MovieChat Forums > Parade (1974) Discussion > The Donkey Routine

The Donkey Routine

posted 14 years ago by CitrusWithFuschiaTrim
1 reply | jump to latest

Did anyone else find this section a wee bit unsettling?

The whole thing, rehearsed or not, seemed to be based on frightening the poor beasts and eliciting stress responses. Over and over and over. Before a delighted crowd.

I'm not really in the habit of shunning outright those films which flirt with animal mistreatment, and there are arguably much more serious cases out there, but those were some mighty uncomfortable minutes.
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I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here.

[–] OliverBagshaw 12 years ago

I was feeling a little awkward seeing that in the film too (a little amused when the donkey kicked back though) as I wasn't expecting something like that to appear in a variety show deemed suitable for children. I'm not intending to get preachy, but I did find it surprising that the scene was in the film and I found it a little difficult to watch - I enjoyed the rest of the film (if it can be called a film - as you know, it's certainly more like a variety show) despite it and I understand that in the 70s views on animal treatment must have differed.