Blog #11 - Film Response

The Plague Dogs, shown over the last few class periods, was an eye-opening and unique movie. As a child raised on Disney movies, I was expecting a completely different movie when Skitter's and Rawf's animated characters popped up on the screen. I was expecting some struggle for the dogs' freedom but not quite as many disturbing scenes as the movie contained. I was also appalled by the inhumane actions by the humans in the movie and the complete lack of "luck" that the dogs possessed. It seemed that everything that could go wrong for the dogs did: from the exhilarating escape to the prospect of starvation, from the hunting of sheep to the hunting of the dogs by humans, from the inexplicable cruelty of the laboratory doctors to the gruesome death of the only man that showed Skitter kindness.
While watching the movie, I found myself being pulled deeper and deeper into the plight of the dogs. My emotions were stirred by each scene and by the end of the movie, I was hoping against hope that just one human would just show the dog's some kindness. The closing scene was truly the most heart wrenching - the dogs swimming to their death, still waiting for some relief from their pain. This movie definitely accomplished its purpose - it made me think much more about animal rights and exposed just the "tip of iceberg" in regards to the inhumanity of animal experimentation.
Like discussed in class (in light of the past Midgely section), I believe the author did employ emotions to his advantage while making this movie. He was able to be very emotive - placing emotions inside of me that he had hoped to raise with his production. While Midgley cautions against emotive propaganda and art being used inappropriately, I believe the author used emotion quite liberally but within his rights. When dealing with a topic that is so often "pushed under the rug," one has to present a strong case to raise any type of awareness, and I believe that this movie did just that. The movie's producer had to make a statement with his work and expose all facets of animal cruelty to raise awareness regarding animal rights.