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| “ | 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.
―Quote on the poster.
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Watership Down is a 1978 British animated adventure-drama film, written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the 1972 novel by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions and was distributed by Cinema International Corporation in the United Kingdom. Released on 19 October 1978, the film was an immediate success and it became the sixth most popular film of 1979 at the UK box office.
It features the voices of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Harry Andrews, Simon Cadell, Nigel Hawthorne and Roy Kinnear, among others, and was the last film work of Zero Mostel, as the voice of Kehaar the gull.
The film is the first visual adaptation of Watership Down, with a TV series, a miniseries and graphic novel that followed. The film has been deemed not suitable for younger children due to its violence.
Plot[]
Frith blessing El-ahrairah.
In Lapine language mythology, the world was created by the god Lord Frith. All animals were grass eaters, living harmoniously. The rabbits multiplied, and their appetite led to a food shortage. Frith ordered the rabbit prince, El-ahrairah, to control his people, but was scoffed at. In retaliation, Frith gave special gifts to every animal, making some into predators to control the rabbits. Satisfied that El-ahrairah has learned his lesson, Frith gives rabbits the gifts of speed and cunning.
Fiver has a vision of the fields being soaked with blood.
In the present, in a warren near Sandleford, a rabbit seer named Fiver has an apocalyptic vision of the fields being filled with blood. He takes his older brother Hazel to beg the chief for evacuation. The chief dismisses them, and orders Captain Holly, the head of the warren's Owsla police force, to stop those trying to leave. Fiver and Hazel along with other rabbits named Bigwig, Blackberry, Pipkin, Dandelion, Silver, and Violet manage to escape, passing a sign (meaningless to them) confirming that a residential development is coming.
Bigwig caught in a snare trap.
They journey through the woods, avoiding several dangerous situations until Violet – the group's only doe – is killed by a hawk. The others eventually meet a rabbit named Cowslip, who invites them to his warren, where a farmer leaves Cowslip's group ample vegetables. They are grateful, but Fiver leaves when he senses something unsettling in the atmosphere. Bigwig follows, berating Fiver for causing tension, when a snare catches Bigwig. Bigwig's friends manage to free him, and Fiver learns that the farmer is protecting and feeding Cowslip's warren so that he can snare rabbits for his own meals. The group returns to its journey.
Holly survives being attacked by humans.
The rabbits discover Nuthanger Farm, which contains a hutch of domesticated does. Before they can free the females, the farm cat and dog chase them away. Later, they are found by Captain Holly, who recounts the destruction of Sandleford by humans as well as vicious rabbits called the "Efrafans". Fiver finally finds the hill he envisioned, Watership Down, where the group settles in with Hazel as their new chief. They soon befriend an injured black-headed seagull named Kehaar, who flies out in search of does.
Hazel being shot by the farmer,
That night, the rabbits return to Nuthanger Farm to free the does, but an attempt to free them fails which ends with Hazel getting shot. Fiver follows a vision of the mythical Black Rabbit to his injured brother. Kehaar returns and, while pecking out buckshot from Hazel's leg with his beak, reports of the many does at the large Efrafa warren. Captain Holly describes it as a dangerous totalitarian state, but Hazel feels they must go there. Bigwig infiltrates the warren and is made an Owsla officer by their cruel chief, General Woundwort. Bigwig recruits several potential escapees to his cause, including Blackavar and Hyzenthlay. With Kehaar's help, the escapees find a boat to float down the river. That night, Kehaar leaves for his homeland with the gratitude of the warren.
Efrafan trackers eventually find Watership Down. Woundwort rejects Hazel's offer of peace and demands that all deserters must be turned over or the members Watership Down will be wiped out. While the Watership rabbits barricade their warren, Fiver slips into a trance, in which he envisions a dog loose in the woods. His mumbles inspire Hazel to try and release the farm dog and lead it to the Efrafans. When they arrive at the farm, Hazel bites the rope holding the dog and releases it while Blackberry, Dandelion and Hyzenthlay use themselves as bait to make the animal follow them.
