Violence to Animals in Film: September 2014

Heads Up, Ears Down

This blog accurately identifies depictions of violence and cruelty toward animals in films. The purpose is to provide viewers with a reliable guide so that such depictions do not come as unwelcome surprises. Films will be accurately notated, providing a time cue for each incident along with a concise description of the scene and perhaps relevant context surrounding the incident. In order to serve as a useful reference tool, films having no depictions of violence to animals will be included, with an indication that there are no such scenes. This is confirmation that the films have been watched with the stated purpose in mind.

Note that the word depictions figures prominently in the objective. It is a travesty that discussions about cruelty in film usually are derailed by the largely unrelated assertion that no animals really were hurt (true only in some films, dependent upon many factors), and that all this concern is just over a simulation. Not the point, whether true or false. We do not smugly dismiss depictions of five-year-olds being raped because those scenes are only simulations. No, we are appalled that such images are even staged, and we are appropriately horrified that the notion now has been planted into the minds of the weak and cruel.

Depictions of violence or harm to animals are assessed in keeping with our dominant culture, with physical abuse, harmful neglect, and similar mistreatment serving as a base line. This blog does not address extended issues of animal welfare, and as such does not identify scenes of people eating meat or mules pulling plows. The goal is to itemize images that might cause a disturbance in a compassionate household.

These notes provide a heads-up but do not necessarily discourage watching a film because of depicted cruelty. Consuming a piece of art does not make you a supporter of the ideas presented. Your ethical self is created by your public rhetoric and your private actions, not by your willingness to sit through a filmed act of violence.

The Theatre of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal

The Theatre of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal (Théâtre de Monsieur & Madame Kabal). Walerian Borowczyk, 1967.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 77 minutes.

Notes: Abstracted butterflies are exploded or shot throughout this animated film. Another sequence focuses on killing a hawk-like bird and removing its organs for examination and raw consumption.

Scherzo infernal

Scherzo infernal. Walerian Borowczyk, 1984.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 5 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Rosalie

Rosalie. Walerian Borowczyk, 1966.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French language and intertitles with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 15 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

Renaissance

Renaissance. Walerian Borowczyk, 1963.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. No dialogue track. Runtime approximately 9 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Phonograph

The Phonograph (Le phonographe). Walerian Borowczyk, 1969.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. Music and sound effects; no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 6 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Joachim’s Dictionary

Joachim’s Dictionary (Le Dictionnaire de Joachim). Walerian Borowczyk, 1965.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French intertitles with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 10 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

The Greatest Love of All Time

The Greatest Love of All Time (‘Portrait of Lubja’ / L'Amour monstre de tous les temps). Walerian Borowczyk, 1978.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French intertitles with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 10 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Grandma’s Encyclopaedia

Grandma’s Encyclopaedia (L’Encyclopedie de grand-maman en 13 volumes). Walerian Borowczyk, 1963.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French intertitles with English subtitles, some English language. Runtime approximately 7 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

Gavotte

Gavotte. Walerian Borowczyk, 1967.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. Music, no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 11 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

Diptych

Diptych. Walerian Borowczyk, 1967.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 9 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Concert

The Concert (Le Concert de M. et Mme. Kabal). Walerian Borowczyk, 1962.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. Sound effects, no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 7 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

The Astronauts

The Astronauts. Walerian Borowczyk & Chris Marker, 1959.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French and English intertitles; music and sound effects; no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 13 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

@ BL

Angels’ Games

Angels’ Games (Les jeux des anges). Walerian Borowczyk, 1964.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation released 2014. French and English intertitles; music and sound effects; no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 12 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation

Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films and Animation. Walerian Borowczyk, 1959-1984.

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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2014. Collective runtime approximately 233 minutes.

