Tag: HAR: Animal Agency
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The Cat in the Hat. Dir. Bo Welch. DreamWorks Pictures. 2003
It’s fun to have fun but you have to know how! So, when up-tight, control-freak Sally, and born-to-be-wild child Conrad are left at home for the day, Welch’s reimagining of Seuss’ eponymous, anthropomorphic, wisecracking Cat in the Hat makes it his mission to show them how to enjoy themselves within the bounds of their constraining,…
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Antisemitism. The Rat Catcher. Dir. Wes Anderson. Netflix. 2023.
Is, I suppose, how the conversation went between Wes Anderson and his casting agent when searching for an actor to play the titular character. Following Anderson’s success with Fantastic Mr. Fox there is no surprise that Anderson jumped at the opportunity to return to the works of Roald Dahl. The Rat Catcher is a short…
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The Cat in the Hat. Dir. Bo Welch. DreamWorks Pictures. 2003
Bo Welch’s 2003 interpretation of Seuss’ eponymous, anthropomorphic The Cat in the Hat throws the human exceptionalism paradigm into full-blown turmoil as Mike Myers embodies a character that takes on various socially specific, “human” roles all whilst staying in character as Cat. Though it is not unusual for a film of this genre to depict…
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Watchers. Dir. Jon Hess. Universal Pictures, Alliance Releasing. 1988.
How are human-animal relationships redefined when the lines dividing their respective humanity and animality are warped for scientific advancements? Director Jon Hess explores these altered dynamics within the 1988 science fiction horror film Watchers. When a devastating fire rips through the Banodyne Research Laboratories, the ongoing chaos is manipulated into an escape by two genetically-engineered…
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The Hunger Games. Dir. by Gary Ross (Lionsgate Films, 2012)
The Hunger Games (2012), directed by Gary Ross, sets up the mockingjay as a unifying symbol of rebellion and resistance against the dystopian ruling of the Capitol. Ross uses this sequence to establish the mockingjay as a balancing force between interpersonal relations and political solidarity. The human-animal connection between the protagonist, Katniss, and the mockingjay…
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The Secret Garden. Dir. Agnieszka Holland. Warner Bros. California. 1993
The Secret Garden creates a form of social equality between its animal and human characters. Social equality is defined as someone not being discriminated against based on their class, gender, race etc and in this case species. The film is interesting because of the way the outdoors are depicted as a space where the differences…
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Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. 1998. Buena Vista Pictures.
Bees in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore The swarm of the bees scene in Wes Anderson’s 1998 comedy film Rushmore sees Herman J Blume (Bill Murray) subjected to further revenge for his romantic involvement with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Blume is rattled by an infiltration of bees in his hotel suite, orchestrated by the outraged Max Fischer (Jason…
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Watchers. Dir. Jon Hess. Universal Pictures, Alliance Releasing. 1988.
If humans and animals navigate separate spheres within their shared world, then what becomes of creatures whose existence crosses into both realms? Jon Hess’s 1988 science fiction horror film Watchers queries the animal presence within humanity through the camera techniques used during the genetically-engineered OXCOM’s first attack on Travis Cornell. (Above) Humanity’s Fascination with Human-Animal…
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Roar. Dir. Noel Marshall. Film Consortium, Filmways Pictures. 1981
“No Animals were harmed in the making of this film. 70 cast and crew members were”. A film tagline that instantly grabs your attention. The Drafthouse re-release in 2015 coined this moniker for the 1981 box-office blunder[1] “Roar”, which lacks plot, conventionality and, as the curious tagline suggests: a lack of safety measures for the actors…
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The Darjeeling Limited. Dir. Wes Anderson. Searchlight Pictures. 2007
Animals Articulating Emotion and Inspiring Growth in The Darjeeling Limited In an attempt to remedy their stagnant relationship, three brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) board a train travelling around India. Each brother harbours his own inner turmoil which contributes to the complex relationship between the brothers and is often…