Customer Reviews

Plague Dogs [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This woefully underappreciated animated film was created by the team behind the wonderful Watership Down. The story concerns a pair of dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who escape from an animal-testing lab in the wilds of England and their attempts to survive in a cold and hostile world. Rowf and Snitter traverse the wilds and encounter both a fox named The Tod who trains them in the ways of being wild and humans who are either afraid of them or try to hunt them. The film is excellently animated and touches on themes of friendship, bravery, and animal rights. The ending is very moving and always makes me shed a tear or two.

Many talented people lent their skills to this movie. Martin Rosen, also the creator of Watership Down, led a team which took almost two years to painstakingly craft this masterpiece. Among the actors who gave vocal performances for The Plague Dogs are John Hurt, Nigel Hawthorne, and Patrick Stewart as an army major. I was even surprised to see Brad Bird's (creator of The Iron Giant and The Incredibles) name in the credits as an animator!

Unfortunately, while the film itself is great, this DVD leaves a little bit to be desired. The movie is presented in its North American edited length of 85 minutes. There is apparently a longer 99-minute cut available on DVD from Australia, but only in PAL video format. The film itself looks in pretty good condition for being almost 25 years old. Other than Scene Selection and Interactive Menus (as if those even count), the DVD is devoid of any special features. Another feature lacking on the DVD that I do miss from my old VHS copy is closed captions or subtitles. I have a little difficulty making out some of the difficult British Isles accents, especially from The Tod and the sheepherding dogs.

I highly recommend that fans of adult, drama-oriented animation (and Watership Down fans in particular) check this one out. Despite its barebones DVD presentation, it's a great, powerful film that deserves to be seen. I give the film 5 stars but subtract 1 star for the lackluster DVD presentation.

It's easy to look at the cover of the movie "Plague Dogs" and then call the kids into the living room for an enjoyable Sunday matinee. There is a deceptive nature to the beautiful hand drawn animation of cute little animals that harkens back to the golden age of Disney animation. This would be a mistake however for it's that very deceptive quality to "Plague Dogs" that makes this film such a treat for adults and a rather disturbing nightmare for children.

Like it's predecessor "Watership Down" (another Richard Adams book made into an animated feature by director Martin Rosen), "Plague Dogs" is a very adult tale about animals in jeopardy. In "Watership..." it was a small group of rabbits in search of a safe home. "Plague Dogs" is the story of two dogs who escape from a testing laboratory. Together they are desperate to find safety and a life free of abuse and pain. The smaller dog (Snitter) having just had brain surgery, is a smart but tortured animal. Rowf, is a dog mentally and physically beaten by repeated drownings. Together they search for peace, but peace does not come easily on an empty stomach and the many pastures of sheep are too tempting for the two dogs to pass up. As sheep carcasses begin to pile up local farmers begin to make the connection that the testing laboratory may have had something to do with the two wild dogs that are roaming their land. When it's discovered that the laboratory was working with Bubonic plague, the dogs are marked for death.

Ultimately "Plague Dogs" is an adventure tale; however, director Martin Rosen uses the bleak storyline to propel a theme of hopelessness. Snitter and Rowf and undesirables, cast out by bad luck and bad timing. The society that they find themselves in is unable to fully understanding their situation and their destruction is a simply seen as a more effective way of dealing with them. The ending in particular has our two furry antagonists in questionable straights.

Such a film would not play well today, nor did it play that well in this country 25 years ago. It asks too many questions, pushes too many cringe inducing buttons, and often doesn't wait for the passive viewer to catch up. I can't think of one reason why or how a movie like this got made, but it's our great fortune it did. "Watership Down" proves to be a better movie experience but "Plague Dogs" goes where "Watership Down" didn't and we are all the better for it.

I don't really have a lot to add about the film itself that the other reviewers haven't already said; this is a dark, distressing, relentlessly grim and harrowing film about two dogs on the run from an animal research laboratory. It has a somewhat slow pace at times, and much of the animation is crude by today's standards, but it has tons of character. It's not exactly a pleasant experience but it has great power and a worthwhile message. Just to make it clear (if it isn't already), this is mature material only suitable for older teens and adults.

I actually just wanted to address a couple of points in a previous review (possible spoilers coming). The original film, released in the UK in 1982, was 1 hour 42 minutes - this is the full, unedited version which can ONLY be found on the Australian DVD release (the quality isn't great, but at least you're getting to see the whole film). The difference in running time (99 mins on DVD as against 102 mins in theaters) is simply down to the fact that films run slightly faster on VHS and DVD than they do on the big screen; ALL films are approximately 3 - 4% shorter when transfered to home entertainment formats.

