Watership Down (1978) 92 Minutes

Since MOFO’s ‘Cinema Paradiso’ in March, Movienight has been searching for

a new Warren to call our own. We faced down the wreaking ball that destroyed

our first new haven, the hunters who moved into our second new home, and

the raccoons, foxes and egg-throwing neighbors who forced us out of our

third new home. Despite the smoke, and the smell of death we endured eleven

weeks of hiding from the elements in the confines of Tooda’s rabbit hole,

longing to stretch our legs and feel the wind upon our face.

With ‘Watership Down,’ it seems as though we have finally found our new

Burrow. Nubs, Joby, Jillian, and Gus could not have been better hosts for

our return to the great outdoors, and Netti’s sheet, Tooda’s set-up, and our long lost friend the HAL 9000 all performed flawlessly for our triumphant return to nature.

For the second week in a row, the Crew had to settle for just one of our three Bens, but we still had a good crowd for the first animated feature in Movienight History.

Jaja pulled an old Wiener move, coming directly from LAX to the Back Yard (Man, does it feel good typing those two words again!). She joined Bourbon Cookie and the rest of the Membership just in time to munch some fresh popcorn prepared by Joby and Jillian.

Tooda’s preamble included a toast to MovienightNorth (coverage of their Pick can be found here), and an apology for the unforgivable Art Garfunkel song that almost sinks this otherwise splendid film.

WildCard Slim’s Indoor Presentation of ‘Rushmore’ had been the first time in Movienight History that the gender ratio at Movienight had reached fifty-fifty, but once Jilly was abed, Joby - joining us for the first time since ‘CE3K’ - tipped the scales, and women outnumbered men for the first time in 86 Picks.

The principally British ensemble that voiced ‘Watership Down’ marked the return of a few actors we have seen before. John Hurt’s Hazel-Ra marked his return after debuting in MOFO’s precedent-setting ‘Midnight Express.’ The late Denholm Elliott (Cowslip) and Ralph Richardson (Chief Rabbit) now have two under their belt as well; Elliott first appeared in Nubs’ ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ and Richardson was first seen in Tooda’s ‘Time Bandits.’ The legendary Zero Mostel makes his Movienight debut here in his final film performance.

Next week marks Wiener’s return to SELECTOR status, and with any luck we will have him in attendance. If he manages to make it, it will be his first Selection since ‘Bringing Up Baby’ back in April. That pick was the last time we were in an outdoor venue we knew we could return to the following week. Great thanks to the Eisenberg’s for returning us to that hopeful situation. We have been walking a long and winding road, but it seems the Crew has dodged the Black Rabbit of Death just long enough to find a new home.

“Be cunning, and full of tricks - and your people will never be destroyed.”

Written and Directed by: Martin Rosen

Brandon Comments:

After digesting ‘Watership Down’ over the days following its MovieNight premiere, I think Tooda was right on with his Selection for the time. As bunnies, we were forced to leave our home and find a new one, and then another new one, and then yet another new one. And through all the moves we were out in the open, hawks and humans trying to destroy us every step of the way. But then we found our grassy knoll in the form of Nubs’ Backyard, and just in the nick of time. We nearly lost half the Crew in the process, but hopefully with our new outdoor digs we’ll soon see them back home again where it’s safe.

Much like ‘Watership Down,’ our newly found home is beautiful….nay, heavenly. There’s plenty of grass to eat (or smoke), and the breeze once again swims by us every few minutes. And even though we have to drive a little farther in our “Roo-doo-doos” to get there, it is well worth the journey and makes it all the more special. Thanks Nubs and Joby for opening your farm property to a handful of homeless bunnies in need of shelter.

Which leads me to my next point of review:

the pubescent remarks from pubescent non-members of MovieNightNorth. Now, I have only been part of MovieNight for a little less than a year, but I’ve learned enough in that time to know you don’t go about winning membership votes by arguing with Official Members on their Selections, as well as the accolades others place on their Selections. When MONA or MOFO cut down a film, they do so with honor and integrity. They do so with rank and experience. When non-Members try the same thing, it doesn’t go over so well. It’s like a couple of Vietnam veterans discussing being “in the shit” of Hanoi, and then some new recruit who served a couple of weeks cleaning the latrines tries to jump in and sound tough. He spews out story after story of “what I’d do to those 'charlies' if I was there,” but in all actuality, all he has are stories of wiping smeared excrement off toilet seats.

To quote Billy Batts from 'Goodfellas': “HiGrade1, go home and get your fuckin’ shine box!”

Nubs Comments:

Since I am two weeks late on this review I will keep it brief in order to get it done and because I can barely remember our Dicks debut. I don’t want to cheat our SELECTOR or interested fans but I was so thrilled and nervous to be hosting the fate of Movienight that I didn’t formulate a proper critique of this Animated classic.

I know Ben insists he had shown ‘Watership Down’ to me before, but I have an infamous razor sharp memory and unless it was with some serious drugs in college I have never seen it until here. I thought that it was the absolute right situation and metaphor in which to introduce the long awaited animated genre to our cannon. All of us bunnies being chased out of our homes, and out of our temporary shelters, and not having enough females to mate so we have to go to war is just like with Movienight, sort of. I also appreciated that Tooda chose the shortest and quietest option in our very important timorous trial.

I understand that a lot of people (like Ben and Amy) hold this movie very dear. I can respect that, yet for those of us watching for the first time it may not have struck as deep. Either we or the movie were too old but, at least for me and Joby, the story and spectacle did not surpass it’s time period. As I mentioned earlier, perhaps I was too preoccupied with the event itself in my home, or maybe I’m racist and all those bunnies looked alike, but nevertheless I had a hard time staying interested in the plight of our furry friends. The soothing British narrative combined with a patient pace had my mind admiring the moon of our new setting. I was not asleep - just happy to be in front of the screen regardless that whatever was on it may not have been holding my attention entirely.

I really did appreciate Tooda’s thinking behind the Selection, and happy my Back Yard busted it’s cherry without any complaint.

Good job, crew.

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