Animal Farm (1954)
Directors: John Halas, Joy Batchelor
Writers: Joy Batchelor, John Halas, Borden Mace, Philip Stapp, Lothar Wolff
Based on: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Release Dates: 29 December 1954 (New York City); 7 January 1955 (London)
Stars: Maurice Denham, Gordon Heath
Plot: Manor Farm is mismanaged by its drunken owner, Mr. Jones. Prize pig Old Major encourages the farm animals to rebel against Jones and take over the farm, teaching them the revolutionary song “Beasts of England” before he dies from a heart attack. When Mr. Jones forgets to feed the animals the next morning, Major’s successor Snowball leads the animals into the storehouse for food, before leading them into chasing Jones away, renaming the farm “Animal Farm”, and destroying the tools of oppression that had been used against them. They decide against living in the farmhouse, though Saddleback boar Napoleon is interested and begins to secretly raise an orphaned litter of puppies as attack dogs while helping himself to Jones’s jam storage.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on a barn wall, the most important being “All animals are equal”. The animals cooperate to run the farm and produce plenty of food, but the pigs, led by Napoleon and his second-in-command Squealer, avoid physical labor yet claim leadership and special foods such as milk “by virtue of their brainwork”. As the winter causes work to slow, Snowball holds a meeting where he promises electric power at the cost of harder work and rationing in the meantime, which Napoleon opposes. When the animals decide to proceed in favour of Snowball, Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball out of the farm before declaring himself leader of Animal Farm and denouncing Snowball as a traitor. He promptly abolishes farm policy meetings, appropriates all decision-making, and advances Snowball’s plan for a windmill as his own.
Work begins on the windmill, spearheaded by Boxer the workhorse and Benjamin the donkey who work overtime, while the pigs consume more food and appropriate more luxuries for themselves. When Boxer and Benjamin find the pigs sleeping on beds in the farmhouse, the pigs alter the Commandment “No animal shall sleep in a bed” to “No animal shall sleep in a bed WITH SHEETS”. Napoleon starts trading some of the hens’ eggs for jam from local businessman Mr. Whymper without their consent, prompting the hens to revolt against the pigs before Napoleon’s dogs intervene. To impose his will through fear, Napoleon holds a show trial of the hens, where a sheep and a duck also confess to dissenting; they are all executed by the dogs, and the victims’ blood is used to change one of the Commandments into “No animal shall kill another animal WITHOUT CAUSE”. Napoleon also bans “Beasts of England”, declaring the revolution complete and the dream of Animal Farm realised.
Later, farmers jealous of Mr. Whymper’s profits attack Animal Farm. The animals ambush and repel the farmers at the cost of numerous casualties, while Jones drunkenly blows up the windmill with himself inside. The animals are forced to rebuild the windmill, including Boxer, whose injuries and age cause an accident that forces him to retire. Napoleon calls a van to take Boxer away, which Benjamin recognises as being from Whymper’s glue factory; he and the other animals try to save him, but to no avail. Squealer delivers a sham eulogy in which he claims Boxer’s last words were to glorify Napoleon. The animals see through the propaganda but are driven away by the snarling dogs. That night, the pigs toast to Boxer’s memory with whisky they traded for his life.
Several years later, Napoleon rules Animal Farm under a cult of personality and has expanded its influence into neighbouring farms owned by pigs who now act almost identically to humans, walking upright on two legs and wearing clothes. During one pig ceremony, Benjamin and the animals, now famished after constant harsh labour and rationing, are horrified to learn that the pigs have reduced the Commandments to one single phrase: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. Benjamin spies on the pigs’ dinner party, where Napoleon is congratulated for having the hardest-working and lowest-consuming animals in the country, and the pigs toast to a future of similar pig-owned farms everywhere. Realizing Napoleon and the pigs are no different from Jones and the humans, Benjamin rallies the farm animals and others from nearby farms to storm the farmhouse while the dogs are too drunk to respond. The animals smash through the house and kill Napoleon and his followers as Benjamin stands with triumph.
* * *
Animal Farm (1954) | Transcript
(Narrator) To the world we all know, which may or may not be the best world possible, once again Springtime had come.
But all the magic of Spring was not enough to conceal the misery of Manor Farm.
Once thriving and fruitful, the farm, and its owner, Mr Jones, had fallen on evil days.
Beset by problems of his own making, Mr Jones had turned to drink and for his misery he had found poor company.
(INDISTINCT TALKING)
(Narrator) On the evening our story begins, it was later than usual when Mr Jones came home from his drinking to make his rounds.
