Film Summary for ANIMAL FARM

One night, Farmer Jones' animals gather in the barn. They are inspired to revolt against their drunken master by the teachings of Old Major, a pig who tells them that animals need not be slaves to humans. He calls his philosophy "animalism." Lead by two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, the animals overthrow human control and establish Animal Farm. The early days of Animal Farm are rosy and the animals are reassured by the new commandments of animalism painted on the barn which establish that all animals are equal. However, things eventually take a turn for the worse. The pigs begin to keep certain privileges to themselves and amend the commandments one by one. The pigs suppress any signs of dissatisfaction from the other animals either by encouraging back-breaking labor on the windmill they have decided to construct or by showing news-reel style TV shows which assure the animals that they are well-fed and happy. Napoleon eventually runs Snowball off the farm and begins to consolidate his power with more and more ritualistic displays. Once the animals determine that there is very little difference between their treatment at the hands of Napoleon and the treatment they formerly suffered at the hands of Farmer Jones, the only option left is to escape from Animal Farm.

For a fuller synopsis see ANIMAL FARM Edited Script.

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