Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last... the UNCUT version, 12 Mar 2008
This is just a brief review to let buyers know that this edition contains the first UK DVD release of the FULL uncut version, which runs 99 minutes and contains 17 minutes of material which was removed for the film's US release in the early 80's. It also contains the 82-minute US cut which has been released on DVD before.
As with the Australian DVD release from a couple of years ago, the original full-length version of the film is in very poor shape; the sound and picture quality are, at best, on a par with my old VHS copy from 1983. This is apparently because only one print of the original version remains, and demand for the film is not high enough to justify a costly restoration job. If you want to see the whole film as it originally appeared in UK cinemas, this is probably as good as you'll ever get. The included 82-minute version is in markedly better condition.
Absurdly, the film still carries a PG certificate, despite being rated as a PG-13 (for the edited version) in the US and MA-15 in Australia. Any parents thinking of buying this for their children should be warned: this is a dark, disturbing tale that contains some highly upsetting scenes and is better suited for a teenage or adult audience.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic cult classic, but not for the faint-hearted, 22 Oct 2008
Anyone who has seen Richard Adams/Martin Rosen's adaptation of Watership Down will know what to expect from The Plague Dogs. You've got superb animation - even more polished and fluid in this case - great voice acting, and at the same time, an unrelenting and at times brutal story, which in The Plague Dogs focuses on the cruelty of mankind, as opposed to nature in Watership Down. This is not to say that it's sentimental: like Watership Down, The Plague Dogs presents its story objectively and lets the viewer make up their own mind.
Before I explain the story, I'll make one thing absolutely clear - this film is not for the faint-hearted. Children, animal-lovers and dog-owners alike will probably feel uncomfortable watching this film, for several reasons. And those who have read the book will find the story a couple of shades darker.
However, this is an excellent film and worth watching if you don't flinch from the storyline too much.
The Plague Dogs begins in an animal testing centre in the Lake District. The two protagonists, Rowf, a labrador-cross, and Snitter, a jack russell (voiced by John Hurt), are subjected to experiments out of human curiosity: Rowf is submerged in a tank for as long as he can remain conscious, in order to test canine lung capacity, and Snitter has had brain surgery to determine where the subjective and objective perception of the canine brain begins and ends.
One night, they both escape into the mountains.
This is purely about the animals - we follow Rowf and Snitter on their journey, where they take to attacking sheep to find food, and find friendship in "The Tod", a wily fox, all the while trying to escape from the "whitecoats".
While Snitter is desperate to find them a "master" to look after them, as he used to have, Rowf is bitter towards humans, but at the same time considers that the "whitecoats" are their only masters and perhaps they were right to be tested on in the first place.
The human characters are barely glimpsed, instead portrayed in back-and-forth voice-overs between the scientists and the locals as they try to track the animals down. The fact that Rowf and Snitter are falsely suspected of carrying the plague - a disease secretly being researched at the centre - gives the film its name.
There are several unpleasant sequences in The Plague Dogs, although not always "active" - there is of course the animal testing centre, and a couple of incidences when dogs and humans cross paths.
However, the animation is superb. Like the animated version of Lord of the Rings, no character is ever static on screen, even when they are not the subject of the shot, and there are some wonderful views over the Lake District.
If you are looking for an animated film with a difference I would highly recommend this. But I don't think this is suitable for young children; I would suggest adults watch first before placing their youngsters in front of it, especially since this is the uncut version.
A cult film with an interesting story and intriguing characters, The Plague Dogs in definitely a classic, but it's by no means a children's film.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a vastly underrated classic... but not for everyone..., 1 April 2008
Although this should be seen by everyone and some may find it very unsettling, it still carries a very important message over 25 years later.
Plague Dogs is a fantastic piece that does not really fit within any particular genre of film. Following the exploits of two escaped lab dogs as they evade their captors through the lake district countryside. The film moves quickly and you really feel for the two characters as they battle to succeed in their quest.
Martin Rosen, the Director has stated that he feels this to be his best work and you can see why - great voice acting and realistic hand drawn (no fancy CGI here) animation that only appears to have been achieved by this production team. Following the furry footed path of their hugely successful Watership Down in style, Plague Dogs stands out as a truly different picture.
Some years ago I acquired one of the rare uncut Thorn EMI VHS copies of this film that was released in the UK and to underline to comment made by the other reviewer - the dark nature of many parts of the movie are not for young children and it is very gory in one particular scene.
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