This important Arrow release is free of depictions of animal violence except for cartoon cruelty in The Theatre of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal. The set compiles:

The Astronauts (1959 short)

The Concert (1962 short)

Grandma's Encyclopaedia (1963 short)

“Holy Smoke” (1963 commercial)

Renaissance (1963 short)

“The Musuem” (1964 commercial)

“Tom Thumb” (1964 commercial)

Angels’ Games (1964 short)

Joachim's Dictionary (1965 short)

Rosalie (1966 short)

The Theatre of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal (1967 feature)

Gavotte (1968 short)

Diptych (1967 short)

The Phonograph (1969 short)

The Greatest Love of All Time (1977 documentary short)

Scherzo infernal (1984 short)

Also included are two 2014 documentaries by Daniel Bird, his 28-minute introduction to the filmmaker titled Film Is Not a Sausage, and Blow Ups, a 5-minute survey of Borowczyk’s fine art techniques.

Knock on Wood

Knock on Wood. Norman Panama and Frank Melvin, 1953.

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Edition screened: Olive Blu-ray, released 2013. English language and ventriloquism. Runtime approximately 103 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Klown

Klown (Klovn: The Movie). Mikkel Nørgaard, 2010.

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Edition screened: Image/Drafthouse DVD, released 2012. Danish language with English. Runtime approximately 99 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

King Creole

King Creole. Michael Curtiz, 1958.

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Edition screened: Paramount DVD, released 2000. English language. Runtime approximately 115 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Killing (Danish TV)

The Killing (Forbrydelsen). Made for Danish TV, various directors, 2007-2012.

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Edition screened: Nordisk Film DVDs, released 2011-2012. Danish language with English subtitles. Runtime of Season 1 approximately 1100 minutes; Season 2 approximately 580 minutes; Season 3 approximately 580 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Killing (American TV)

The Killing (Seasons 1-4, made for American TV). Various directors, 2011-2014.

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Season 1: Fox Blu-ray set, released 2011. Runtime approximately 587 minutes.

Summary: Occasional brief discussion of killing a cat. Nothing depicted visually or explained in detail.

Season 2: Fox DVD set, released 2012. Runtime approximately 598 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Season 3: Fox DVD set, released 2013. Runtime approximately 528 minutes.

Summary: Episode 1: While jogging, Detective Linden discovers the decomposing bodies of a herd of cattle, 34:44-35:19, including one cow that is very near death and suffering. She goes home for her gun, returns, and shoots the suffering cow, 40:32-41:00.

Season 4: Fox Blu-ray set, released 2014. Runtime approximately 345 minutes.

The Killing (Kubrick)

The Killing. Stanley Kubrick, 1956.

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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #575, released 2011. English language. Runtime approximately 84 minutes.

Summary: Depiction of shooting a horse.

Details: The shooting of a racehorse is discussed briefly in a few scenes, then is depicted at 1:02:14 by a very fast image of a horse falling on the track synchronized with a rifle shot. No blood or detail images.

Killer’s Kiss

Killer’s Kiss. Stanley Kubrick, 1955.

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Edition screened: Included on Criterion Blu-ray #575 The Killing, released 2011. English language. Runtime approximately 67 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Kill Bill Volume 2

Kill Bill Volume 2. Quentin Tarantino, 2004.

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Edition screened: Miramax Blu-ray, released 2011. English language. Runtime approximately 136 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals, but one scene has extensive discussion with a little girl who describes how she killed her goldfish.

Kill Bill Volume 1

Kill Bill Volume 1. Quentin Tarantino, 2003.
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Edition screened: Miramax Blu-ray, released 2011. English language. Runtime approximately 111 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Kentucky Fried Movie

Kentucky Fried Movie. John Landis, 1977.

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Edition screened: Anchor Bay DVD, released 2000. English language. Runtime approximately 83 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Keane

Keane. Lodge Kerrigan, 2004.

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Edition screened: Magnolia DVD, released 2006. English language. Runtime approximately 100 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Kagemusha

Kagemusha. Akira Kurosawa, 1980.

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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #267, released 2009. Japanese language with English. Runtime approximately 180 minutes.

Summary: Depictions of horses killed in battle.

