Friday 30 April
For this week, the featured filmmaker is the director of Miss Potter, Chris Noonan who brought us into the life of the celebrated children’s author and showed us how important the world of Peter Rabbit was to her and how important is has become to children and adults worldwide.
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Were-Rabbits? How cute. A great film from the famous duo Wallace & Gromit, and not only are the rabbits in here super cute but they advocate humane treatment of them too! Kudos.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The killer rabbit of Caerbannog. What’s he do? Nibble your bum? Watch the film to find out.
Miss Potter (2006)
Beatrix Potter has to be one of the most famous authorities on rabbits. After all, she did give us Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Benjamin Bunny. The film expertly captures her life and her imaginative nature that led her to create such beloved characters.
Friday 23 April
This week, the featured filmmaker is Martin Rosen who directed one of the most heartwarming looks into the private lives of wild rabbits, living in their natural habitat complete with predators and dangers galore, since Richard Lockley’s book The Private Life of the Rabbit. If you see one film about rabbits, make it this one.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Who could forget the white rabbit who’s always late? Or the crazed March Hare? I read once in the New York Times that Lewis Carroll was somewhat of a math buff and everything in the Alice universe is a sort of inside joke about the mathematics of his time and the new theories that were discussed. Google it, it makes you look at the entire film and novel in a different way.
Bambi (1945)
I love Thumper. He is adorable. Yes, this is probably the most depressing Disney film and should have made everyone stop hunting all togther should they kill Bambi’s mother and leave him an orphan. Thumper is another famous Disney rabbit who, along with other animal friends, help Bambi grow up. Now if only Bambi could grow up enough to find the man who killed his mom and get his due revenge…
Because it was released in 1945, could the hunter be a metaphor for a Nazi soldier? Or the evils of man? Or a postwar cynicism? Perhaps.
Watership Down (1978)
This film is a great adaptation of the Richard Adams novel. I would recommend watching the film as well as reading the book. They both draw you into the fantastical yet realistic rabbit world and how the rabbits struggle to survive. If you can, check out the tv show.
Friday 16 April
Because I am biased and love Bugs Bunny I’m gonna have to go with Joe Pytka for filmmaker of the week. Yeah, that’s right. I picked the guy who directed Space Jam.