When it came time to release the film in the USA, director Martin Rosen had great difficulty finding a distributor willing to take it on. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; the film is far too disturbing for kids or families, and adults are likely to dismiss an animated feature with talking animals as kids' stuff - so who exactly would pay to see this movie? In an effort to placate the distributors, Rosen was forced to cut 17 minutes from the film's running time. Some of the cuts were simply made to speed up the pace, and others were made to remove some of the more unpleasant scenes (most notably the sight of a human corpse which the starving, desperate dogs have partially eaten). Needless to say, these cuts did little to lighten the film's grim tone, and it only ever received a brief and extremely limited run at a few US theaters. Unfortunately, it is this shorter version that has been used for most of the recent DVD releases; as I mentioned before, only the Australian edition has both versions included.

There were some changes to the plot in the transfer from novel to screen. The somewhat forced but nevertheless welcome happy ending in the book was removed, to make the film a more powerful anti-vivisection statement. Also the fate of the fox, or The Tod as he is known, was changed; in the book he falls victim to a hunt, whereas in the film he sacrifices himself to a pack of army hounds as a distraction, allowing the two titular dogs to escape (temporarily) on a train. This was NOT changed due to any pressure from pro-hunting groups; neither Richard Admas or his admirers would have tolerated such a move. I imagine it was changed to allow the Tod's death to play a more important part in driving the plot forward, and to show us the wily fox was a noble fellow in the end.

"Plague Dogs", based on Richard Adams' (Watership Down, Shardik) 1977 novel, is among the most substantive offerings in animation films. Snitter (terrier), and Rowf (Black Lab) escape from an animal research lab conducting "experiments" on dogs, monkeys, rabbits and others, including: Bubonic Plague, experimental brain surgery, sensory deprivation, and (often-fatal) recovery-from-drowning. Encountered on the run, a worldly-wise fox (The Tod) helps Snitter and Rowf evade re-capture and survive in the wild while seeking a vaguely understood, permanent safe haven.

The animation is fine, similar to Watership Down's. But it is the novel's substance and attendant characterizations that underlie the film: a brutal perspective, from that of two anthropomorphized dogs and a fox, about survival needs; animal researchers' clinical depravity; anthropocentricity; and a welter of CYA political and press mendacities. At its core is a fascinating character study: that of poor Snitter's brain surgery-induced delirious yet moving confusions and imaginings; Rowf's ever-fatalistic, aggressive, no-nonsense realism; and the Tod's sympathetic opportunism.

At 150,000 words, the novel (Knopf, 1978, 1st American hardbound edition) also has a bonus: 20-plus pages of carefully-drawn Wainwright illustrations (13 full-page, eight being route maps), plus a two-page frontispiece. While a quarter of the novel centers on various humans and their conversations, the film cleverly maintains interest by keeping the focus on Snitter, Rowf and the Tod, pertinent human conversations largely presented as voice-overs. But though the film carefully replicates Snitter's and Rowf's trek and manages to convey some personality subtleties, one needs the novel's far richer prose (Adams' prose rivaling Tolkien's) for a rewardingly deeper understanding of the characters and out-of-context scenes depicted.

Though intriguingly four minutes short of the original's reported run-time, Australian (PAL region 4) sources offer a 99-minute "extended release" DVD viewable in the US with a PAL-enabled system and region-free player. This version, reportedly made from an only-surviving copy, has non-re-mastered but adequate picture-sound quality. Also included is an 82-minute amputated re-mastered version. Struggling for film release, its producers obviously encountered lowest-common-denominator marketing mentalities, shunning of graphic depictions, script change demands appeasing the pro-fox-hunting lobby, and having to manufacture several thrills. Two notable changes from the novel concern the fates of the Tod, and of Snitter/Rowf. Even ignoring detrimental changes, this reviewer awards just four stars for this 80 percent of the original film.

Several reviewers caution prospective buyers to deny young children seeing this film. Would such folks also shield children from Oliver Twist, The Yearling, Race of the Swift, Cooper's Leather Stocking tales, or Felix Salten's Bambi? When this reviewer was in grade-school over fifty years since, it was customary to have such books read by the teacher, generally a chapter after lunch; or on one's own at home! Were that Plague Dogs had been available! Presumably no permanent damage resulted to this reviewer from such dangerous childhood adventures, though some might disagree! And do you suppose the film's missing four minutes were to accommodate the novel's ending, hinted in the closing scene?

I agree pretty much with what everyone has already said here about this great film, The Plague Dogs. This is one of, if not thee, most heartbreaking movies I own. Yet, it is so moving and powerful that it's worth going through such viewing pain. It is something that older kids (with care) should probably see. A lot of life lessons can be learned from this movie, such as the cruelty of man and life, and the need to respect living things and treat them with care. I would not describe this movie as preachy either. Just a real sad, moving story, very emotional. There is a funny bit or two as well. Look for a dog peeing at a gas station or something near someone. All in all, I would love to see it come out on dvd. Listen for the voice of Patrick Stewart (Star Trek) as the Major. I think, even though for being made back in 1982, the animation holds up fine.

