The Plague Dogs 1982

director: Martin Rosen  


Genre

Category

Country

Great Britain, United States

Cast

Synopsis

Richard Adams's best-seller from the team who brought you Watership Down
A fox terrier and a black labrador succeed in escaping from an animal research station in the Lake District where they have been subjected to cruel experiments in the name of science. Out on the rugged fells they attempt to survive, wild and free. But they must run for their lives when it is rumoured that they are carriers of the plague, for a hunt has begun. Once again Martin Rosen brings together the skilled team of animators who made Watership Down, whose unsentimental approach realistically creates the pain of an animal Auschwitz, the beauty of the Lakes, and the smelly; doggy world the "heroes" inhabit. A powerful tale from one of today's best storytellers.

Formats

Available on VHSAvailable on BetamaxAvailable on V2000

Average User Rating: 1 Vote(s)
 
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Average User Rating
Coverscan of The Plague Dogs
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Distributor Thorn EMI
Catalogue Number TVA 901707 2
Release Series
Release Date December 1983
Duration:
Printed Classification
Notes
User Reviews:
by Lee James Turnock
For years, I referred to this as 'the scary dogs cartoon', because the pirate copy I owned back in the day had the opening titles and end credits missing, and I didn't find out until decades later exactly why a terrier with an unspecified head injury and a bad-tempered black retriever were living rough on the moors with a smart-arsed Geordie fox. Turns out they're lab dogs on the run and they're trying to revert back to their wild state as a final 'up yours' to the human race, be they 'masters' (owners) or 'whitecoats' (scientists). This was a second stab at a Richard Adams adaptation from Martin Rosen, the director of [i]Watership Down[/i], and lightning resolutely failed to strike twice - largely because this is far more depressing than the aforementioned rabbit-based fable and several steps down the ladder in terms of artistic achievement - the backgrounds especially. The American version was trimmed to try and make it more 'family friendly', which was a fool's errand from the start because this is a bleak, downbeat and troubling bastard of a film you really only need to watch once.