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FILM ANALYSIS

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Animal Farm: Film Analysis

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FILM ANALYSIS
Animal Farm: Film Analysis

The film industry is a critical significance of society and its behavior. Since ancient times,

films have been used to depict social movements within the community, and how their actions

impact society. One such film is ‘Animal Farm’ directed and produced by John Halas and Joy

Batchelor. The movie is based on the famous novel ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. An

animated film, it shows the real-life tragedy of the communist-like type of a society which is led

by clueless leaders. This movie was released as a propaganda tool at the height of the cold war.

The capitalist propaganda machines wanted to depict the communist form of government in a

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bad light and destructive to its people. This paper will offer an analysis of the movie.

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The action depicted in the film can be considered as a social movement, with the

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characters in power succeeding to establish their ideologies into the subject who they control at
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will. They have succeeded to establish a communist structure of government within the ‘farm’
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led by Major. 9:30-9:52 Major proclaim that all animals are equal regardless of their physical
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attributes and lead the other animal chant for freedom. For instance, the movie showcases the

societal tendency to establish class stratification. At the start of the movie, the animals (the
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peoples in society) are in solidarity against a common enemy, with only few exceptions. At
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30:27, the lamp is scared about the revolution and run to his owner who is happy to see him.
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Once they succeed to remove the tyrants, few opportunists take advantage to consolidate powers
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for themselves depicting the internal division once the goal is attained. Mr. Jones being expulsed

from the farm leaves a power vacuum, which is filled by another totalitarian leader. This story by
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George Orwell was a depiction of Russian communism in which Stalin rallies people to remove

an oppressive leader, but later abandons them and become more authoritarian. In this case, the

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FILM ANALYSIS
pigs assume the ruling duties similarly to Stalin using dubious means to remain in power

(Gonçalves, 2017).

The above illustration fits the definition of a social movement. A social movement has the

same ideas, which they seek to actualize to attain a common goal is this case the revolutionary

carried out within the farm. They have a leader who coordinates their affairs. The pigs are the

ones given that mandate of leading, which is attributed to them being considered the wise among

the animals. This social movement was able to achieve its target but the aftermath depicts the

contradiction of their expectation. Unfortunately, the pigs being wise uses manipulation to

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control and rule with an iron fist without the other animal realizing their change in tune. At 1:05-

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1:07 when animals assemble for the celebration of a new year, they are astonished by the change

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in laws from ‘all animals are equal to ‘all animals are equal but some animals are more equal
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than others.’ The pigs consider themselves the elite of the society and thus more entitled. A clear
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illustration of the Stalin authoritarian Soviet rule during the cold war.
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The animation film generally can be said to be average. It is broad at some point,

specifically in its ending but it is the animation of the novel which captures the idea Orwell
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wanted to pass skillfully. The producer successfully managed to capture the mood of capitalist
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against communism during the peak of the cold war. The storyline by Orwell was full of devices
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that kept it going. For instance, the pigs mostly employed rhetoric appeals to convince others to
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adopt Napoleon as their leader, with all animals pledging their loyalty. The type of government

and ills committed by the rulers within the kingdom of the animal farm makes this film relevant
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in contemporary society which faces similar ordeal.

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FILM ANALYSIS

References

Gonçalves, D. S. (2017). “Of course I’m happy”: an analysis of Animal farm (Orwell, 1945) and

Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury, 1953) dystopian modernity. Letrônica, 10(2), 850-865.

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