Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - W 3 Mins Read

    Watership Down (1978)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    This animated version of Richard Adams’s bestselling novel about a group of rabbits searching for a new home was a box-office success, despite the difficulty of being pigeonholed as a “kids’ movie” but released with a PG certificate (for several genuinely scary scenes).

    In fact, the faithful retelling of the story of a colony of rabbits seeking a new home after the destruction of their warren gives the movie a dark sophistication that will attract older children and their parents. Next to Bambi, this often harrowing film must surely hold a record for most children traumatised.

    When the story begins, a young rabbit named Fiver (voiced by Richard Briers) has an apocalyptic vision of his clan’s warren being destroyed. Fiver and his older brother, Hazel (voiced by John Hurt), share the vision with their contemptuous leader, Chief Rabbit (voiced by Ralph Richardson), who dismisses their worries.

    watership

    Sure that danger is looming, Fiver and Hazel lead a group of friends away from the warren in search of a new life. So begins an adventure that involves ecological devastation, existential quandaries, lethal predation, reproductive angst, social strife, and other heavy issues.

    Martin Rosen inherited the project after John Hubley, who helped animate many Disney classics of the 1940s, had departed owing to “creative differences”.

    The voice cast – including a bonkers Zero Mostel as the seagull Kehaar – is truly impressive.

    Hurt and Rosen would reunite for the animated dramatisation of Adams’s darker follow-up, The Plague Dogs. And the tale is crowned (or saddled, according to taste) with Art Garfunkel’s rendition of the chart-topping Bright Eyes.

    The visual style is ambitious, with a naturalistic style and watercolour backgrounds that some may find clunky and others will adore.

    The animation hasn’t aged well since 1978, while the script rings false in places, yet the narrative’s cumulative power still casts a spell and bunny tyrant General Woundwort (Harry Andrews) remains a uniquely chilling villain.

    Fans of the book and Japanese manga should appreciate its unique look, others may find themselves drifting off.

    Exercise caution before introducing kiddies to this doom-laden tale!

    Hazel
    John Hurt
    Fiver
    Richard Briers
    Bigwig
    Michael Graham-Cox
    Captain Holly
    John Bennett
    Chief Rabbit
    Ralph Richardson
    Blackberry
    Simon Cadell
    Silver
    Terence Rigby
    Pipkin
    Roy Kinnear
    Dandelion 
    Richard O’Callaghan
    Cowslip 
    Denholm Elliott
    Cat 
    Lynn Farleigh
    Clover 
    Mary Maddox
    General Woundwort 
    Harry Andrews
    Hyzenthlay
    Hannah Gordon
    Kehaar
    Zero Mostel
    Frith
    Michael Hordern

    Director
    Martin Rosen

    Video

    Related Posts

    • 14, The (1973)
      14, The (1973)
      Set against the backdrop of a rundown terraced street in London’s East End that’s been earmarked for redevelopment, actor/director David…
    • Go-Between, The (1971)
      Go-Between, The (1971)
      Summer 1900: Queen Victoria's last and the summer Leo (Dominic Guard) turns 13. He's the guest of Marcus (Richard Gibson),…
    • Little Prince, The (1974)
      Little Prince, The (1974)
      Antoine de Saint-Exupery's delicate fable about the meaning of life takes quite a tumble in this glossy, ultra-sophisticated movie version.…
    • Straw Dogs (1971)
      Straw Dogs (1971)
      Sam Peckinpah's controversial film about David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman), an American mathematician, and Amy (Susan George), his young beautiful wife,…
    • Monique (1970)
      Monique (1970)
      Bill (David Sumner) and Jean (Joan Alcorn) are a modern young married middle-class couple with two young children and a…
    • Shimmering Light (1978)
      Shimmering Light (1978)
      This Australian made-for-TV movie presented 29-year-old American dropout Kevin Pearse (Beau Bridges) who decides to pursue his love of surfing…
    • Thunderbolt & Lightfoot (1974)
      Thunderbolt & Lightfoot (1974)
      Clint Eastwood is hardened bank robber John 'Thunderbolt' Doherty and Jeff Bridges is his sassy young apprentice, Lightfoot, in another…
    • Sting, The (1973)
      Sting, The (1973)
      Quite clearly designed to exploit the successful teaming of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWaterloo (1970)
    Next Article Weekend (1967)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Steel Magnolias (1989)
      Six dizzy modern-day southern belles hang out in Truvy’s […]
    • Q-Tips, The
      While serving an apprenticeship at a Vauxhall car factory, Paul […]
    • Civilisation
      1 9 6 9 (UK) 13 x 50 minute episodes A 13-part documentary […]
    • Tokens, The
      This Brooklyn doo-wop group was originally known as The […]
    • President’s Analyst, The (1967)
      It may seem dated today, but this clever satire was the ultimate […]
    • Hawaiian Eye
      1 9 5 9 – 1 9 6 3 (USA) 134 x 60 minute episodes This […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.