Woundwort and Bigwig fight to the death.
Meanwhile, the Efrafans break through the warren's defenses. Woundwort easily slays Blackavar, then engages with Bigwig in a brutal fight that ends in stalemate. When the dog arrives and starts attacking the Efrafan soldiers, Woundwort abandons Bigwig and fearlessly confronts the dog. However, no trace of Woundwort is ever found which leaves his fate a mystery.
Hazel passes on.
Several years later, an elderly Hazel is visited by the Black Rabbit of Inlé, who invites him to join his own Owsla, assuring him of Watership Down's perpetual safety. Reassured, Hazel accepts and dies peacefully. His spirit follows the Black Rabbit through the woodland and trees towards the Sun, which metamorphoses into Frith, and the afterlife, as Frith's advice to El-ahrairah is heard once more.
Cast[]
- John Hurt as Hazel
- Richard Briers as Fiver
- Michael Graham Cox as Bigwig
- John Bennett as Captain Holly
- Ralph Richardson as the Threarah
- Simon Cadell as Blackberry
- Terence Rigby as Silver
- Roy Kinnear as Pipkin
- Richard O'Callaghan as Dandelion
- Denholm Elliott as Cowslip
- Lynn Farleigh as Tab
- Mary Maddox as Clover
- Zero Mostel as Kehaar
- Harry Andrews as General Woundwort
- Hannah Gordon as Hyzenthlay
- Nigel Hawthorne as Campion
- Clifton Jones as Blackavar
- Derek Griffiths as Vervain
- Michael Hordern as Lord Frith
- Joss Ackland as Black Rabbit of Inlé
- Michelle Price as Lucy
Uncredited[]
Development[]
The film was originally going to be directed by John Hubley. Producer Martin Rosen and Hubley frequently disagreed on the film's narrative, with Rosen pushing for grittiness and Hubley pushing for a lighter tone and more abstract visual style. Hubley had signed an exclusivity contract to work on the film, but Rosen soon found out he was secretly developing a new film, leading to Rosen firing Hubley from the film and becoming the director himself. Hubley's work can still be found in the film, most notably in the fable opening scene. Hubley died before the final film was released.
Martin Rosen was not entirely sure to do the film in animation, and considered live-action or puppetry, but eventually decided on conventional animation. He had never worked on animation prior, so he learned a lot while developing the film, having wrote and directed it. Rosen wanted Hyzenthlay to have more prominence due to little female characters in the original book.
The film was never originally intended to be released in theaters, and only managed to do so after a successful deal with investors. At its premiere, Rosen watched it with the king of England, Charles III.
Martin Rosen was asked to consider dubbing the film with American accents for an American market, but he refused since he felt the film was about the English countryside.
Music[]
Cover of the Album
The musical score was by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson. According to Martin Rosen's audio commentary, Angela Morley refused to do the film's music at first, and only agreed after heavy persuasion, and created the entire score in a very short amount of time.
Art Garfunkel's hit song "Bright Eyes", which was written by songwriter Mike Batt, briefly features. Martin Rosen was concerned about the song before release, as he felt an almost pop song was out of place.
Release and reception[]
Watership Down was first released to the UK on 19 October 1978, and was later released in the United States on 1 November 1978, for the latter, the movie was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures.
The film was an immediate success at the UK box office and has received a mostly positive critical reception, with an 82% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Aimed at adults perhaps more than children, this is a respectful, beautifully animated adaptation of Richard Adams' beloved book."
The film was nominated for Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1979. In 2004, the magazine Total Film named Watership Down the 47th greatest British film of all time and it was also ranked 15th in the "100 Greatest Tearjerkers".
Investors in the film reportedly received a return of 5,000% on their investment. Jake Eberts said people who invested the original $50,000 got a return of ten times their investment.
