In a recent e-mail from Howard Beckerman (animator and author of Animation, the Complete Story, 2001) he writes, “About the ending in Animal Farm (1954). I saw it in its initial U.S. release in 1955. At that time the only reason for the upbeat ending seemed to be that the film was very dark and the negative ending of the book would have had the audience leaving the theaters in a depressed mood. Remember, this was a film with animals, at a time when Disney films were the accepted norm. Disney changed Bambi, leaving out much of the realism of animal life in the woods as shown in the book, even though Bambi's mother's death was the dramatic high point of the feature. The Disney live-action animal films like Seal Island purported to show life in the wild with all its harshness, but even here cartoon sentimentality intruded. Animation was expected to be pleasant and happy. Disney's Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp from the '50s reflected the pleasant, nostalgic qualities that had become the norm at that time. There seemed to be a concerted effort to avoid the darkness that had been very obvious in Snow White, Pinocchio and in Fantasia's “Night on Bald Mountain” sequence.”

In the 1950s lighter, happier fare like Disney films were the norm when it came to animated features. © 1942 The Walt Disney Company. All rights reserved.

“The team of Halas and Batchelor, backed by the American producer Louis De Rochement (The March of Time), had to compete in the world market with Disney, so a few cartoon gags were introduced into the film to lighten its heaviness, and I believe that whatever the CIA's influence might have been, the choice for an upbeat ending came out of the animator's wish to succeed with the audience. All this might seem naive now, what with the new information being presented. There were movies of the period like the live film, My Son John (1952), which attacked the menace of communism head-on in a contrived and obvious fashion, so I guess anything is possible. If Orwell had lived longer, I suspect he would have vetoed any effort to translate his work into such a film.”

The film did well at the box office and the reviews were favorable, but some critics suggested people should read the book to learn what was left out. The film was later distributed around the world by the United States Information Agency (USIA) through their overseas libraries. An article in the Guardian (London, July 1996) suggests the film and book were excellent propaganda in Arab nations “in view of the fact that both pigs and dogs are unclean animals to Muslims.” On the other hand a French farmer told Vivien Halas “pigs are the most intelligent animals in the farmyard.”

Despite the story changes, the film Animal Farm remains a powerful work of art.

If you haven’t seen Animal Farm, it is available on VHS and will soon exist on DVD by UAV in the U.S.A. In the U.K., a collector edition is scheduled for spring 2003 from Universal to mark the 100th birthday of George Orwell. A new restored master has been made from the original three strip Technicolor negative and Vivien Halas says it looks fantastic.

Animal Farm is a film experience you will remember. It is an intelligent work for adults with strong characters, powerful emotional moments and vivid images. It has a lighter side that includes some humor, but what I remember most about it is how well it captures the drama inspired by the book. I’m not a purist and while I was aware it wasn’t faithful to the book when I first saw it over 40 years ago, the changes didn’t bother me. I look forward to seeing it again soon on DVD, now that I know why it is more upbeat than the book.

When asked if Vivien’s parents were aware of the CIA’s involvement with the project she said, “I don’t believe that my parents were aware of any CIA involvement at the time. Frances reminded me that in the early '50s the CIA was not regarded with the same scorn as today.” By the 1980s her parents had heard rumors concerning the CIA’s involvement. She says, “My father dismissed the idea, but my mother felt annoyed.”