Watch Tarka the Otter For Free

I love this movie so much

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Although I really wanted to love TARKA THE OTTER - I'm a massive wildlife buff, spend my spare time watching the likes of SPRINGWATCH, and adore RING OF BRIGHT WATER and the books that spawned it - I feel that it doesn't really work as a film. An ostensible adaptation of the Henry Williamson novel, it charts the life and misadventures of a precocious young otter cub called Tarka.My enjoyment of the production came from the absolute ton of nature footage included here. Grey herons and barn owls figure predominantly, and there's all of the footage of otters playing, frolicking, hunting, and fighting that you could wish for. The production suffers from being a little overlong and repetitive in the mid section, but Peter Ustoniv's narration, although aimed at children, just about holds things together.No, what it didn't like was the darkness of the story. I'm all for darkness in children's material and I have no problems with stories showing the viciousness of nature, like WATERSHIP DOWN. What I didn't like here is that most of the running time is preoccupied with Tarka being chased by a pack of brutal dogs. There's no happy outcome here; either he'll manage to escape until the next time, or he'll be torn to shred. It makes for an aggressive, upsetting production, one that I found ultimately depressing rather than exciting. I hate seeing the cruelty to animals done by humans and there's just simply too much of that here.

First of all, let's be clear: No one can say this movie is harmless to children. That depends entirely on the child and the circumstances surrounding the viewing of the movie.Secondly, Bambi's mom getting shot or any of the other staple losing- your-parent(s) tragedies in mentioned animated Disney movies is not comparable to this movie for two big reasons: the live action, and when it occurs. The others don't appear to be showing a real living creature you've grown attached to during an entire movie being finally massacred by dogs in a river. Dramatized animation with an unnamed parental figure at an early point in a movie doesn't have this impact.My mother sat my brother and I down to watch this movie when I was around 5, thinking it would be a nice Disney flick for us to get lost in. We rooted for the otter and couldn't wait to see him get away in an exciting ending. Then, we were shocked senseless at the unexpected brutality, and held our mother accountable for setting us up for such heartache. She felt betrayed by Disney and that would be the last time my mother would show us anything from them without researching it a great deal. Further, it turned us both off of Disney for most of our lives.Yes, children need to see that things don't work out perfectly. But, many children (and their mothers) might see this movie expecting a very different payout from a Disney flick. The main hero doesn't make sacrifices and lose loved ones only to emerge a bigger person in the end; he's just flat out torn to pieces.So, if you're thinking of showing this to your kids, at the very least, let them know what's in store. And in all cases, remember it helps to look at things from more than one side.

Many people think that "Tarka the Otter" isn't a suitable film for children because of its content, yet they would allow their children to watch the beauty of Watership Down or Disney films such as Bambi, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, the Jungle Book etc. They all have upsetting things that happen in them, but just because it's a cartoon, therefore less realistic, parents tend to think that it is suitable for children, as they won't get as upset compared to it being filmed as a non cartoon film. I have to disagree with this.Tarka the Otter is a beautiful film and very artistic, and while yes, it is a sad ending, the last words have stuck with me. The scenery shots are also as beautiful as the film and I was so surprised to find that I hated a dog so much, Boatman did very well, I love all animals and it is very hard for animals to make me dislike them.

A rather odd family orientated film, it is narrated by Peter Ustinov in an awkward documentary-like fashion, with terms that may be too complex for younger viewers, although the story is a bit simple for any older viewers. There is some good scenic photography and a few clever close-ups on animals, plus the accompanying music is quite nice, but the film suffers from a lack of proper characters and dialogue, which causes me to wonder whether the film would have been better told in some form of animation with talking animals. The story could have also done with some humorous touches, but as flawed as it may well be, it still a highly unique film, and it does have a fairly good technical side.