GUV:So, we are looking at the plot for George Orwell鈥檚 Animal Farm, team. So starting off, this is an allegorical novel so.
PC GREEN:Guess who鈥檚 lost already? Quick clue. S鈥檓e. Allegorical Guv?
GUV:Allegorical is a story in which the characters and/or events represent particular ideas that relate to morals, religion, or, in this case, politics.
Yeah? No. Write this down Green. Orwell wrote the book as a commentary on his views on the Russian Revolution.
SHANEThat鈥檚 why there are such clear links to some of the actual political figures involved in the events of 1917. Like Trotsky, Lenin and Stalin.
PC GREEN:So is it just about the Russian Revolution then?
SHANE:No, it's got a wider significance than that. It鈥檚 about the 鈥榩olitics of power鈥, which is still relevant when you look at the politics of today.
PC BENNETT: Yeah, I was gonna say that.A drunk Mr Jones grumbles as he stumbles, using the Manor
Farm sign to keep his balance, leaving the gate wide open.
GUV:We鈥檙e at Manor Farm and despite Farmer Jones being his usual drunken self, there鈥檚 a buzz about the place because Old Major has organised the animals first ever meeting.
Through the open gate comes Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer.
A regal old Pig, Old Major, sits on a raised platform. Sat around him are Boxer the Cart Horse, Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer the pigs鈥
GUV:They all congregate inside the barn to listen to Old Major who鈥檚 described - well a lot like me in a way.
PC GREEN: Like a big fat old pig?
GUV: 鈥淗ighly regarded鈥 and having a 鈥渨ise and benevolent appearance鈥.
OLD MAJOR:Comrades, our lives are miserable, laborious and short. Pigs nod emphatically.
GUV:Old Major describes life for an animal as one of misery and exploitation.
OLD MAJOR:But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. Even you, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker.
PC GREEN:That鈥檚 all well and good but a pig鈥檚 talking and none of you seem to think that鈥檚 weird.
PC BENNETT:It鈥檚 an allegory, like Guv said!
SHANE:Old Major鈥檚 role has been likened to Lenin鈥檚 role in the Russian Revolution鈥
PC GREEN:Oh but like 鈥榤an鈥 instead of 鈥榗apitalists鈥?
PC BENNETT: SHH!
SHANE: Yep.
OLD MAJOR:An animal must never kill another animal. All animals are equal!
All the animals cheer.
GUV:Unfortunately, Major died after that and Farmer Jones鈥檚 neglectful treatment of them just continued. But the pigs made sure that Old Major鈥檚 ideas about Animalism went ahead鈥
Mr Jones runs out through the gate terrified with Boxer, Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer at his heels.
GUV:鈥nd a revolt was organised.
Squealer paints the sign to say 鈥楢nimal Farm鈥.
PC GREEN:So it鈥檚 a success after all?
GUV: The seven commandments to be adhered to in the revolt were written up on the barn door. Snowball makes sure the animals understand.
SNOWBALL:These will act as a permanent reminder of our rules.
CHICKEN:Makes me wish I could read.
SNOWBALL:Come, I鈥檒l teach you.
GUV:Now by working together the animals succeed far better than man ever did, yeah? The farm is a success and they enjoy a plentiful harvest.
PC BENNETT:Are the pigs pulling their weight?
GUV :Now it would appear the pigs didn鈥檛 actually work, but more, directed.
Tired Boxer goes to drink some milk, but the bucket鈥檚 empty.
GUV:After a hard day bringing in the harvest, the animals returned to the farm to find no milk or apples.
PC GREEN:Bet they kick up a stink?
GUV (reading from book):
鈥淪o it was agreed without further argument that the milk and the windfall apples should be reserved for the pigs alone.鈥 It鈥檚 also worth noting that Napoleon took the puppies away to be educated in private too.
PC GREEN:Why鈥檚 he taken the dogs?
GUV:Make a note of it, Green, might be relevant later.
Because of their success, the animals try to spread the revolutionary ideas of Animal Farm across the countryside
All the animals sit round captivated by Snowball. Napoleon scoffs at Snowball and then does a sinister wolf whistle.
