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Watership Down: The Criterion Collection
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Criterion Collection Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (21st June 2015). |
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The Film
 "Watership Down" is not your usual animated film, it's nothing like what you'd see from the likes of Disney. It's a much darker film geared towards a slightly older audience - much like the films of Ralph Bakshi, it's challenging, violent and occasionally brutal. Don't let the images of fluffy bunnies fool you, this is a provocative film dealing with heavy themes of life, death, conflict and fear set among a changing world dictated by the actions of men. The Criterion Collection adds this landmark film to their catalogue and it makes a welcomed addition. "Watership Down" adapts Richard Adams' novel and tells the story of a group of rabbits led by Hazel (John Hurt) and his younger brother, Fiver (Richard Briers). Fiver sees a vision of the future that is frightening and tells of the coming destruction of their warren. Hazel tries to warn the community that they are in danger and must leave, but he fails to convince the Chief Rabbit (Ralph Richardson) that they must all evacuate. Instead of waiting for their ultimate end, Hazel and a small group of believers decide to set out on their own. They embark on a journey fraught with danger in the form of predators like eagles, rats, dogs and cats, humans and even other dangerous rabbits. Even when they find a new home the dangers continue when they encounter a neighbour in the insane General Woundwart (Harry Andrews). Considered to be the most violent animated "PG" rated film ever made and despite it's relatively crude by today's standard of animation, the film is rather brutal. The tone is dark, the tussles are vicious, it's a hard watch sometimes even as an adult. The British Board of Film Classification still receives complaints about this film, 33 years after it was made! I suppose some parents simply judge the film by its cover and assume it's a family friendly adventure with rabbits. While the film is dark, I actually think more children should see it, the film teaches so many lessons regarding leadership and bravery. Matched with themes of nature and humanity paints a stark portrait all told through rabbits. For all intents and purposes this film shouldn't exist - an animated film featuring rabbits as the main protagonists geared towards a more mature audience? That's a tough pitch even for today. If it where up to an American studio you can bet that the story would be watered down and made family friendly removing all elements that make this story so memorable. The all British production didn't skip a beat in ensuring that the content and themes of Richard Adams' novel remained intact in their adaptation. The result is a striking film, one that will continue to be regarded as a landmark in animation.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 mastered in high definition 1080p 24/fps using AVC MPEG-4 compression. Like many films in The Criterion Collection, a full restoration was completed for this high definition debut. The film's organic colors have been rendered beautifully, dirt and specks for the most park have been removed and the result is a fairly decent image. Some animation lines and depth aren't as vivid as they could be, but that can also be due to the older hand drawn animation process.
Audio
A single audio track is included in English LPCM 2.0 Stereo, the film's dialogue is crisp and clear, I couldn't hear any noticeable flaws. As usual any hiss, pops, or crackle that tends to reside among old audio tracks have been removed or cleaned up. While the film is primarily front heavy, I found that the clarity was solid and the film's soundtrack felt prominent despite the lack of a 5.1 sound mix. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
The Criterion Collection has released this film with a series of new supplements that include three featurettes, a storyboard feature, the film's theatrical trailer, and a liner notes booklet. Below is a closer look at these supplements. The first featurette is an "Passion Project: Martin Rosen on Watership Down" (1080p) which runs for 16 minutes 21 seconds. This feature is an interview with the film's director as he discusses the origin of the project, the challenges of creating the film especially in gaining the financing among other things. "A Movie Miracle: Guillermo del Toro on Watership Down" is a featurette (1080p) which runs for 12 minutes 23 seconds, this feature sees the Mexican director discuss the importance of this film, on it's legacy and the influence it has had. Following that is a Picture-in-picture storyboards (1080p). This feature allows viewers to watch the entire film with the original storyboards created during the production. "Defining a Style" is a featurette (1080p) which runs for 12 minutes 34 seconds, this is an older clip from ten years ago, it takes a look at the animation style of the film. The film's original theatrical trailer (1080p) is also included and runs for 3 minutes 43 seconds. Included in the case is the usual liner notes booklet that features an essay by comic book writer Gerard Jones.
Overall
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