Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4869 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-01-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, English, French, Dutch, Greek, Czech, Hungarian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 171 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A groundbreaking screwball caper, 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House was in its own way a rite of passage for Hollywood. Set in 1962 at Faber College, it follows the riotous carryings-on of the Delta Fraternity, into which are initiated freshmen Tom Hulce and Stephen Furst. Among the established house members are Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert and the late John Belushi as Bluto, a belching, lecherous, Jack Daniels guzzling maniac. A debauched house of pranksters (culminating in the famous Deathmobile sequence), Delta stands as a fun alternative to the more strait-laced, crew-cut, unpleasantly repressive norm personified by Omega House. As cowriter the late Doug Kenney puts it, "better to be an animal than a vegetable".

Animal House is deliberately set in the pre-JFK assassination, pre-Vietnam era, something not made much of here, but which would have been implicitly understood by its American audience. The film was an enormous success, a rude, liberating catharsis for the latter-day frathousers who watched it. However, decades on, a lot of the humour seems broad, predictable, boorish, oafishly sexist and less witty than Airplane!, made two years later in the same anarchic spirit. Indeed, although it launched the Hollywood careers of several of its players and makers, including Kevin Bacon, director John Landis, Harold Ramis and Tom Hulce, who went on to do fine things, it might well have been inadvertently responsible for the infantilisation of much subsequent Hollywood comedy. Still, there's an undeniable energy that gusts throughout the film and Belushi, whether eating garbage or trying to reinvoke the spirit of America "After the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour" is a joy.

On the DVD: Animal House comes to disc in a good transfer, presented in 1.85:1. The main extra is a featurette in which director John Landis, writer Chris Miller and some of the actors talk about the making of the movie. Interestingly, 23 years on, most of those interviewed look better than they did back in 1978, especially Stephen "Flounder" Furst. --David Stubbs

Synopsis
In National Lampoon's first film, a parody of 1962 college life, it's campus hijinks galore as the rowdiest fraternity at Faber College battles rival fraternities and administrators, chases women, and throws toga parties. Chief animal John "Bluto" Butarsky (John Belushi) leads the fraternity in wacky hijinks and raunchy debauchery as they take on the establishment of the college. This extremely popular college comedy became an instant classic, quickly beoming one of the most oft-quoted films ever made.

Customer Reviews

What happened to the music ?
Although the film is as good as it always was. This DVD has been ruined by the complete changing of some of the music in the film. I counted at least four songs that have been changed, including Money, and the Sam Cooke song Wonderful World.

I have given this DVD 2 stars not the film as the original was 5 stars.

animal house original music letdown!
Just bought the new Animal House dvd. After all these years it's still a classic! Most people mention Belushi's performance but for me the underrated Tim Matheson as Otter steals the show. (Tim Matheson should've been a major star). However the big disappointment on this version is they've changed much of the music featured from the original film. No "Wonderful World", "Theme from a Summer Place", "Let's Dance" (from the foodfight scene). And what's worse they've replaced it with bland "modern" music and it's awful. This is the first time I've ever heard of this happening to film music. But at least they've kept Elmer Bernstein's classic original score. A superb film but one star deducted for the changes.

In a class of its own!
Sorry about the title.
Animal house is a timeless classic, a comedy that draws on raw physical humour to form an empathetic band of beer-drinking, women-ogling outcasts in their pursuit of mindless anarchy. The film is a deft and clever parody of the American college system, an occassionally disgusting blueprint for teen movies to come. No Animal House, no American Pie. It's that simple.
Next to comedy classics of a similar vintage, like Airplane! or Blazing Saddles, Animal House can appear crude and simplistic, but that is the entire point of the film. The hilarious take on inspirational speeches by John Belushi ('Let's do it!'), the sparkling rendition of 'Jump' by Otis Day and the anarchic, gag-ridden finale combine in a glorious, technicolour celebration of 60s rebellion- and not a peace badge in sight.
Each character in the movie is a parody in itself, and the way they interact showcases extremes of college lifestyles brilliantly. The film has moments of obvious symbolism and mild racial undertones without being overtly political, and besides, it seems unfair to judge a comedy so dependent on accessibility from a philosophical standpoint. Whilst many teen comedies now seek to establish vague moral undertones (and often become saccharine in the process), Animal House continues to break the mould by being a no holds barred gross-out. If you want a no-brainer, outlandishly funny and parody-laden comedy, then Animal House is still the best on offer.