The Plague Dogs 1982

THE PLAGUE DOGS 1982 AVI FULL LENGTH VERSION (UNCUT)





The Plague Dogs is a 1982 animated film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Richard Adams. The film was written for screen, directed and produced by Martin Rosen, who also directed Watership Down, the film version of another novel by Adams.



The film's story is centered on two dogs named Rowf and Snitter, who escape from a research laboratory in Great Britain. In the process of telling the story, the film highlights the cruelty of performing vivisection and animal research for its own sake (though Martin Rosen said that this was not an anti-vivisection film, but an adventure), an idea that was only recently coming to public attention during the 1960s and 1970s.



PLOT



The story doesn't shy away from depicting the violence and cruelty the dogs encounter throughout the story.



Rowf (a labrador-mix) and Snitter (a smooth fox terrier) are two of many dogs used for experimental purposes at an animal research facility in the Lake District of north-western England. Eager to escape the tortures of life inside the facility, an escape is managed. Initially relieved and eager to experience their new freedom the dogs are soon faced, not only with the realities of life in the wild, but with another more terrifying realization Γ?? they are being hunted by their former captors.



VIDEO RELEASE HISTORY



There are two versions of the film: An 86 minute version and a 103 minute version. The only country that offered the full length film on DVD was Australia[1] until it was released in the UK on 7 January 2008.[2]



The original VHS release of the full theatrical cut of the film was released by Thorn Productions in 1982. Only around 8,000 copies of this version were made.



In 1983, Embassy Pictures ordered cuts to be made to the film. This shortened cut was premiered in 1983. In 1984, it was given a limited release across the United States by Charter Productions. Strangely, the VHS cover states that the film is 99 minutes long.



In 2002, Anchor Bay Entertainment released a Region 2 DVD version of the film, but it contained the US cut. Soon afterwards, the Dutch budget label, Indies Home Entertainment, released a Region 2 disc which also contained the US cut but includes forced Dutch subtitles. This DVD has been out of print since November 2005. In 2004, a DVD version of the film was released by Trinity Home Entertainment. Unable to obtain the full cut, they settled with using the truncated US version.



In 2005, Australian distributor Big Sky Media released the full theatrical cut of the film as well as the truncated version on Region 4 DVD (they also released the full theatrical cut of Watership Down), sourced from Martin Rosen's private print. This is probably the only full cut of the film in existence aside from the rare Thorn VHS and the original master. The same print was later released on Region 2 DVD in the UK by Optimum Releasing in 2008.



Many missing scenes are considered completely harmless and were only removed to reduce running time, however, one scene from the full length film was removed because of its shocking content. After a scene of Ackland falling to death from a steep crag whilst trying to shoot the dogs, a helicopter flies over the snow-covered crags and valleys, cutting to a middle to close-up shot of Ackland's body, ripped to shreds. It is clear that the dogs have eaten the corpse. Additionally, there's a disturbing scene where Snitter's beckoned to by a man with a gun. The man dies when Snitter accidentally steps on the trigger of the gun, and the gun fires into the man's face.





Directed by Martin Rosen

Produced by Martin Rosen

Written by Martin Rosen (screenplay)

Richard Adams (novel)



Starring The Voices Of



John Hurt

Christopher Benjamin

James Bolam

Nigel Hawthorne

Warren Mitchell

Bernard Hepton

Brian Sterner

Penelope Lee

Geoffrey Mathews

Barbera Leigh-Hunt

John Bennett

John Franklyn-Robbins

Bill Maynard

Malcolm Terris

Judy Geeson

Patrick Stewart



Music by Patrick Gleeson

Distributed by Nepenthe Productions

Release date(s) October 21, 1982 (West Germany)

December 17, 1983 (USA)

Running time 103 min (82 for cut version)

Country UK

Language English





*** VIDEO INFO ***

Input Type : XVID(GVC)

Input Size : 512 x 384

Output Type : YUY2

Output Size : 512 x 384

FrameRate(Frame/sec) : 0.00 (25.00)





*** AUDIO INFO ***

SampleRate(Sample/sec) : 48000

BitRate(Bit/sample) : 16

Channels : 2

KBitRate(KBit/sec) : 120