(COUGHING AND SPLUTTERING)
(Jones)
Damned old hens.
(Jones)
Good for nothing beasts…
(Jones)
eat their heads off.
Arrguh!
(GLASS BREAKS, DOG YELPS)
(DOG BARKING)
(Narrator) On this night all the animals had agreed that as soon as Mr Jones was in bed, they would gather in the main barn for a secret meeting, called by Old Major, the prize boar hog who, because of his years, was regarded by far the wisest of the animals.
The other pigs started first for the meeting being clever and fond of taking the lead.
They were followed by Boxer, largest and strongest of the horses, and his devoted friend Benjamin, the donkey.
All the other animals, great and small, were anxious to get there.
For such a meeting had never been held before.
(Narrator) Old Major had been ailing and now, he had made known, there were some things he wanted to say to his fellow animals, before it might be too late.
(Narrator) It took a while for all to find their seats.
The pigs had taken up the best positions immediately in front of the platform, among them Snowball, determined to get a good view.
And Napoleon, equally determined and even less polite.
(DOOR CREAKS)
(Narrator) What was that?
No.
No, it wasn’t Mr Jones.
At last everyone could be settled to hear Old Major.
(Old Major)
My dear friends…
I have lived a long life…
I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall.
(Old Major)
I won’t be with you…
(Old Major)
much longer… and before I die there’s something I want to tell you.
Few of us will ever know the blessings of a peaceful old age.
You… Boxer… when you have given the last of your great strength…
(Old Major)
What then?
Whatever we produce is taken from us.
Stolen from us… and sold.
(Old Major) Our children are born… to cold and hunger.
(Old Major)
Look at them while you can.
(LAMB BLEATING)
(PIG GROWLS)
(Old Major)
You porkers…
(Old Major)
do you know what the future holds for you?
(Old Major)
Do we deserve such a fate?
Is this farm too poor to support us all?
No, comrades.
Manor Farm is rich.
But we’ll never get our rightful share from Farmer Jones.
Overthrow this evil tyrant… and we shall be rich and free.
(CALLING OUT IN SUPPORT)
Comrades…
REVOLT!
(CHEERING)
But remember…
When you have got rid of Jones… don’t adopt his vices.
We animals… are brothers;
large or small;
clever or simple; fur or feathers;
now and forever…
All animals are EQUAL!
(ANIMALS CHEERING)
(BATTLE SONG)
(ANIMALS CRYING)
(GUNFIRE)
(SNORING)
(Narrator) The very next morning, sooner perhaps than Old Major would have predicted, the animals found their situation quite unbearable.
(CRASH)
(CRACKING OF WHIP)
(POW)
(GUNFIRE)
(GUNFIRE)
(Narrator) And so, almost before they realised it, the animals had fought and won!
They had casualties to mourn, and those who died left children to be cared for.
(YELPING)
(Narrator) But Manor Farm was theirs and they lost no time in destroying everything that reminded them of hateful Mr Jones.
(BATTLE SONG)
(Narrator) When it came to Mr Jones’s house, the animals hesitated.
Napoleon showed the way.
But Snowball took the lead in entering the place where their tyrant had lived.
(CLOCK CHIMES)
(MOO)
(MUSIC STARTS PLAYING)
(CRASH AND MUSIC STOPS)
(CRASH)
(CLUCKING)
(PUPPIES YELPING)
(CRASH)
(Narrator) They agreed that Jones’s house was no place for them.
All, that is, except Napoleon.
(Narrator) Meantime, Snowball led the other animals in organising a new society which they now named Animal Farm.
So that all might see and agree the laws of Animal Farm were inscribed in a prominent place to be remembered and obeyed forever.
(Snowball)
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
(Snowball)
No animal shall drink alcohol.
(Snowball)
Four legs good, two legs bad.
(CLUCKING)
Wings count as legs.
(SHEEP BLEATING)
Four legs good, two legs bad.
Four legs good, two legs bad.
(Snowball)
No animal shall kill another animal.
(Snowball)
All animals are equal!
(ROOSTER CROWING)
(COWS MOOING)
(Narrator) Tending the farm by themselves posed problems for the animals, but the pigs could figure a way round every difficulty.
(MOO)
(Narrator) Boxer was the admiration of everybody.
He had been a hard worker in Jones’s time but now he seemed more like three horses than one.
Instructed by Snowball, other animals worked out the rest for themselves.
And the farm work was done like magic.
