No animals were harmed??



Does anyone have close at hand knowledge of the making of this film?
I was wondering about the sheep over the cliff scene at the beginning, for one.
There were a few shots that looked like they could have been made without a cliff below, but the dead sheep on the beach? Were they fabrications? Probably can be done.

But then there's the cock fight. Jeepers, but it sure looked real.

And the foundering sheep. How do you fabricate the respiration and the release of gas?

Such is life in the countryside. Death is real and always around the corner.
Unlike urban and suburban America, where life is eternal......and oh so hygienic.

reply

I'd like to know, too. The cock fight was very upsetting. As for the faltering sheep, I'm guessing that they were sedated, but I don't know.

reply

My guess is that they were probably harmed, sadly - back in the day they abused and killed animals all the time on movie sets. I just saw it last night and loved the movie, the animal cruelty in the movie was pretty tame for that time frame (animal cruelty in factory farming, circuses, puppy mills, etc. I find more horrifying). There's a list of American Humane Society monitored films (or not monitored) here: http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/movieratings.phtml , but I don't know about overseas. I know some directors will actually film in other countries just to bypass the AHS. :-( There's some more about animal cruelty in films at wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals#TV_.26_film_making"; .

reply

There´s also a similar full-on cock fight in Schlesinger´s 1975 The Say Of The Locust. It obviously serves as fitting & undebiably powerful metaphor, but to use the same device twice also strikes me as kind of lazy in addition to being barbaric. Sort of makes one wonder if he got off on that particular form of zoo sadism or what...



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

reply

I don't like watching the suffering of animals no matter what happened in past times. Animals suffer now. Look at the animals being put down in AC&C every day.

reply

You're right HoferPM-1 it's such a real horror to think about all these wonderful creatures we enjoy in this life having their lives taken away for no reason at all . It's a real crying shame . Thanks HoferPM-1 for your reply .

reply

I don't like watching the suffering of animals no matter what happened in past times. Animals suffer now. Look at the animals being put down in AC&C every day


I agree

reply

** SOME SPOILERS HERE ** ---- Another movie with such similar and very sad to watch scenes was with the animals being hunted and murdered on the spot . It was in the movie " Bluebeard " from 1972 ( actress Julie Christie was also in this one - but was very glad to read on Wikipedia that she is in real life an Animal Rights Activist ) . If only these terrible scenes were never added to these movies . These movies IMPO really never needed those scenes of hurting or murdering animals to make them interesting enough to watch . The storylines alone seemed to be more than enough to make it's point of entertainment . Thanks stevem-26 for your subject post .

reply

( actress Julie Christie was also in this one - but was very glad to read on Wikipedia that she is in real life an Animal Rights Activist )


As it happens, Thoams Harding was a member of The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

reply

OP can always ask Julie Christie. She is into green rights and all that.

Its that man again!!

reply

Julie Christie wasn't in "Bluebeard" (1972).

reply