The Bright Eyes sequence

[Azerane]

Watching bits and pieces of the movie the other day for screengrabs etc, I watched the 'Bright Eyes' sequence and I was just wondering what people thought of it.

I for one, love the song, I think it's beautiful and fits perfectly for the scene. I quite enjoy the depictions of Hazel and Fiver jumping and playing and running, however it always bugs me when the rabbits morph into trees. I understand that it's sort of a depiction of any natural tree, but every time it just makes me think of those car air fresheners, and it bugs me! Surely they could have used a different typical tree shape Haha. So I can't watch that scene without thinking of those and it ruins it for me. Otherwise, I quite like how the power pole morphs into swaying trees etc, I guess it is sort of suggestive in terms of how Fiver sees the world.

I believe in the book Fiver reassures the other rabbits that the power pole can't harm them in any way, so in that regard, it is just like a giant metal tree, swaying in the breeze.

Otherwise, I really like how the Black Rabbit shows Fiver the way to Hazel and the way they travel together, there's something really beautiful about it. I think it's the way the Black Rabbit just flows over the landscape.

Your thoughts, opinions?

[Blackavar]

I found it very interesting, but kind of agree with the same things your brought up. I also really like the song, but it appears as though the animators really did whatever looked good for a lot of the visual sequences during the pieces, rather than try to make it representative of something. The end result is a few things that work, and a few things that may not make sense but still contribute to the natural flow and feel of the piece.

What i really like about the piece is the fact that is made #1 spot on the UK singles charts when it was released and held that spot for a month, and was even #2 on the Aus charts as well for that long. Does not seem like the kind of song that would be a chart topper, but I suppose the movie had such a positively profound effects on all those who watched it that the song naturally struck a chord with so many people.

[Azerane]

It certainly is fantastic that the song was rated so highly, I do wonder if the fact that it was sung by Art Garfunkel that really aided it's leap to the top, or whether it was a combination of the him and the movie. In either case, it's fantastic that it did so well and perhaps helped to promote Watership Down more. Didn't know it made #2 in Aus.

Plus, I think the song is very easy to relate to for anyone who's experienced any sort of loss.