1982 Directed by Martin Rosen
Two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, stuggle to survive in the countryside after escaping from an animal research laboratory. They are pursued by search parties and then the military after rumors spread that they could be carrying the bubonic plague.
'n Hondeleven voor Twee
Don't let the one-sheet and film's title fool you. Both were obviously created as a bit of a laugh by the film's creators. The film is a lighthearted romp in which a couple of dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who are best mates. One day, their owner accidentally leaves the gate of their white picket fence unlatched, and they go for a fun adventure throughout their neighborhood in suburbia. If you're looking for a family-friendly film to watch with your kids, but are tired of the same old rehashed stories from the Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks studios, this film may provide the change you desire.*
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*this review may or may not be a lie.
The film ripped my heart out of my chest and dropped it into a meat grinder!
I still find its ability to turn me into a pile of quivering flesh by the time the credits roll completely mystifying! I'm a hardened gore hound for Pete's sake it's almost embarrassing to admit it got to me on such an emotional level! It was absolutely soul crushing!
The film was written, directed and produced by Martin Rosen! Yes him! The same man whom brought Watership Down to life on the big screen! So that pretty much explains why I need to cry on someone's shoulder right now!
Be sure to hunt down the uncut version! Animal lovers whom have an aversion to developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may wish to skip this one!
If you thought Watership Down was bleak, you haven't seen nothing yet. The same production company soon followed Watership with another Richard Adams adaptation, and this is in my view the better of the two.
Rowf (a labrador) and Snitter (a smooth fox-terrier) are a couple of dogs who escape from an animal research facility in the Lake District. Snitter (who still blames himself for the death of his owner) wants to find himself a new master, while a much more cynical Rowf intends to live like a wild animal. Accompanying a sly fox named Tod, the two dogs survive feeding on whatever they can find (including sheep) as a search party of lab scientists and angry farmers pursue them…
It would be inappropriate and disrespectful of me to say here that the reason why I have seen this film for the second time (which believe me, is not easy) was because this week marks the 7 month anniversary of the passing of one of my pets, a Chihuahua named Camila. I dedicate this review to her and her 12 years in my family and let her know that she was always loved in our home.
The Plague Dogs was the second and last animated film directed by the legendary Martin Rosen, although this one did not get the fame of Watership Down I consider it better and superior to this one in all aspects. The film narrates the odyssey…
It's easy to imagine a version of this story, with the same (incredible) visuals, laid out as a well-modulated adventure story with highs, lows, emotional catharsis, comic relief, and so on. But this is definitely not that movie - it's closer to von Trier than Spielberg, and it seems calculated to give the audience the bleakest possible view of the universe around them. It ultimately comes close to being more oppressive than satisfying, but the overall portrait of helpless innocence in a cruel world is a lot more resonant than the stuff you find in more "commercial" animated features.
If Lars von Trier made an animated movie at the peak of his Dogme days (pun actually not intended, if you can believe that), it might have been something like this. Minimalist, punishing, and quietly beautiful. The aspect that struck me the most was the way the writers/animators handled anthropomorphizing the dogs, if that's even the right word for what they did. They move and sometimes even have impulses and traits we'd imagine a dog would have, but they're definitely given a human intelligence and "spirit." A drive for survival that surpasses instinct and becomes, well, spiritual. At the same time, they're never made out to be too intelligent, cognizant, or emotional. It's an amazing balancing act that keeps you engaged with the characters while still fully believing that they are dogs. I've never seen anything like it.
"Have you ever thought, Rowf... that we won't need food when we're dead? Or names for that matter... I wonder who the buzzards will like best... You, or me..."
My heart shattered. My soul destroyed. My innocence lost. My ramblings ceaseless.
I know it's probably common for me to talk about some films in such a strong light, but I'm not sure if I can help it. These films speak to me somehow.
I like to refer to films like this as "existential horror", not really in the traditional horror sense, but touch the human heart on a far deeper level of what most of us find most terrifying, which is life itself.
The Plague Dogs is another flawless exhibition…
Decided to double feature this with Watership Down tonight; that movie being one I deeply love and have seen several times, while this one I only remember devastating me once as a child and never watching again. Well after five minutes of ugly crying through the credits of this movie I can say not much has changed.
Both are gorgeous films, lovingly crafted in every regard. While Watership Down might be noted for its violence, The Plague Dogs instead opts for bleakness. There is, arguably, a sliver of hope in its final moments, but it feels a far stretch from the uplifting conclusion of its counterpart. Still, it's a rich and moving journey, worth enduring the heartache for.
Adult-oriented animation, particularly that centred around animals, tends to follow a formula. Bleak presentation, deconstruction of the cruelty of man, a plethora of human characters whose faces are never given any real focus... It's a formula because it works, but sometimes, as is the case with Martin Rosen's The Plague Dogs, the simplicity of the bleakness on display winds up feeling less "simple" and more slight.
There's a calmness to the 2D animation here that contrasts with some of the more gruesome imagery, complemented effectively by smooth voiceover work from John Hurt and Christopher Benjamin (sounding like Iain Glen channelling Ian McKellen). We get a decent glimpse into the distraught minds of these poor tortured dogs, particularly Snitter's (Hurt's) schizophrenic…
An extremely powerful film that looks at the devastating effects of animal testing. The film is slow at points and is difficult to watch. Though Plague Dogs has an important message and a masterful way of presenting it. Due to the great animation, writing and voice acting.
