Jul 22, 2014

Pink Floyd's Animal Farm


I have heard over the years that Pink Floyd's album Animals was inspired in part by George Orwell's political fable Animal Farm. I read the book as a kid in school, and have watched the 1954 British animated version dozens of times, and i have to say, there are many similarities between the two. So, i thought i would try an experiment to see if i could synch up the music with the movie...the same way you can synch up Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with the Wizard Of Oz.

I synched the music to the movie at approximately the twenty nine minute mark, when the animals gather in the big barn for a meeting, so they could start thinking about their future. Many resolutions were put forward. It was always the pigs who made the resolutions. They decided the time had come to spread the glorious news, so that their downtrodden comrades from other farms will break their chains and join the animal revolution...Coincidentally, at this point in the movie, the music ends at the same time the movie does...I tried this experiment many different ways, and found this one to be the best fit, with several other strange and coincidental moments throughout...So, sit back, watch, listen, and judge for yourself....

Pink Floyd is most recognized for their biggest commercial successes, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon and 1979’s The Wall. Though between these, two other albums were released. The first was 1975’s Wish You Were Here, a laid back album dedicated to former bandleader Syd Barrett (who's mental deterioration from excessive LSD use in the 60’s was responsible for his inability to perform).

But lost somewhere in their long list of landmark albums is 1977’s "Animals" which has been called "the forgotten album". Like many Floyd albums, Animals contains a theme that’s clear in concept and vast in execution. It was their response to England’s huge anti-progressive rock punk phenomenon lead by Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols. This was the first album where the power started shifting towards bassist and lyricist Roger Waters which would ultimately lead to Water’s departure in 1983. While making the album Waters even said, "the idea of power I find rather appealing in a strange way."

Roger Waters was partly inspired by George Orwell’s political fable Animal Farm in which people are divided up into groups represented by animals. While Orwell was focusing on Communism, Roger was criticizing his own Capitalist government. In Floyd’s version the people are either Dogs, Pigs, or Sheep. The pigs are tyrannical, self-righteous hypocrites forcing their beliefs on the dogs and sheep; the dogs are greedy money-grubbing cutthroats; and the sheep are the mindless followers who are used and abused by the others.


Pink Floyd's Animal Farm by mysticdave

Animal Farm-George Orwell:
Britain's first animated feature, which, despite the title and Disney-esque animal animation, is in fact a no-holds-barred adaptation of George Orwell's classic satire on Stalinism, with the animals taking over their farm by means of a revolutionary coup, but then discovering that although all animals are supposed to be equal, some are more equal than others.


Disclose.tv - Animal Farm-George Orwell-Full Animated Movie




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