The music in this section is superb and one of the best orchestrals Watership Down ever got in any adaptation. The dog chase is so thrilling and uplifting, you really feel, that everything depends on it. And I really like how Woundwort's final stand is portrayed even if the famous line "dogs aren't dangerous" got cut. But reassuring his self that he isn't afraid of anything, not even the probably most dangerous elil a rabbit can normally encounter and than bravely attacking this dog rhymes so good with him at the beginning of this part where he had to flee from the foxes.
I will highly agree that having the shot Hazel be able to run is noticeable for a continuity error. However, the voice acting for Hazel begging Frith that this final trick works to save his warren gets me every time. The superb panic and desperation is pitch perfect and highlights one of the many strengths of this series. And frankly the biggest moment for me from this series was finally hearing a voice actor say Bigwig's insult to Woundwort, it's incredibly cathartic (although I admittedly don't know if it's said in the BBC play). The camera voice and cinematography build up the scale and gravity of the situation to these rabbits and really immerse the viewer in their plight and the final battle of Watership Down was as tense as could be. That and other moments like the escape from Efrafa and the horror of the warren of the snares make this series an excellent watch. Certainly flawed and I notice the differences and sensationalism oddities every time, but the passion put into this project shines through and makes it worthwhile for me.
This is why I am so conflicted over this version. It has moments of absolute inspiration, including when they changed the original story. But it has other of pure 🤬
This part as good as it is unfortunately also has the biggest flaw of the series and this is the decision to let Hazel do most of the chase of the dog to Watership Down. The same Hazel who could barely walk a few days ago can now outrun a dog. Of course this dog could be lame, but than every other rabbit could also have easily taken the task (and Blackavar even helps with it, ironically the one character who is dying in the movie, I feel like they wanted to give him atleast one vital scene, because he felt relatively useless until now). Dandelion as established runner suddenly is injured and so is bereaved of his big moment he has in the book and the movie. This leaves him in this adaptation just as a comic relief character which is a bit sad given that he is one of the most loyal and reliable rabbits in the book to Hazel. The only reason why Hazel was chosen I think is how you described, so that he can be the one who is ending the Efrafan siege and this sentence from Bigwig. So that the audience can finally see him that he is worthy as leader and also being accepted by Bigwig. Unfortunately this wouldn't have been necessary if Hazel would have been depicted as a leader before and not constantly had stumbled over every decision, be questioned and not be sure about anything he did. So this scene only underlines the utter failure of the series to establish Hazel as a great leader and had to give him a moment of complete heroism to let him shine atleast once. Like you said the line of the exhausted Bigwig calling him Hazel-rah and Woundwort laughing is brilliant, one of the best inventions this series did. In the book and the movie Woundwort never knew that this lame rabbit who wanted to negotiate with him shortly before the siege was also the chief rabbit.
The decision to have Hazel do the chase was stupid, because in the book and movie he chose the fastest and healthiest rabbits. And here Hazel can barely walk (because of gunshot) and the dog should have caught him halfway through the escape. If they wanted Hazel to participate in the dog's chase, they could have handled the gunshot differently. Like in the TV series Hazel was also shot, but the bullet hit his buttocks, so the wound, while painful, doesn't affect movement. And after Keehar removed the bullets, Hazel was quite functional here.
I must have a strange sense of humour, but for the concluding segment ("Comparison with the book"), I would have just had a burst of derisive laughter fade into cueing the music!
My last comment on this episode is that I didn't realise this while watching the film, but your screenshot of the action in the episode is accidently funny to me. It's like the dog is telling Hazel he has bad breath, and Hazel is turned away in embarrassment! (Am I the only one who sees this?)
I don't mind Campion's stand here, although it is a departure from the book. Correction: I don't mind the feeling of it, but plotwise, it makes little sense. I mean, Campion knew what they were going to do-I wonder why he would hesitate now, instead of before. Yes, Holly's death affected him, but he knew that that was the intention all along
I'm not a fan of this Woundwort/Bigwig fight. First, Woundwort bringing a lackey with him serves no purpose. Also, I don't like how Bigwig is so obviously overmatched
The music in this section is superb and one of the best orchestrals Watership Down ever got in any adaptation. The dog chase is so thrilling and uplifting, you really feel, that everything depends on it.
