jeeves-7 Reviews

Animal Farm (1999 TV Movie)

An ingeniously-done movie, but definitely not suited for young children.

[7/10 · 3 October 1999]

This movie is loosely based on Orwell's novel of the same name. The farm animals have been cruelly treated by the tenant farmer who neglects feeding the animals and treating them badly while indulging in alcohol abuse. To end the abuse, the animals meet in a barn and plot to take over the farm and expel the owners. The ring-leader is an old pig who commands respect of all the other animals. They manage to take over the farm and a sort of division of labour is established. Things move along nicely until the old pig dies and is replaced by a tyrannical pig named Napoleon. The animals are treated worse under Napoleon's rule than they had been under human ownership. Without giving away the ending of the movie, I will say that I kept thinking as I watched it that it could very easily scare young children, the animals being so realistic and the cruelty that is inflicted upon them so vivid and powerful. The movie would serve as an excellent teaching tool about totalitarianism and how people, or animals, can be easily manipulated to obey.

Borderland (1937)

A very different Hoppy movie.

[7/10 · 30 August 1999]

Unlike most Hopalong Cassidy movies, Borderland shows how well William Boyd can act. The same also goes for Gabby Hayes. In the movie, Hoppy attempts to infiltrate a gang of cattle rustlers whose leader, Fox (appropriately named), has been able to escape detection or capture. Hoppy has been "hired" by the Texas Rangers to track down this gang and its leader. In order to make himself credible to the gang, Hoppy acts and behaves as miserably as he can. Even with close friends such as Jimmy Ellison and Gabby Hayes, he appears very crusty and obnoxious, all in an attempt to appear convincing to the local townsfolk, some of whom are members of the Fox gang. Even with a very friendly woman and her young daughter, Hoppy is quite miserable. What is interesting about the movie is how close Boyd comes to destroying a very popular figure during the 1930s. One can imagine tears flowing from the young audiences of that day because of the reaction of the main characters to Hoppy's demeanor as well as being shocked at the contrast in character to the one William Boyd had cultivated over the years. Another interesting sidelite to viewers, but probably unnoticed by the moviegowers of the day is the leg brace worn by the little girl in the movie. No mention of her handicap is mentioned in the movie, so I concluded that the girl had had polio, a common affliction at that time.

If you want to see a completly different Hopalong Cassidy movie, check this one out.

The Burning Hills (1956)

An excellent, well-cast and well-acted western.

[8/10 · 25 July 1999]

Both Tab Hunter and Skip Homeier put in excellent performances in this film. Both are well-cast for the roles they play - Tab, the "good guy" and Skip, the "bad, ruthless killer." The final fight scene between Tab Hunter and Skip Homeier is one of the best I have seen staged in a western. The final outcome was in no way predictable. The movie stands up well after 40 years.