listen to this decree from Frith, the Creator, to El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits, when El-ahrairah has failed to control his people:

“All the world will be your enemy,

Prince with a Thousand Enemies,

And when they catch you, they will kill you…

But first they must catch you.”

I don’t want to give too much of the scene away in writing, but this statement has always struck me as so kind and meaningful.

There’s justice, harsh maybe, but there’s also hope and mercy. In actuality, it’s really very loving. A father punishing his son, but then giving the son a way to survive.

So, even through all of the horror that these rabbits face, it never feels like they’re truly on their own, abandoned, or rejected.

Instead, there is a Creator who has given them each a gift and just wants them all to live joyfully. It makes the hard parts harder and the joyous part all the more rewarding.

Today’s Scene

Stream It

If you want to watch Watership Down at home, you can find it here.

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