When Watership Down was first released in 1978, the film’s director, Martin Rosen, insisted the
image featured on its promotional poster should warn viewers that this was no cutesy cartoon about some bunnies.
“I reckoned a mother with a sensitive child would see a rabbit in a snare with blood coming out its mouth and reckon, ‘Well, maybe this isn’t for Charlie – it’s a little too tough,’” he
has said.
Despite his concern – and the fact the animated movie includes blood-soaked visions, slavering, murderous predators and a rabbit having its
throat ripped open – British film classifiers awarded it a U rating, suggesting it was suitable even for very young children.
Early viewers did not agree – and there is an entire generation for whom the gentle opening bars of Art Garfunkel’s theme song
Bright Eyes will always evoke
horrifying visions of bloodthirsty lapine massacre.
Now, 45 years later, the British Board of Film Classification has reviewed its opinion of a movie that
has been called “a one-way ticket to post-traumatic stress disorder” after a resubmission. It has been reclassified as a PG, on account, the organisation said, of its “mild violence, threat, brief bloody images and bad language”.……
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