As for the ending and the March 31, 2005 "Kid's review"... This person does not seem to understand the ending. The ending does not suck (not in the sense that the reviewer remarked). SPOILER ALERT: Yes it does not show them dying, but that was heavily implied IMHO. The two dogs were trapped by the military or police etc., on the shore. The two dogs jump into the ocean and are swimming for their lives, remarking about the lovely (imaginary) island they believe they see off in the distance. The idea and tone is: "yes, just a little further. It's a beautiful place, a place of no pain, a place of wonder, yes, there it is, if we just keep swimming...." Meanwhile they are getting more and more weary, getting further out into the ocean, and are running out of strength. The point was they had ran out of hope, options and strength, and they died reaching out for unobtainable peace and love. THE VERY PEACE AND LOVE these two dogs should have had to begin with and that we should treat all pets with. It's very sad, but is meant to inspire a good point. See it if you can, and never forget it. It's very memorable.

People say kids shouldn't watch this film, but I saw it when I was seven. I did not understand everything, but enough for it to have a great impact on me. Partly because of this film I am an animal rights advocate. I think it is very well done. I loved the dogs esp. Snitter, but I wanted to cry everytime I looked at his head; not because it scared me (if you see the movie you will know what i mean), but because it hurt me to see an animal go through that. I think that kids could watch this and maybe it will help teach them compassion, but parents should definitely watch it first and decide whether it is something their kids can handle.

Richard Adams's novel 'The Plague Dogs' always stood in the shadow of his superior masterpiece - the classic 'Watership Down'. The same goes for the animated films, both of them directed by Martin Rosen. 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. While Watership Down hid violence and severe social-political criticism behind a disguise of a children's tale, The Plague Dogs is much more in-your-face, much less subtle, and makes no attempts to hide itself behind pretty words. The Plague Dogs is a tragic tale that is mercilessly critical toward modern society, taking a strict stand on the subject of cruelty to animals. The idea of an animated film strictly for adults was as difficult to swallow twenty years ago as the idea of a novel for adults told from an animal's point of view. 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 scientists have reason to believe that the dogs contacted a bubonic plague virus during their escape, and so the two must run for their lives and fight for survival. Most of the film is from the dogs' point of view (they are later joined by a fox, voiced by James Bolam, who helps them survive in the wild, not without his own reasons). On the other hand we also hear the humans' conversations, yet we never see a human being's face; Rosen doesn't allow us to sympathize or identify with any of the human characters. The animals are clearly the more humane here, and that's the basis of what Rosen and Adams say here.

Be warned - don't let the animation fool you, this is not an easy watch. The violence in The Plague Dogs is more explicit than in most live action films, and the message it bears about human beings as a whole is difficult to swallow. John Hurt's performance as Snitter, alternately funny and sad, dominates the film, and it makes for one of the most beautiful and round animated characters ever seen on film. The story, especially that of Snitter's, is incredibly sad and touching, and is more powerful emotionally than any other animated feature I've seen. A highly recommended film, and not just for animation enthusiasts.

An original story by author Sir Richard Adams (Watership down, The Plague Dogs, Shardik, and The Girl In A Swing) has been turned into an amazing animated film by director Sir Martin Rosen. (Watership Down, The Plague Dogs, and Stacking) This film shows the horrors of vivisection and other repulsive things humans have done to animals in the name of 'science'. I must admit this is NOT a film for the younger veiwers or the light of heart. I know I cry no matter how many times I see this film. Whether it be the cruel fate of The Tod or the dramatic ending of the film, I will always cry. And yet this is my favorite movie of all time. A must for fans of Sir Richard Adams or Sir Martin Rosen or even just for people who want to cry. I usually watch it every Friday or Saturday night that's how good it is.

I first read the book before I saw this movie, and I must say there were a few differences, but all in all I really liked this movie. I think that it informs us on the cruelty to animals that is going on in this world, and how two poor dogs (Rowf and Snitter) experience it in ways even after they escape from the Research Lab. A great story- but even though its animated I would DEFINATELY NOT rate this for young children! I would say age level ranging from 13 and older, although it all depends how much you can handle.

Very heartbreaking story, but gets the point across about the unecessary cruelty of animal experimentation. Though this is an animated film, it is not something you should allow a young child to watch since it is a real tear-jerker and has some graphic scenes of animal cruelty. The story is told very well, and you really become attached to the characters, especially if you are a dog owner. I would like to see a live-action, "Babe"-type version of this story made.