(Narrator) The success of their efforts delighted everyone including sly Napoleon and his constant companion Fat Pig Squealer.
(SNORTING)
(Narrator) That summer, the animals, without any help or any interference, made a going proposition of Animal Farm.
The fields yielded richly and they were cut and gleaned with diligence and devotion.
(Narrator) With the harvest safely home, the animals had time to think of the future and, at a meeting in the big barn, many resolutions were put forward.
It was always the pigs that made the resolutions.
Comrades… our first five months’ plan… is a farm-wide triumph.
And the time has come… to spread the glorious news, so that our downtrodden comrades on other farms will break their chains… and join… the Animal Revolution.
(CHEERING)
Go! Tell the wonders of Animal Farm to the world.
(Narrator) Some animals, content with their lot, were unimpressed with tales of peace and plenty.
Others, happy in their own surroundings, were alarmed at the thought of any change.
But wherever they were having a bad time, animals listened with interest.
(INDISTINCT TALKING)
(Narrator) In certain quarters the rebellious behaviour of a lot of dumb animals caused indignation and much conversation.
But nothing was done about it for the drunken Mr Jones and his cronies did not know what to do.
Snowball felt that education was the animals’ next necessity.
Some of the animals were brighter than others, of course.
(Boxer)
B, C, D.
E!
(QUACK QUACK)
Four legs good, two legs bad.
(Narrator) Snowball set himself to solve the problem of power on the farm.
And so did Napoleon.
(DOGS BARKING)
(Narrator) In January there came bitterly hard weather.
Inexperienced management brought shortages to Animal Farm.
But Snowball continued his thinking for the future.
And in such thoughts he was not alone!
Comrades, I have prepared a new plan for Animal Farm.
Here it is; all it needs is your vote.
At first we will have to work more and eat less.
But my plan… will bring us electricity.
(Snowball)
It will mean a warm barn in winter…
(Snowball)
A light… in every stall… sty and roost.
(Snowball)
Luxury for all.
Comrades, in one short year Animal Farm will be the finest in the world.
Dreams, dreams.
A vote for my plan is a vote for the life beautiful.
It’s a lie.
I promise you a four-day week.
Bosh.
Perhaps a three-day week.
Nonsense.
A one day week.
(CHEERING)
(SCREECHING)
(DOGS BARKING)
(BARKING AND SQUEALING)
(Narrator) With Snowball disposed of Napoleon stepped up confidently to take charge of Animal Farm.
And Fat Pig Squealer became his obedient follower and assistant.
(SQUEAL)
Comrades, Snowball is a traitor!
What was he really planning?
To bring back Jones!
Now… let’s have no more of these useless meetings… eh?
From now on, I’ll protect your interests… and I’ll make your decisions.
Let me show you my plan for Animal Farm.
Four legs good, two legs bad.
Hip Hip Hooray.
For “Napoleon” Mill.
(Narrator) And so the windmill was started after all.
Nothing could have been achieved without Boxer whose strength was greater than that of all the other animals put together.
(SQUEAL)
(WHISTLE BLOWN)
Superintended by the pigs all the animals worked long shifts which lasted from dawn till dusk.
Rations were shortened for the workers but the pigs, by virtue of their brain work, were plentifully provided for.
But the greatest inspiration came from Boxer who, with his friend Benjamin, worked early and late, in season and out.
(WHISTLE BLOWN)
(Narrator) One evening after working long and late, as usual, Boxer and Benjamin made a curious discovery.
Word of what now went on at night in Jones’s house spread quickly through Animal Farm.
Some of the animals thought they remembered a law against beds but obviously they were mistaken.
And now… other changes in the laws of Animal Farm were in store.
(CHATTER AND LAUGHTER)
(1st Farmer)
Those ungrateful beasts of yours!
(2nd Farmer) Cheer up, they won’t last.
Another winter will bring them to their knees.
(1st Farmer)
Anyway, where are they going to buy the things they need?
(Narrator) In Mr Jones’s circle, the subject of shortages at Animal Farm was a popular one.
And a sharp trader named Whymper was just the sort to do something about it.
(BARKING)
(CAR DRIVES AWAY)
Comrades! Our leader, as wise as he is beloved, has decided to trade with the outside world.
Not for gain, of course, that would be unworthy of our noble principles.
You hens… are to have the honour of making the first contribution. All your eggs.
I know how proud you are of this privilege…
(Narrator) The chickens seemed to remember that Old Major said their eggs should never be taken from them.
(CRASH)
(CLUCKING)
(SQUEALS)
(BARKING)
(Narrator) The innocent suffered with the guilty.