Violent content, controversy and rating change[]
An example of the film's violent content.
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A rabbit mauled by a dog.
Watership Down has received notoriety for being traumatic and disturbing for young children due including depictions of the rabbits in suffering, as well as containing scenes which many children have found frightening. The film portrays the rabbits in violent situations involving blood and death. The film has a "3 out of 5" on a "violence" rating on the site Common Sense Media.[1]
Since the film's release date and home media, unaware parents have showed the film to their children, assuming the film is a mere child friendly movie about cute cartoon bunnies. However, according to director Martin Rosen, the movie was never made for kids, saying, "I did not make this picture for kids at all. I insisted that the one-sheet [the film poster] indicate how strong a picture it was by having Bigwig the rabbit in a snare. I reckoned a mother with a sensitive child would see that – a rabbit in a snare with blood coming out its mouth – and reckon, ‘well maybe this isn’t for Charlie – it’s a little too tough’."
Hazel's death.
Other younger viewers did not find the film's darker content to be entirely negative, however. Some have found the film to be evocative, almost like a transformative spiritual experience that has affected their worldview. The film, especially scenes such as Hazel's death, also made them experience feelings akin to an existential crisis, and encouraged them to question its themes of spirituality, life and death, fascism, etc. The film has also encouraged some people to look into adopting rabbits, become interested in animal rights, become vegetarian/vegan, and so on.
A joke in the form of a demotivational poster.
In the UK, the film was initially rated U "universal" for all audiences. This is because there was no PG rating in the UK in 1978, so it was either universal or the then equivalent of a 15+, and the rating board felt U was more appropriate, a decision which would end up traumatizing and horrifying children in the end. In 2022, in order to prepare for the remastered 4K re-release, the film was finally re-rated 44 years later by the British Board of Film Classification to a PG (parental guidance) rating. This violent content has been the subject of Internet humor and memes, with jokes about how it has been traumatizing children since 1978. In 2008, the content received a parody in a Robot Chicken short called Watership Fraggle.
In 2016, Channel 5 in the UK showed the film during Easter Sunday. This caused controversy and caused parents to complain. Despite this, Channel 5 did the exact same thing a year later in 2017, causing parents to complain again. This was the last time Channel 5 aired the film.
Media[]
Home media releases[]
Watership Down was initially released on VHS in the UK by Thorn EMI Video, then later by Guild Home Video and Polygram Video. The film was given a DVD release in 2001 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and in 2005 by Warner Home Video.
In the US, Watership Down was first released on CED in 1981 and was given a VHS release in 1983 by Warner Home Video. The film was re-released several times on VHS by Warner Home Video, DVD in 2002, and re-released in 2008.
A UK Blu-ray for the film was planned to be released in 2010, but due to a rights dispute between Euro-London Films, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros., the release was canceled. Warner eventually released a BD release in Germany, where it held distribution rights. The UK Blu-ray was ultimately released in 2013 by Universal using the same HD master as on Warner's 2008 DVD and 2011 German Blu-Ray release. In 2014, Euro-London Films acquired the remaining US rights from Warner Bros (who had held US distribution rights since the 1980s) and licensed the film to The Criterion Collection for release on DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming in 2015 and Janus Films for theatrical repertory runs.
