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.

Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts

The Day of the Beast

The Day of the Beast (El día de la bestia). Álex de la Iglesia, 1995.

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Edition screened: Severin UHD, released 2021. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 104 minutes.


Summary: A woman prepares a rabbit in the kitchen and cuts it into pieces, 15:11 - 16:40.


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The Sacred Spirit

The Sacred Spirit (Espíritu sagrado). Chema García Ibarra, 2021.

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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2022. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 97 minutes.


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


The Arrow release includes a second Blu-ray with six short films by Ibarra, all free of animal violence. The short films are generally charming and better than The Sacred Spirit in various ways. The themes and characters among all seven films complement each other and expand the scope of the feature title.


The Attack of Robots from Nebula-5 (2008, approximately 6 minutes)

Protoparticles (2013, approximately 7 minutes)

Misterio (2013, approximately 12 minutes)

Uranes (2014, approximately 59 minutes)

The Disco Shines (2016, approximately 12 minutes)

The Golden Legend (2019, approximately 11 minutes)


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Cemetery of Terror

Cemetery of Terror (Cementerio del terror). Rubén Galindo, Jr., 1985.

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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray #337, released 2020. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 91 minutes.


Summary: No animals or references to animals in the film.


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Arrebato

Arrebato. Iván Zulueta, 1979.

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Edition screened: Altered Innocence DVD, released 2022. (Submitted by a friend; Thank you!) Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 115 minutes.


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

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Angel de fuego

Angel de fuego. Dana Rotberg, 1992.

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Edition screened: Desert Mountain DVD, released 2003. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 91 minutes.


Summary: Sacrifice of a young goat.


Details: A dead kid lies on an altar; blood has dripped down the altar cloth, 1:01:33-1:01:48. No killing or close-ups, but sad.


I appreciated Angel de fuego, superficially reminiscent of Santa sangre but telling a unique story of circus, religion, and desperation. Many scenes filmed in the impoverished fringes of Mexico City are haunting, beautiful, and laden with fading folk culture.


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Don’t Panic

Don’t Panic (Dimensiones ocultas). Rubén Galindo, Jr., 1987.

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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray  #341, released 2020. English dub. Runtime approximately 90 minutes.


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


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El Sur

El Sur. Victor Erice, 1983.

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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #927, released 2018. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 94 minutes.


Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.


The Criterion Blu-ray also includes an informative roundtable with four Spanish film critics about Erice in general and El Sur in particular.


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Grave Robbers

Grave Robbers (Ladrones de tumbas). Rubén Galindo Jr., 1989.

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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray #331, released 2020. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 88 minutes.


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


 

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¡Mi burro!

¡Mi burro! (Mi burro: esos huesos). Zach Passero, 2011.

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Edition screened: Included on Arrow Blu-ray The Woman, released 2020. Spanish language with English subtitle. Runtime approximately 7 minutes.


Summary: An animated short about a socially malignant animal, but with no particular depictions of violence or harm to him or to other animals.


 

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Edge of the Axe

Edge of the Axe. José Ramón Larraz (as Joseph Braunstein), 1988.
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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2020. Original English or original Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 91 minutes.

Summary: Murder of animals.

Details:
1) A tame pig is grabbed violently and we hear her squeal, 06:14.
2) The pig’s severed head is found on the woman’s bed, 7:50-7:54.
3) A small dog is found murdered, 51:14-51:16.


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The Holy Girl

The Holy Girl (La niña santa). Lucretia Martel, 2005.
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Edition screened: HBO DVD, released 2005. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 104 minutes.

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



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The Killer Is One of 13

The Killer Is One of 13 (El asesino está entre los trece). Javier Aguirre, 1973.
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Edition screened: Included in Vinegar Syndrome box set #314 Forgotten Gialli Volume 1, released 2020. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 95 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.


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Trauma

Trauma (Violación fatal). León Klimovsky, 1978.
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Edition screened: Included in Vinegar Syndrome box set #314 Forgotten Gialli Volume 1, released 2020. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 87 minutes.

Summary: Gratuitous kitchen prep.

Details: This project typically discounts scenes of routine kitchen prep that involve cutting meat and similar. Trauma includes a brief scene of decapitating a chicken carcass that is particularly graphic, 54:06-53:12.

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Roma (Cuarón)

Roma. Alfonso Cuarón, 2018.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #1014, released 2018. Spanish language. Runtime approximately 136 minutes.

Summary: Gratuitous taxidermy.

Details:
1) Heads of former pet dogs mounted and displayed like trophies, 54:10 - 55:22.
2) An enormous quantity of taxidermy specimens displayed among Christmas decorations, 57:18-59:10.

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Secta Siniestra

Secta Siniestra (Bloody Sect). Ignacio F. Iquino (as Steve McCoy), 1982.
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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray #294, released 2019. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 86 minutes.

Summary: Horrible murder of a toad.

Details:
1) A caged bird is found dead, the body removed and held through dialogue, 40:46-41:22.
2) A large live toad sitting in a small box is repeatedly stabbed with a knife until dead, 50:24-50:42.  Just horrible, with no cutaways until the poor creature stops moving.

The brutal and sadistic murder of the poor toad is inexcusable. If the director had not lowered himself to this action, Secta Siniestra would be a somewhat enjoyable and outrageous Fulci-style re-telling of Rosemary’s Baby. 


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Blood Hunger: The Films of José Larraz

Blood Hunger: The Films of José Larraz. 1970-1977 .
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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray set, released 2019. English and Spanish language with English subtitles. Cumulative runtime of four feature films approximately 265 minutes.

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

The Arrow set includes an assortment of interview and supplemental material, Simon Birrell’s short horror film His Last Request (2005), and three features by Larraz:

Whirlpool (1970)
Vampyres (1974)


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The Coming of Sin


The Coming of Sin (La visita del vicio/Vice Makes a Visit). José Ramón Larraz, 1977.
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Edition screened: Included in Arrow Blu-ray set Blood Hunger: The Films of José Larraz, released 2019. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 90 minutes.

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



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The Corruption of Chris Miller

The Corruption of Chris Miller (La Corrupción de Chris Miller). Juan Antonio Bardem. 1973.
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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray #271, released 2019. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 107 minutes.

Summary: Murder of a rabbit.

Details: A rabbit is killed by a quick blow to the head, with a follow-up shot of the dead rabbit lying on a table, 52:50-53:37.

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Cría cuervos

Cría cuervos. Carlos Saura, 1976.
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Edition screened: BFI Blu-ray, released 2913. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 110 minutes.

Summary: A pet guinea pig dies.

Details: We see the adorable pet guinea pig several times in the film. He is loved and well cared for. One day Ana goes to her room and finds him in bad shape. She gently picks him up, tells him that she will take care of him, and lays him on a pillow. The camera focuses on the girl’s face as she whispers “You’re dead.” The discovery and off-camera ‘death’ occur 1:25:20-1:26:20, followed by a serious, modest, and appropriate funeral as only a little girl would design.

I annotate this scene on principle, but there is NO reason to skip this brief and non-violent acknowledgement of beloved pet’s death. Cría cuervos is a truly superb film, distinguished by an excellent script, one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen, and time shifts within scenes that are handled with unequalled fluidity and directorial good judgement.

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For the First Time

For the First Time (Por primera vezi). Octavio Cortázar, 1967.
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Edition screened: Included on Criterion Blu-ray #543 Modern Times, released 2010. Spanish language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 9 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

A remote Cuban village is visited by two men who own a portable movie projection set-up including a generator and modest sound equipment. They interview a few people who have never seen a film before, visit the school, then screen Modern Times that evening. 
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