Animal Farm (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Stephenson

Writers (WGA):

George Orwell (novel)
Alan Janes (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

3 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

There's a new day dawning on the farm.

Plot:

The animals of a farm successfully revolt against its human owner, only to slide into a more brutal tyranny among themselves.

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Pig | Communism | Tyranny | Satire

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kelsey Grammer	...	Snowball (voice)
Ian Holm	...	Squealer (voice)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Mollie (voice)
Julia Ormond	...	Jessie (voice)
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Benjamin / Farmer Jones (voice)
Paul Scofield	...	Boxer (voice)
Patrick Stewart	...	Napoleon (voice)
Peter Ustinov	...	Old Major (voice)
Alan Stanford	...	Farmer Pilkington
Caroline Gray	...	Mrs. Jones
Gail Fitzpatrick	...	Mrs. Pilkington
Jimmy Keogh	...	Dennis
Noel O'Donovan	...	Eric
Gerard Walsh	...	Farmer
Jer O'Leary	...	Farmer

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:All | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Norway:7 | Spain:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company:

Animal Farm Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

Paul Scofield's final film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the laws painted on the side of the barn are read for the first time, in the close-up shots some of them are already in the altered forms they take later in the movie.

Quotes:

Boxer: [In response to every problem or setback] I will work harder.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002) (VG)

Misses the point of Animal Farm

I was disappointed to find that this version of Animal Farm completely fails to convey the fundamental message of Animal Farm.

George Orwell's novel is about the deception, the cruelty, and the hypocrisy of the pigs' control of the farm. The reason it is such a good book is that it shows the reader how the situations slides from a seemingly democratic revolution to a bloody tyranny.

The 1954 animation of Animal Farm portrays this excellently; the scene where Boxer is carried away is often mentioned as being absolutely heart-wrenching. However, in the new edition, I remember trying to feel the same abhorrent turmoil but finding that it just wasn't there.

The story seems to be told as if it were from a children's adventure book. It most certainly is not. Admirable filming with real animals counts for nothing when the whole reason for being of the story is not expressed.

If you want to experience the sheer force of the story of Animal Farm, watch the old version.