Last night's film was 1982's 'THE PLAGUE DOGS', a full length 'adult' animated adventure film. (I say 'adult' there as whilst the film is rated PG, it's absolutely not for children. Indeed this was one of the reasons the film struggled at release as animation was seen as being for children at the time.)
It tells the story of two dogs who escape from an animal research facility in The Lake District. Both have been experimented on repeatedly in cruel ways (the film opens with one of the dogs being left to swim to exhaustion in a water tank, only being rescued after his strength fades completely and he sinks to the bottom of the tank, and then resuscitated, as the scientists discuss how he is managing to swim for longer as the experiment is repeated), so after their escape they imagine that their lives will get much better.
One of the dogs, Snitter, had a human master before ending up at the facility, and is convinced that they will find kind humans to become their master. The other dog, Rowf, has only known life within the facility and sees all humans as cruel, he refers to them as 'whitecoats'.
Life outside the facility proves to be hard, and the dogs quickly become hungry. However, a fox called Tod befriends them and offers to show the dogs how to survive in return for a share of their kills.
Their killing of sheep quickly angers local farmers, and in time rumours start to circle that the dogs escaped from the facility and may be carrying the plague as it was being experimented on there, by now the press and television are also involved - and the dogs find themselves being hunted by both the farmers and latterly the army as well.
The film is animated beautifully, it was 100% hand drawn with no rotoscoping or computer assistance. The voice acting is superb, the cast including John Hurt, James Bolam, Warren Mitchell, Patrick Stewart and Christopher Benjamin amongst others.
There isn't a single human face in the entire film, all humans are shown from the chest down, and whilst they are not presented as being universally cruel, we're not left in much doubt as to the goodies are, and who the baddies are.
As the film moved towards its climax I became almost completely lost in the story and the characters, willing the dogs an escape and a happy ending - the final scene when it came was as emotionally wrenching as anything I've seen for a very long time.
905/1000
NOTE - Exists in two versions, a much shortened 86 minute cut and a recently restored and released 103 minute cut, make sure you get the 103 minute cut.
NOTE - Do not be fooled by the PG certificate, this is not a film for children to watch alone. Watch it with them and be prepared to talk to them about it afterwards.
Attachment:
plague.PNG