Today, we will briefly look over the historical and cultural attitudes towards animal rights in filmmaking. Before looking at some examples of pro-vegan/animal rights films (old and new) to see how their messages were delivered and how they have changed.

Animal Rights in Cinema

Cinema has a long history of animal cruelty, from the cruelty inflicted on film horses for early Western and historicals to the horrors of Heaven’s Gate, which led to SAG and the AMPTP contracting the American Humane Association to oversee animal treatment in films. However, even recent films like Life of Pi show that cinema is still willing to mistreat animals for art.

That is not to say that film workers don’t care about animals. We should also be wary not to fall into racist stereotyping when discussing international cinema that shows animal cruelty and films that feature the practices of Indigenous peoples. However, with large-scale animal slaughter, testing etc being so ingrained in society, animal well-being is often devalued. This is often further compounded by tight finances incentivising filmmakers to cut corners.

That said, rising awareness around healthy eating and social justice among millennials, coupled with concerns around climate change (with deforestation and industrial food production impacting climate as well as animals) have led to a growth in people identifying as vegan and a growing movement for environmental and animal justice over the decades. Which in turn has led to films exploring both themes.

Green Gems

Of course, movies with pro-vegan and animal rights themes are not limited to the modern era. Blood of the Beasts (1949) showcased the brutality of slaughterhouses and through its juxtaposition with suburban France showed how a supposedly idyllic life is built on violence. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) comments on how slaughterhouse practices impact those who work in them. Also, its brutal allusions to violence encourages viewers to see the characters as animals being killed for meat. PETA listed it as one of the 10 movies to make you go meatless. There is also the double bill of Watership Down (1978) and Plague Dogs (1982). Both used animal characters to comment on how brutally humanity impacts their lives. Through changing their environments and experimenting with them.

One thing these examples have in common, aside from being independent productions, is that despite having animal rights themes they never explicitly vocalise action to stop these practices. Instead making audiences draw their own conclusions.

Evolving Times?

Nowadays we still see films that focus on animals being abused and killed to elicit sympathy for animals. Examples include acclaimed documentaries like The Cove and Blackfish.

But there have also been films that have favourably advocated for explicit action regarding both subjects. For example, while it has numerous flaws, Christspiracy uses its questionable narrative thrust to encourage activism and to link movements for social and environmental justice to those of animal rights. Saying a fight for a better world must ensure both humans and animals are treated better.

Then there is Okja. One of the best high-profile animal rights stories. Through great performances and CGI, we can see what animals mean to people and the emotions that animals are capable of. Therefore when the Animal Liberation Front come to help our hero get Okja back we see them in a sympathetic light. Largely mainstream movies have shown militant animal rights activists as naive people who just end up causing trouble (see 28 Days Later‘s opening). And while the ALF do questionable things the film always portrays them as fighting for the right reasons. To save as many animals as possible from a corporation that is killing them on a mass scale. It’s a film that makes animal rights activists into actual characters, not caricatures and dares to say they are right.

Conclusion

It is unclear if the current landscape will continue to inspire more thoughtful and forthright animal rights films. But there have always been filmmakers willing to challenge the status quo. Plus in the fight for a better world, why should animals not also be cared for?

The post Lights, Camera, Compassion: The Evolution of Animal Rights Films appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

1. Them! (1954)

Giant monsters were nothing new by 1954 but Them! was one of the first movies to capitalise on fears of the atomic age. Its villains are ants who have become giants because of nuclear mutation and who proceed to rampage across New Mexico. Them! was mildly successful at the time and remains well-regarded today. This is thanks to fantastic special effects which make the giant ants feel real and transforms seemingly harmless insects into a terrifying threat.

2. Night of the Lepus (1972)

A bold choice for a horror villain. After a wild rabbit population explosion leads to crop devastation across America, scientists are called in to stop the problem. When one rabbit gets loose after being experimented on though, the local bunnies become larger in size and much more violent. Night of the Lepus did relatively well at the box office and is now considered a cult classic for good reason. Trying to make rabbits into horror monsters is laughable. No matter how much blood you splatter on them bunnies are just too cute to scare anyone. But this bold villain choice coupled with the fact that the film takes its premise seriously has led many to embrace it as a so-bad-its-good favourite.

3. Roar (1981)

Here is a hard watch. Roar is about a man living in a nature reserve alongside Lions, Tigers, Elephants, etc trying to study them. However, when his wife and children come to visit he must try to rescue them from his wild friends. But the film’s plot is largely meaningless. People watch this infamous cause celebre for the insane human and animal interactions. And while this film’s production antics were dangerous and irresponsible it’s hard to argue against its effectiveness. It is amazing and terrifying to see how animals interact in an unrestrained way around humans. And It shows why animals like big cats make good cinematic villains. Because their size, power, and unreadable body/facial language is frightening to those unfamiliar with them. 

4. Sharknado (2013)

This franchise launcher follows a group of people trying to survive in Los Angeles when a tornado hits. The problem is that the storm is carrying hundreds of sharks inside. Sharknado amped the tired shark movie premise up to 11 by combining a disaster movie and an animal attack movie. The result is hugely entertaining. With sharks already a go-to villain because of their perceived ferocity and relentless drive, containing them in a tornado was a stroke of genius. Because it means that sharks can get you even on land. And the film’s social media success led to a 6 film franchise full of hilarious carnage. 

All these films show that animals are a great source of entertainment and horror within cinema thanks to the ways they fracture our sense of safety and superiority. Them! and Night of the Lepus take animals we see as innocent and turn them into apocalyptic threats. Roar creates anxiety about how we cannot understand animals and Sharknado shows that humanity is still struggling against new natural threats. Demonstrably animal attack films, even over-the-top examples, are still capable of evoking something primal in us, like fear or laughter. Both emotions that cinemagoers love experiencing.

Also Read: The Ingredients Of A Cult Classic

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The post When Animals Attack: Movies With An Animal Antagonist appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.