SNOWBALL:We need this windmill. For its advantages far outweigh its disadvantages. For one, it will allow us to do less work. We will only need to work three days a week鈥
GUV:Despite their achievements, Napoleon and Snowball do not see eye to eye.
GUV:Napoleon sets the dogs on Snowball, and they鈥檙e all big and vicious now and Snowball鈥檚 forced off his land.
PC GREEN:So that鈥檚 why he took the puppies? He鈥檚 creating an army! So Napoleon, like Stalin, is using military force eg, his loyal attack-y dogs, to intimidate the other animals, ie, the general population.
GUV:Indeed. And to consolidate his power.
SHANE:So or all Old Major鈥檚 ideas and the animals hard work, Napoleon鈥檚 creating a totalitarian state with a dictator in place once again?
GUV:Very good Shhaa鈥 Sean?
Napoleon sits on the platform Old Major delivered his speech.
NAPOLEON:In future, all questions relating to the workings of the farm will be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by myself.
GUV:Orwell actually uses the words 鈥渓ike slaves鈥 to describe how hard everybody鈥檚 working. Boxer in particular, and it鈥檚 around this time that Napoleon decides to 1, trade with humans and 2, sleep in the farmhouse, in the beds.
PC BENNETT:Eh? But the commandments saiy he shouldn鈥檛 do that鈥
Squealer is working on the Commandments. 4 reads: No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
PC BENNETT: He鈥檚 changing them to suit his needs!
PC GREEN:If I didn鈥檛 know better, I would say they were becoming more like 鈥榤an鈥.
GUV:Napoleon holds a 鈥榮how trial鈥, accusing everyone who thinks Snowball was right, of ludicrous crimes - which they admit to out of fear, and the accused animals are executed.
SHANE:鈥淎nd above all, no animal must ever tyrannize over his own kind.鈥
Squealer doctors the commandments on the barn, they now read: No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.
GUV: Not long after that, Boxer collapses in the quarry.
Gasps from team.
Boxer with bandaged hoof stands by a man in a shirt saying Horse Slaughtering. He hands Napoleon a box of whiskey, then he roughly grabs Boxer and begins dragging him away.
BOXER:Thank you Mr vet man!
Horse screams from screen. The team look horrified.
PC BENNETT:It鈥檚 what Old Major predicted but he meant Mr Jones would be the one to do it, not a fellow animal.
PC GREEN:
I鈥檓 so sad right now.
GUV:As you should be, this is the emotional climax, the ultimate betrayal of a hard worker.
The commandments have been replaced with: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN
OTHERS. Squealer walks away on two legs.
PC GREEN: TWO LEGS LOOK! 鈥淭wo legs bad鈥?
The pigs wear clothes, walk on two legs and sit round drinking with humans.
GUV:The farm is richer than ever but the animals are working harder than ever and seeing far less rewards.
PC GREEN: I keep thinking back at Major鈥檚 first speech.
GUV:The animals look in through the farmhouse window and they can no longer tell the difference between pig and man.
PC BENNETT: So it鈥檚 gone full circle?
PC GREEN:Remind me never to be in a position of power.
PC BENNETT:I shouldn鈥檛 worry about that Green.
GUV:Exactly. No danger of that happening, Green.
PC BENNETT: We鈥檙e all really thick here
GUV:I鈥檝e actually put you in for a demotion.
PC GREEN: Oh thank you鈥
The plot of Animal Farm by George Orwell is explored using a mixture of a police case conference-style discussion, interspersed with short video sequences of plot re-enactment from the novel.
The police officers discuss the plot with the support of a 鈥榗ase wall鈥 with photographic depictions of the key characters and a TV screen to show some of the dramatized moments from the novel.
As the police officers discuss the 鈥榗ase鈥, they explore the developing plot and use quotations from the text to support their developing understanding of the events in the novel.
This is from the series: LIT P.D
Teacher Notes
This film could be used to summarise the events of the novel as a revision activity.
After a first, initial reading, students could watch the sequence in order to gain a fuller understanding of the main events and the shape of the novel as a whole.
Curriculum Notes
This short film is suitable for teaching English literature at GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 5 and Higher in Scotland.
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