The chicken’s uprising was short-lived.
Comrades I have made a terrible discovery.
There are traitors among us!
(Napoleon)
Yes, comrades, in league with Jones and Snowball.
(BOXER SCREAMS)
To destroy Animal Farm!
(GROWLING)
Who else is guilty?
Stand up and confess.
(BARKING, SCREAMING)
(HUMMING OF BATTLE SONG)
(GROWLS)
The revolution is now complete.
We have no more use for that song.
Singing it is now forbidden.
Under penalty of DEATH!
(Narrator) Trade between Animal Farm and the outer world now became quite brisk.
As might be expected, Mr Whymper’s profits inspired others to seek their share.
Or at least, give vent to their jealousy.
Mmm… Animal Farm seems to be making money.
(2nd Farmer)
For Whymper.
Who ever heard of animals running a farm.
Have you seen their wind mill.
Come on, let’s kick them out.
Yeah, kick them out.
(BURPS)
(Narrator) The original owner was not invited to join this movement.
His neighbours let him know his day was done.
Comrades. The enemy has mobilised all his forces against us.
We must save Animal Farm from the hateful enemy.
At all costs we animals must unite.
Now is the time to fight to die for Animal Farm.
(Napoleon)
Let us show them all that Animal Farm is strong.
(TAP TAP)
(BANG)
(SQUEAL)
(QUACKING)
(GUNFIRE)
(GUNFIRE)
(SCREAMS)
(GLASS SHATTERS)
(NAPOLEON SCREAMS)
(EXPLOSION)
(Narrator) Now began the heartbreaking job of rebuilding.
And as before, Boxer and Benjamin worked hardest of all.
By now supervision of the work by pigs was hardly necessary.
So they had time for less laborious pursuits.
(Narrator) Long after the other animals left the job…
Boxer and Benjamin worked on and on, giving their all, year in, year out.
A new generation of pigs grew up endowed with what were considered arts and graces very flattering to Animal Farm.
And its presiding genius!
But still the windmill was not finished.
And Boxer’s injured foot got worse instead of better.
(WHISTLE BLOWN)
(THUNDER)
(BOXER SCREAMS)
(BENJAMIN CRYING)
It looked as though Boxer were dead.
But he wasn’t. Not quite.
Boxer’s hurt bad, he’ll never work again. What do we do?
(Narrator) While Napoleon and Squealer made plans for Boxer, Benjamin predicted he could look forward to a wellearned rest and retirement.
Next day the windmill work went on as usual, but now without Boxer.
And during the morning what appeared to be an ambulance arrived.
Only Benjamin suspected it wasn’t an ambulance.
(CRYING FRANTICALLY)
The other animals finally recognised the death wagon from Mr Whymper’s glue factory.
(CRYING)
(KICKING AND BANGING)
I was with him right to the end.
His last words were “Forward comrades long live Napoleon”.
As for the wicked rumour that Boxer was sold to a glue factory.
Our beloved leader would never do that.
Long live Napoleon.
Long live Napoleon!
(SHRIEKING)
(BARKING)
And that night, the pigs drank to Boxer’s memory in the whiskey they had bought with Boxer’s life.
Years passed, the seasons came and went.
Their short animal lives sped by.
The completed windmill stood as a monument to its builders’ faith and sacrifice.
But the animals’ revolution was only dimly remembered.
Outwardly Animal Farm appeared prosperous, but the animals themselves were no better off, with the exception of the pigs, and their supreme leader, Napoleon.
This pigrun enterprise now had many of the frills of real civilization and one fine day, pig delegates from far and wide arrived at Animal Farm to celebrate the coming of a new era.
(CAR HORN)
(MILITARY MUSIC)
(SHRIEKING)
When reports of this great change reached them, other animals everywhere were incredulous.
Dismayed and indignant, they headed towards Animal Farm from all directions, instinctively uniting, once again, in common cause.
(SNORTING AND SQUEALING)
Loyal followers, on farms owned and operated by pigs… there is order and discipline.
(Napoleon) Our lower animals do more work and eat less than on other farms.
This… will encourage you to make your lower animals work even harder and eat even less.
To a greater Animal Farm!
(Napoleon)
To peace and plenty under pig rule.
To the day when pigs own and operate farms everywhere.
(Narrator) To the animals it now seemed that their world, which may or may not someday become a happy place to live in, was worse than ever for ordinary creatures, and another moment had come when they must do something about it.
(BUGLE CALL)
(SCREECHES)
