Point of View

The Novel: In Orwell's novel, the point of view is quite limited. The narrator only tells us, the readers, what the animals themselves understand. We therefore identify with the animals--as they discover each new amendment to the farm's commandments we also discover it along with them. We are not treated to the pig's private conversations and therefore know very little about them except for their actions.

The Film: In TNT's production of ANIMAL FARM, the point of view is somewhat wider. We first of all get the human perspective in the opening scenes, a point of view which is absent in the novel. The animals seem a mere backdrop to the drama of Jones and his debt to Pilkington. We later are introduced to the animals' point of view and remain within their world for the action that follows.

But ultimately, the film does not limit us to the non-pigs' perspective. For instance, we see more of the pigs' private plotting: we see their discovery of the power of television and eavesdrop on some of their negotiations with Pilkington. While in the novel the animals must make certain discoveries by looking in at the window of the farmhouse and observing the pigs' doings, the TNT version does not limit itself to this device. We get first-hand glimpses of the extent of the pigs' villainy.

See how point-of-view can create irony.

Contemporary Connection: Why do you think the perspective of the film is less limited than that of the novel? Can a film version ever be as limited as a novel?

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