Animal Farm (1954)

Name of the Film: Animal Farm

Year film was made: 1955

Name of Director: John Halas, Joy Batchelor

Cast: Gordon Heath, Maurice Denham

Star Rating: 2/10

Animal Farm is meant to be about hierarchy and about how once they had got rid of the farmer, they are supposedly meant to be free from it all, but instead the pigs become the new ‘farmers’ and change the rules as they go on.

I wasn’t expecting too much murder to go in this but yet it was abit enjoyable watching animals take over other animals. This film was not as I was expecting it to be as, as it is supposed to be a children’s film yet younger children wouldn’t understand what the actual movie is supposed to be about. As the rating is a U and the age says on this site ‘7+’, I think that people at this age wouldn’t grasp the full potential as they would find parts of the film hard to understand. The film’s information says, “A faithful retelling of the classic story by novelist George Orwell.

At first, the story may seem innocent enough and the colourful cast of talking farm animals cute - but look closer, and there's a dark and powerful tale being told here. When a group of farm animals run the evil farm owner off his land, everything seems like it's soon going to be perfect in this fair and just new world. But soon the pigs start warring amongst themselves, forcing the animals to choose sides...” this seems to give out a lot of info about the film itself and seems to grasp everything the film is about. This piece of info gives out a lot of the gripping and good parts of the film as if to draws your attention and makes you watch it.

I liked the film because of the hierarchy and how after all of what happened with the revolution on the farm and the pigs taking over, the farm returned back to the way it was in the first place. The farmer was replaced by the pigs and slowly the rules that where set began to change for the better for the pigs. This sets out the example that as one leader falls another one takes its place.

The film was made of the Book by George Orwell and is a perfect example of the world’s way of working. One of the pigs names is ‘Napoleon’. This links back to the French Revolution and how he became the emperor after it. This is kind of what happens in the film, as when the animals form a revolution against the farmer they manage to run him out of the farm. Once he has left the farm they manage to keep the rules that they have made for a while until Napoleon manages to take over. He changes the farm to how it would benefit him and the rest of the pigs.

I didn’t like most of the murder in the film as I believe that this wouldn’t be suitable for the age it says. I believe that the main aim of the film was to entertain the people watching it; it was also to teach you lessons about hierarchy and it sent a powerful message that when one leader falls another takes its place. I believe that this film achieved one of its aims (the one to inform you and teach you about hierarchy); this was achieved by all of the film as it sends the message across in every part it shows.

My overall opinion on the film ‘Animal Farm’ is that it isn’t the best film that was around at that time and the murder was a slight too much for the younger viewers. I give this film 2/10 as I believe the film shouldn’t have been rated seven plus.