Details: The concluding scene of Kagemusha begins with a prolonged survey of fallen soldiers and horses after the Battle of Nagashino. Many horses are depicted as writhing in agony, falling in the attempt to stand, and similar situations, 2:51:25-2:55:50.

Junebug

Junebug. Phil Morrison, 2005.

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Edition screened: Eureka! Blu-ray, released 2009. English language. Runtime approximately 107 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Hall Bartlett, 1973.

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Edition screened: Paramount DVD, released 2007. English language. Runtime approximately 99 minutes.

Summary: Repeated scenes of seagulls in peril and injured.

I was surprised by how strongly I disliked this movie, after spending most of my life assuming that it was a joyous film, an exploration of freedom and spirit emerging from the structure of a nature documentary.

Our lead seagull talks most of the way through the film, and not in a manner that any animal lover, naturalist, or romantic would want him to speak. No, our seagull learned English by imitating some Buddy Hackett impersonator in a straight-to-video Disney knockoff. “Hey! What are these ugly flappy things under me? They’re like two loaves of soggy bread stapled to a cheap mattress. Hey! They’re my feet! Whoa!!! I have feet!!” … For 90 minutes. During this time he is physically terrorized by other animals, crashes endlessly against cliffs, and suffers other bloody injuries.

I am as confused as anyone about Neil Diamond. But if his mid-70s crooning is of interest, listen to the JLS theme song while enjoying the deceptively tranquil poster, and let the actual movie go.

Jefferson in Paris

Jefferson in Paris. James Ivory, 1995.

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Edition screened: Buena Vista DVD, released 2004. English language. Runtime approximately 139 minutes.

Summary: Displays of dead animals

Details:

1) Dead rabbit and birds hanging in the kitchen, featured during dialogue 1:08:37-1:09:10.

2) Hunting dogs rip apart/eat a large deer carcass, 1:40:54-1:41:51.

The Girls

The Girls (Flickorna). Mai Zetterling, 1968.

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Edition screened: New Yorker DVD, released 2006. Swedish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 100 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The New Yorker release also includes Christina Olofson’s 73-minute reunion documentary Lines from the Heart (1996).

Faust (Murnau)

Faust: Eine Deutsche Volkssage. F.W. Murnau, 1926.

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Edition screened: Eureka! Masters of Cinema Blu-ray #78, released 2014. German intertitles with English subtitles, no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 107 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray also includes “The Masterpiece: Faust” from Luciano Berriatúa’s filmic explorations The Language of the Shadows: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and His Films.

Earnest Hemingway’s ‘The Killers’

Earnest Hemingway’s ‘The Killers’. Robert Siodmak, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Don Siegel, 1946-1964.

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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #176, released 2015. English language and Russian language with English subtitles. Compiled runtime approximately 215 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Criterion 2-DVD set offers filmed versions of Hemingway’s short story by Robert Siodmak (1946), Andrei Tarkovsky (1956), and Don Siegel (1964), as well as a recording of the 1948 “Screen Director’s Playhouse” radio play (30 minutes), and the original short story read by Stacy Keach (18 minutes).

The Killers (Siegel)

The Killers. Don Siegel, 1964.

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Edition screened: Included on Criterion Blu-ray #176 Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Killers’, released 2015. English language. Runtime approximately 94 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

An enjoyable over-the-top retelling of the Hemingway story by the same name, starring Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and John Cassavetes.

The Killers (Siodmak)

The Killers. Robert Siodmak, 1946.

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Edition screened: Included on Criterion Blu-ray #176 Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Killers’, released 2015. English language. Runtime approximately 94 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

Burt Lancaster stars in this telling of the Hemingway story.

The Killers (Tarkovsky)

The Killers. Andrei Tarkovsky and Alexander Gordon, 1956.

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Edition screened: Included on Criterion Blu-ray #176 Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Killers’, released 2015. Russian language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 19 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

A short film made by Tarkovsky and several classmates while they were students at Vsesoyuznyj Gosudarstvennyj Institut Kinematografii (VGIK). Tarkovsky’s screenplay submitted to his instructors for this project was the first western work approved to be filmed.

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