Opinions differ on how explicit a film on animal cruelty has to be in order to make the utmost impact. Being a big fan of the documentary "Earthlings" featuring Joaquin Phoenix' voice, I'm usually off the opinion that subtlety is not the solution, but depicting the blatant cruelty as it happens is the key. That's why I also ended up liking Georges Franju's very graphic take on the matter. The parallel to the workers was nicely done, especially the contrast between the early scenes of the amusement park and everything that followed afterward, but the real "highlight" of the film where the scenes from the horse slaughterhouse or those scenes where the hooves get cut off or the cow takes the hammer to head. It's really sad and heartbreaking, especially taking into consideration that not much has changed and the rise of vegetarianism and veganism has been matched, probably surpassed, by the general rise of the world population.
The narration is pretty good, especially from the female, although reading about her tragic fate is kinda sad. Nicole Ladmiral wasn't even twenty back then, but shows a great deal of intonation. The film's a bit like "Earthlings" 60 years earlier, equally brutal though much shorter and I recommend this film a lot, especially to people who want to think about their eating habits and consider a change for the better. It's one of my favorite short films and documentaries from Franju and the 1940s. With works like this, especially how early in his career this was made, it's a pity the director has kinda vanished into oblivion to everybody but film history enthusiasts.
The narration is pretty good, especially from the female, although reading about her tragic fate is kinda sad. Nicole Ladmiral wasn't even twenty back then, but shows a great deal of intonation. The film's a bit like "Earthlings" 60 years earlier, equally brutal though much shorter and I recommend this film a lot, especially to people who want to think about their eating habits and consider a change for the better. It's one of my favorite short films and documentaries from Franju and the 1940s. With works like this, especially how early in his career this was made, it's a pity the director has kinda vanished into oblivion to everybody but film history enthusiasts.