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.

Retro Christmas Classics! Volume 2

Retro Christmas Classics! Volume 2. Various directors, 1950s and 1960s.

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Edition screened: Something Weird DVD, released 2008. English language. Runtime approximately 110 minutes.


Summary: As indicated below, #5 includes about three seconds of a line-art brat punching a line-art cat. Let’s let this one slide.


The sixteen shorts and trailers in this compilation run as one feature.  I have added accurate start times to the descriptions copied from the Something Weird webpage:


1)  0:20 - Intermission Ad: “Merry Christmas” 1939


2)  1:06 - Merry Christmas (1950, b&w) Santa’s Sweat Shop in the North Pole buzzes with activity. Three happy elves toil and tinker to make toys for good little boys and girls. Meanwhile, a suburban family sings carols by the tree and Dad tries to sipe Junior’s toy train set.


3)  9:43 - A Christmas Message from Rosemary Clooney (1950s, b&w) George Clooney’s aunt pleads for you to buy Christmas Seals.


4)  12:22 - A Christmas Journey (1950, b&w) A little Russian boy desperately wants to deliver a Christmas tree to his father who works in Antartica (!) So the kid borrows Santa’s star-studded jet plane (huh?) and embarks on a crazy adventure that takes him to Africa (?) along the way.


5)  22:52 - Intermission Ads: “Merry Christmas” 1954 and 1959. See the making of a serial killer as a cartoon kid beats on a cartoon cat.


6)  25:13 - Christmas Time in Toyland (1930s, b&w) Scary stop-motion animation and a relentless parade of vintage mechanical toys make Toyland come to life. Santa looks crazed amongst the decrepit old wooden elves and automatons who populate his workshop.


7)  34:25 - Intermission Ad: “Merry Christmas” 1955


8)  35:48 - The Christmas Visitor (1961, b&w) A cartoon Santa drops down the chimney then boozes it up and smokes a cigar while toys cause mayhem all while an unsuspecting family lay snug in their beds.


9)  42:41 - Intermission Ad: “The Lights of Christmas” 1956


10)  43:30 - A Visit from St. Nicholas (1949, b&w) Primitive animation and models tell the story of The Night Before Christmas.


11)  47:14 - Intermission Ad: “Cordial Holiday Greetings” 1950s


12)  47:40 - Christmas Tree (1960s, color) Get out the pipe cleaners, glitter and yarn! Crafty critters go on a mission to find a Christmas tree!


13)  54:39 - Intermission Ad: “Christmas Legends” 1957


14)  55:25 - The First Noel (1961, color) It’s Bible time sixties-style! The story of the birth of Jesus is lovingly portrayed with modern art quasi-animation.


15)  1:07:56 - The Littlest Angel (1950, color) A little misfit cherub seeks redemption from the Big Guy. After trudging to the place of judgment, he gets his act together and even gives the newborn Baby Jesus his most prized possession. What did you expect from a Christian cartoon?


16)  1:21:45 - Liberace Christmas Show (1954, b&w) And now for the grand finale! Nothing screams Christmas more than the tinkling of piano keys and Liberace’s comforting crooning performed in an artificial winter wonderland! Santa (who looks remarkably like his brother George) even stops by!


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