And I really like how Woundwort's final stand is portrayed even if the famous line "dogs aren't dangerous" got cut. But reassuring his self that he isn't afraid of anything, not even the probably most dangerous elil a rabbit can normally encounter and than bravely attacking this dog rhymes so good with him at the beginning of this part where he had to flee from the foxes.
I will highly agree that having the shot Hazel be able to run is noticeable for a continuity error. However, the voice acting for Hazel begging Frith that this final trick works to save his warren gets me every time. The superb panic and desperation is pitch perfect and highlights one of the many strengths of this series. And frankly the biggest moment for me from this series was finally hearing a voice actor say Bigwig's insult to Woundwort, it's incredibly cathartic (although I admittedly don't know if it's said in the BBC play). The camera voice and cinematography build up the scale and gravity of the situation to these rabbits and really immerse the viewer in their plight and the final battle of Watership Down was as tense as could be. That and other moments like the escape from Efrafa and the horror of the warren of the snares make this series an excellent watch. Certainly flawed and I notice the differences and sensationalism oddities every time, but the passion put into this project shines through and makes it worthwhile for me.
This is why I am so conflicted over this version.
It has moments of absolute inspiration, including when they changed the original story.
But it has other of pure 🤬
This part as good as it is unfortunately also has the biggest flaw of the series and this is the decision to let Hazel do most of the chase of the dog to Watership Down. The same Hazel who could barely walk a few days ago can now outrun a dog. Of course this dog could be lame, but than every other rabbit could also have easily taken the task (and Blackavar even helps with it, ironically the one character who is dying in the movie, I feel like they wanted to give him atleast one vital scene, because he felt relatively useless until now).
Dandelion as established runner suddenly is injured and so is bereaved of his big moment he has in the book and the movie. This leaves him in this adaptation just as a comic relief character which is a bit sad given that he is one of the most loyal and reliable rabbits in the book to Hazel.
The only reason why Hazel was chosen I think is how you described, so that he can be the one who is ending the Efrafan siege and this sentence from Bigwig. So that the audience can finally see him that he is worthy as leader and also being accepted by Bigwig. Unfortunately this wouldn't have been necessary if Hazel would have been depicted as a leader before and not constantly had stumbled over every decision, be questioned and not be sure about anything he did. So this scene only underlines the utter failure of the series to establish Hazel as a great leader and had to give him a moment of complete heroism to let him shine atleast once. Like you said the line of the exhausted Bigwig calling him Hazel-rah and Woundwort laughing is brilliant, one of the best inventions this series did. In the book and the movie Woundwort never knew that this lame rabbit who wanted to negotiate with him shortly before the siege was also the chief rabbit.
The decision to have Hazel do the chase was stupid, because in the book and movie he chose the fastest and healthiest rabbits. And here Hazel can barely walk (because of gunshot) and the dog should have caught him halfway through the escape. If they wanted Hazel to participate in the dog's chase, they could have handled the gunshot differently. Like in the TV series Hazel was also shot, but the bullet hit his buttocks, so the wound, while painful, doesn't affect movement. And after Keehar removed the bullets, Hazel was quite functional here.
I must have a strange sense of humour, but for the concluding segment ("Comparison with the book"), I would have just had a burst of derisive laughter fade into cueing the music!
It has been tempting at times!
My last comment on this episode is that I didn't realise this while watching the film, but your screenshot of the action in the episode is accidently funny to me. It's like the dog is telling Hazel he has bad breath, and Hazel is turned away in embarrassment! (Am I the only one who sees this?)
😂
I don't mind Campion's stand here, although it is a departure from the book. Correction: I don't mind the feeling of it, but plotwise, it makes little sense. I mean, Campion knew what they were going to do-I wonder why he would hesitate now, instead of before. Yes, Holly's death affected him, but he knew that that was the intention all along
Ok, so now Hazel is the one to run the first heat of the race against the dog??? DOUBLE NONSENSE! Don't these movie writers even care about continuity
So Hazel outruns the chasing Ephrafans who give chase? NONSENSE!!!
They are a bit half-hearted
I'm not a fan of this Woundwort/Bigwig fight. First, Woundwort bringing a lackey with him serves no purpose. Also, I don't like how Bigwig is so obviously overmatched
A sheep invasion??? This solidifies my choice of skipping this series!
Totally understandable!
That was the biggest insult of the TV series against the original book.