73: Watership Down (1978)

Section 14: Watership Down

Scripted by Newell Fisher, with script assistance by John Ruths

This section covers from 40 minutes 30 to 42 minutes 20 and the equivalent chapter from the book is Chapter 18

This section of the film is, surely, its optimistic heart. After all the horror of the last few minutes, as Holly recalled his terrible journey to WD, we are, at last, going to arrive at the rabbits' destination.

Somewhat dissonantly, our first shot from close to the foot of WD features the electricity pylons at its base, as the camera zooms out and left to reveal their line.

Hazel, Bigwig and Fiver arrive at the foot of a pylon and Fiver says that is where they need to be as the camera cuts to a shot of the lone tree on the Down.

And now, seemingly, we are at the foot of a pylon nearer to the Down and see the whole group as they set off across a final field towards the base of the scarp slope.

They cross a fence and suddenly they are there.

They pause.

Hazel, looking up the scarp, checks with Fiver that he wants them to climb this, to which Fiver enthusiastically answers yes.

And now the strings of the orchestra really kick in as we get a Hazel's eye-view up the steep slope. Patches of bare chalk visible among the grass.

And then a shot of the group as they set off up the slope together.

We see multiple shots of the rabbits running up the slope, with none of the hesitating trauma with which they do so in the book.

Running through the long Downland grasses, we see Holly and Hazel, then Blackberry, Dandelion and Bigwig, then Dandelion and Bigwig again, as the going gets a little tougher.

The brass music is building again among the strings as we see Holly and Hazel again. Then a tired Pipkin, who pauses, panting, before being urged on with a shouted encouragement by Hazel.

We see Hazel looking back at Pipkin. Fiver, also tired, is with him. I think it is Silver passing them, with Holly behind. Having checked Pipkin is on the move again, Hazel continues.

Dandelion and Blackberry bound ahead of the rest of the group.

With a climactic flourish of brass instruments, the camera pans up the last part of the slope.

Ever the practical rabbit, Blackberry continues straight on, but Dandelion the story-teller, Dandelion the bard, immediately turns around to see what they have achieved.

It is a truly beautiful moment as we see Dandelion's joyful face, followed by a pan across the view of the southern English countryside from high up on the Down.

As the group line up for the most famous shot of them on the Down, practical Blackberry arrives back to report that he has found a burrow under what he describes as a beech hanger, though we have only seen one tree.

He says it has a Great Hall and no sign of death or disease.

I'm sorry, what now? They have arrived at the top of this perfect location for a warren to find it already dug for them?

And with a Great Hall? Seriously?

As Blackberry delivers his... news, Pipkin joins them and the tableau is complete.

The first rabbits of the Warren on Watership Down line up:

Fiver, Hazel, Blackberry, Dandelion, Bigwig, Holly, Silver and Pipkin. The two small rabbits bookending the perfect symmetry of this picture.

As we switch to a shot from behind the rabbits, showing them looking at the view, Dandelion exclaims that Frith on-the-hills made it all for them.

Soberly, Hazel comments that Frith may have made it, but Fiver found it.

It is a moment that slightly takes the mood down, but is also an important acknowledgement of what Fiver has achieved.

For, without him, they would all probably be dead. They owe him everything.