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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

There are going to be nightmares

144 replies

howabout · 27/03/2016 14:36

DH is watching Watership Down with our 4 year old DD.

What is wrong with the TV schedulers?

OP posts:
Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 27/03/2016 21:36

No but it sounds interesting. Can I have a quick summary of what it's about.

Brekekekex · 27/03/2016 21:45

It's a sort of slow-burn psychological story about a shy antiques dealer who falls violently in love with a mysterious woman in Copenhagen. They have a whirlwind romance and get married, but then things start to crack at the seams.

ExasperatedAlmostAlways · 27/03/2016 21:49

My husband hates it and says he was absolutely terrified when he watched it as a child. Iv never watched it.

Hygge · 27/03/2016 21:53

Back in the early eighties I used to go to a children's film club on a Saturday morning, which was basically a colour TV and VCR in a local hall, and half of my school sitting on the floor watching whatever they rented for us.

One week they obviously got the wrong tape in the box, because instead of the film they intended to get we ended up watching something about a window-cleaner on a sky-scraper.

Children were bored and starting to complain, there was a bit of language which probably should have warned the adults supervising. And then the window-cleaner somehow got beheaded and his neck stump was shown in gory detail against the window he'd been cleaning and the whole place was in uproar, kids screaming and crying all over the place.

Someone was swiftly dispatched to the video shop to complain and get a proper film, and they came back with this "nice cartoon about rabbits."

Well by the end of it we'd have been better off sticking with the decapitated window cleaner film.

Kids had nightmares, kids were crying, one girl said she didn't want to keep her pet rabbit anymore because she was scared of it, hardly anybody was brought back the next week because of the upset.

I've never watched it again, and this afternoon I made sure DS didn't get anywhere near the channel it was on.

My mum said I'd like it better if I read the book, and she gave me a copy of that and the one about the plague dogs. I took one look at that little black and white dog on the cover with the bandage on his head and thought fuck it, I'll never get over it if I even try to start it. Sent them both to the charity shop unread for some other poor sod to cry over.

RobotMenu · 27/03/2016 21:58

Grin hygge Grin

Fizzielove · 27/03/2016 21:59

We were also shown this at school! I still remember how sad it was 😓

spankhurst · 27/03/2016 22:15

I loathe WD. It was so unrelentingly sad and gruesome. Really horrific images in it, too.

PurpleTraitor · 27/03/2016 22:30

It's one of my favourite films. Watched it this afternoon with the kids. The older one has seen it a few times but it was the 3 year olds first time. Both were fine. I don't understand the hype. The best and most thought provoking films and books have a dark side. Most historical children's literature is incredibly dark. I understand literature is self censoring and film isn't. I also understand it is not a book for younger children. But it is perfectly reasonable viewing with an accompanying adult, IMO.

KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes · 27/03/2016 22:36

Oh, what about Animal Farm?

Shock
JeanPadget · 27/03/2016 22:59

I heard Richard Adams speak in the late 1970s, at the height of his fame. (He autographed my copy of WD Smile). I remember him saying that every time he walked into his local they put Bright Eyes on the juke box. He hated the song, because he felt it didn't adequately explain Fiver's vision.

I agree with the poster who said The Girl in the Swing is fucked up. Lots of pervy old man leering there, I remember.

lurked101 · 27/03/2016 23:27

OH fgs what a load of twaddle on here.

Watership Down may be inappropriate for some quite little viewers but its certainly not the video nasty you are portraying it to be.

Do you turn off the Lion King? I bet loads of your precious darlings have watched Eastenders and Hollyoaks and god knows what else.

But won't somebody think of the children???

DontCallMeBaby · 27/03/2016 23:32

The Girl in the Swing is a very 'wtf did I just read?' book.

Watership Down I'd like to rewatch, missed it today. Never read it - read Plague Dogs at about the age DD is now (12) and the words "hullo, Rowf, have a bone" still make me well up, even though I no longer quite remember why.

Pasithea · 27/03/2016 23:34

Thank you lurked

At what point do we let children learn about the world. The world is not a nice place , surely the younger they learn to respect other residents of this world whether animal human or whatever the better place it may become.

PerspicaciaTick · 27/03/2016 23:36

Watership Down is a brilliant film. I first saw in the cinema aged 8yo. I thought it was amazing then too.
The rabbits build their own home and society, free of fear and exploitation. It is inspiring. Sad but inspiring. Yes, it makes me cry but so does the Railway Children.

JeanPadget · 27/03/2016 23:42

I also remember hearing Kay Webb on Desert Island Discs many years ago. She was in charge of Puffin books when WD was published, and said she thought it was hilarious because it was about rabbits behaving like civil servants, which of course Richard Adams was. (Civil servant, that is, not a rabbit Smile).

I have the clearest memory of reading WD before going to school and getting to the point where Holly arrived at the foot of the down, raving like King Lear. I then had to close the book and go to school Angry

CreepingDogFart · 27/03/2016 23:46

Bambi is another one. Sad

calamityjam · 27/03/2016 23:47

I named my rabbit bright eyes as a kid. I cannot even listen to the song without welling up. In fact I am welling up thinking about it.we are staunch animal lovers in this house and all are pets are rescues. My dc's have watched some scary horrors (teens) but won't watch this. We are all a bunch of soft arses especially dp.

lurked101 · 27/03/2016 23:52

There are lots of sad films and books for children, anything by Hans Christian Anderson for example, Brothers Grimm stories? Roald Dahl can be quite dark...

On another thread there are posters saying how much stuff they got up to from a young age, and on here we have parents screaming over a cartoon which is probably suitable for anyone over 7.

houseeveryweekend · 28/03/2016 00:35

Just be glad its not The Velveteen Rabbit :-(

WanderingNotLost · 28/03/2016 01:34

Most historical children's literature is incredibly dark.

The Hans Christian Andersen version of The Little Mermaid, for example. That story is fucked. up.

PerspicaciaTick · 28/03/2016 01:40

There is an argument that fairytales are traditionally dark and frightening because a) they weren't originally just for children and b) it is good to be able to explore dark themes in a a safe, secure setting.

ItWillWash · 28/03/2016 01:44

My eldest has read the book but not seen the film.

My mum suggested to her that she put it on for "the little ones" -ages 10 months to 8 years- at a family party earlier.

Dd wandered off muttering "Yeah, great idea, I'll just go traumatise a bunch of toddlers for life..."

She put Adventure Time on in the end.

I saw it as a kid, but don't really remember it, I think most of it went over my head. My sister loved it. I'll have to watch it again sometime.

NoahVale · 28/03/2016 07:49

Watership Down was put on on Christmas Day one year.
schedulers have obviously not seen the film

Toadinthehole · 28/03/2016 08:00

Did anyone here read The Song of Pentecost?

BrokeAndBad · 28/03/2016 08:05

Thank you, I feel like I'm the only person not traumatised by Watership Down ... Yes it's a very sad film but I'd watch it again

Jesus, what is this world coming too.

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