4K restoration[]
The film was restored by the BFI and Silver Salt Restoration using the original 35mm negative and stereo audio tracks. This version also played in theaters in October 2024. Its 4K UHD Blu-ray remaster was intended to release in October 2022, but it was delayed to February 2023. Although it was temporarily cancelled for unspecified reasons, the project was revived and released on November 11, 2024. Special features include:
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Newly recorded audio commentary by film and animation experts Catherine Lester and Sam Summers
- Vintage audio commentary by director Martin Rosen and writer and filmmaker Chris Gore (2003)
- Defining a Style (2005): short featurette about the film’s aesthetic
- A Conversation with the Filmmakers (2005, 17 mins): Archive featurette in which director Martin Rosen and editor Terry Rawlings discuss the production history of the film
- Storyboard comparison (2005, 15 mins): a look at four sequences from the film
- Super 8 version of the film (20 mins)
- Humberstone Super 8 footage (3 mins): Footage shot by Arthur Humberstone, one of the senior animators on Watership Down
- Designing Watership Down (2024, 5 mins): a gallery containing some of the materials related to Watership Down courtesy of The Arthur Humberstone Animation Archive
- Trailers, teasers & TV Spots
- Once We Were Four (1942, 9 mins): a bunny quartet face an onslaught of badgers, bombs and birds of prey in this black comedy masquerading as a nature film, directed by Mary Field
- Rabbits or Profits? (1969, 15 mins): public information film providing a potted history of rabbits in the UK
- Bolly in A Space Adventure (1968, 5 mins): a short Halas & Batchelor animation about the adventures of Bolly and his friends on imaginary planets, featuring animation by Tony Guy, animation director on Watership Down
- Make Believe (1948, 17 mins): Anson Dyer tells 'The Tale of Ronnie Rabbit' in this documentary showing the various stages of making a cartoon bunny
- Newly created optional English descriptive subtitles
- Newly created audio description track for the blind and visually impaired
- Double-sided poster featuring the original UK quad and the 2024 rerelease artwork
- A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
- Perfect-bound book featuring writing by Jez Stewart, Catherine Lester, Nigel and Klive Humberstone, Angela Morley, Charlie Brigden, Lillian Crawford, Vic Pratt, Tony Dykes and Michael Brooke
Picture book[]
A picture book adaptation was also produced, titled The Watership Down Film Picture Book, which was release in 1978. Two editions of the book were published, one a hardcover, the other a reinforced cloth-bound edition. The contents include film stills linked with a combination of narration and extracts from the script, a preface by Adams, and a foreword by Rosen.
Merchandise[]
Main page: Film/Merchandise
Behind the scenes[]
Main page: Film/Behind the Scenes
Deleted scenes[]
There have been multiple deleted scenes, one of the many was showing Captain Holly getting scratched by the Efrafans. Another was King Darzin and El-ahrairah's story, The King's Lettuce.
See also[]
Trivia[]
- The Plague Dogs is considered to be the film's sister movie because it was also based on a book written by Richard Adams, was directed by Martin Rosen, and also includes violence with animals.
- Martin Rosen was approached for a CGI remake on numerous occasions, but he wondered why and how it could be better than his animated film, especially in terms of storytelling, and because none of the replies he received were satisfactory to him, he never agreed to it. It took until 2018 for the Netflix version to be made.
- Because of a radio message of the BBC Home Service, a real industry, (After Hazel and Pipkin get past the Dog, the film takes place between 1939 and 1967.
- Richard Adams supposedly said this about the movie: "All I can say really is that the chap who did it, Martin Rosen, has always been a good friend of mine and I think he's made a very good job of it in as much as the public go and see it time after time. But all I can say is it's not my rabbits. I don't think I can develop that very well but if you read Watership Down and then have a look at the film, you'll immediately realize that those are not the rabbits in the book." [citation needed]
- On his Reddit AMA, he mentioned he did not really have any influence on the film's direction and said, "I feel the film was good in its own right, but departed a lot from the original material which I felt was a great shame. I felt critical about the fact that it didn't stick to the story that I'd written." He also mentioned to someone who watched the film and eventually read the book later in life, "So glad you DID get to the book. It's what I intended."
Trailer[]
Gallery[]
| Watership Down media |
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Print media Watership Down (1972) • Tales from Watership Down (1996) • The Graphic Novel (2023)
Animated media Film (1978) • TV series (1999-2001) • Miniseries (2018)
Video games Unten Am Fluss (2001)
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