Watership Down

Watership Down. 1978 Nepenthe Productions (released to DVD by Warner Home Video).
Vocal Talent: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Michael Graham Cox, Ralph Richardson, Simon Cadell, Harry Andrews, Roy Kinnear, Zero Mostel
Director: Martin Rosen
Buy Watership Down (deluxe edition) at Amazon.

I need to admit right up front that I had never heard of this movie, or the novel by Richard Adams that it was based on, until I was in my thirties. My curiosity started after I saw it referenced on two different sites that I read regularly, which led me to research it. At the time, it was out of print, but Warner Bros. released a new deluxe edition to DVD this past October.

After the film begins with a light-hearted prologue establishing the Lapine culture and mythology, where many animals have the instinct to hunt rabbits, but the rabbits are already agile and smart survivors, we move into the main story. Fiver (voiced by Briers) is a young runt rabbit with prophetic abilities, and he has a vision of the destruction of the peaceful rabbit warren he lives in. He and his brother Hazel (voiced by Hurt) try to persuade the chief rabbit to evacuate the warren and move elsewhere, but they are ignored, so they recruit several individuals to leave with. The warren's Owsla (a military like team serving the chief) tries to prevent Fiver and company from leaving, but fail. Aided by a former Owsla officer called Bigwig (voiced by Cox), eight rabbits succeed in leaving, although the lone female is killed by a hawk shortly thereafter.

Fiver and his fellow rabbits encounter a warren of what appears to be friendly rabbits after meeting Cowslip (voiced by Denholm Elliott). The group is happy to be invited in for food and shelter, but Fiver senses something wrong, and leaves, followed by a taunting Bigwig, who is almost killed when he's caught in a snare. On Fiver's advice, they all leave, traveling to Nuthanger Farm, which contains a hutch of female rabbits, necessary to begin a new warren, but they beat a hasty retreat when the farm's cat and dog appear. Hazel promises to return. Shortly afterward, the Owsla's captain Holly finds them, confirming Fiver's vision of the warren's destruction and mentioning another called Efrafa. Fiver discovers a hill called Watership Down, where they find an empty space suitable to live in. As promised, Hazel and the other rabbits return to Nuthanger Farm to release the female rabbits. Hazel is shot by the farmer, but is saved in time by Fiver.

At that point, Efrafa is mentioned again, after a seagull named Kehaar (voiced by Mostel) had scouted it out. Efrafa is a highly militarized and totalitarian warren, and Holly recommended not going there, but Hazel feels they have no choice. Bigwig infiltrates, and is made part of their Owsla, but escapes with several other rabbits. It doesn't take very long for General Wouldwort (voiced by Andrews) to come to Watership Down, looking to recapture the escapees. A conflict ensues, with Hazel (after a vision from Fiver) freeing the Nuthanger Farm dog in hopes of turning the tide.

Recommended movie, although several scenes may be a little upsetting for some younger viewers.