MovieChat Forums > The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976) Discussion > Disclaimers about non-mistreatment of an...

Disclaimers about non-mistreatment of animals

posted 20 years ago by JackofOz
11 replies | jump to latest

I clearly remember a statement appearing at the end of this film, to the effect that no animals were mistreated in the making of the film. The movie included a scene of a bird apparently coming to a violent end. I can't say I can recall ever seeing this type of disclaimer before 1976, but then I haven't seen every movie ever made.

Does anybody know which really was the first movie to include such a disclaimer?? (By the way, it wasn't "Never Say Never Again" as I've seen reported, as this was made in 1983, 7 years later.)

[–] lazarillo 19 years ago

It doesn't surprise me this movie would have a disclaimer because of that scene with the cat. The producers probably put it in there on their own volition just to reassure the audience. There's no way of knowing I suppose if this was the first disclaimer, but they certainly were not typical in the 70's. Some of the sleazier Italian "mondo" and cannibal movies were positively reveling in animal cruelty at the time and even Francis Ford Coppola filmed the actual slaughter of oxen for the end of "Apocalypse Now". Even then there wasn't much toleration for cruelty to house pets though. Cult horror director Lucio Fulci got in big trouble with the Italian authorities for a scene with an eviscerated dog in "A Lizard in Woman's Skin"--he actually had to bring the mechanical dog model into court to prove it wasn't real and avoid jail. On the other hand, the same year this movie came out a really sleazy movie was released in New York City and marketed as an actual snuff film (it wasn't) made in South America "where life is cheap". I don't think that film had a disclaimer and it did pretty well financially. I guess cats and dogs get more regards than South American women.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Bitter_Almonds 19 years ago

It was probably an Italian horror film like Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust. That one had a scene where a turtle is torn to bits... it wasn't mechanical either...

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[–] Xardas 19 years ago

In Cannibal Holocaust not only a turtle is torn to bits, but also a pig is shot in the head, a monkey's head is chopped off and a rat is slowly killed with a stick.

[–] pwntbyaspork 18 years ago

It was a kitten being cut apart in the book.

[–] Bitter_Almonds 18 years ago

In the book, the kitten was smashed to a gurgling pulp.

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[–] scotbpens 15 years ago

According to the American Humane Association's website, the first movie to bear an on-screen disclaimer stating that no animals were harmed during production was The Doberman Gang in 1972.

BTW, the AHA is the only animal-welfare organization authorized by the Screen Actors Guild to supervise the use of animals in movies and to issue such a disclaimer in a film's credits.

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[–] treeline1 14 years ago

Thanks for that information.

The disclaimer in this movie says, "No LIVING animals were harmed..." which sounds strange and suspicious to me. They definitely drugged the cat to make it stagger and fall. Isn't that considered "harm"?

[–] scotbpens 14 years ago

There's a similar discussion on the message board for The Andromeda Strain. In that movie, a white rat and a rhesus monkey were gassed to make them twitch and jerk spasmodically, then become unconscious. Supposedly, the animals recovered and were none the worse for the experience.

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[–] OhmsLaw 14 years ago

From what I once read, the rat and that poor monkey were depleted of oxygen. The moment they fell over and the filming ended they were supposedly given air and revived. Still, it's bad to watch, I always look away.

[–] virgiltx 13 years ago

I appreciate that they didn't hurt any animals, but I felt sorry for the way that poor little kitty cat was so terrified while being chased around by a bunch of giants.