via Cynical-C
Central Intelligence Agency rewrite of Animal Farm
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"Many people remember reading George Orwell's "Animal Farm" in high school or college, with its chilling finale in which the farm animals looked back and forth at the tyrannical pigs and the exploitative human farmers but found it "impossible to say which was which."
That ending was altered in the 1955 animated version, which removed the humans, leaving only the nasty pigs. Another example of Hollywood butchering great literature? Yes, but in this case the film's secret producer was the Central Intelligence Agency.
The C.I.A., it seems, was worried that the public might be too influenced by Orwell's pox-on-both-their-houses critique of the capitalist humans and Communist pigs. So after his death in 1950, agents were dispatched (by none other than E. Howard Hunt, later of Watergate fame) to buy the film rights to "Animal Farm" from his widow to make its message more overtly anti-Communist."
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Later, the CIA bought the rights to Animal House, thinking that it was going to be a remake of Animal Farm. The project was abandoned and sold off soon after they found out it had nothing to do with Orwell's novel, but not before they tinkered with some possible rewrites. In the CIA version, the Omega House triumphs over the Deltas , saves Dean Wormer and the Faber College Homecoming Parade.
Dean Wormer with future White House aide and CIA Director, Gregg Marmalar.
Approximate size comparison of "Space Station V" from 2001: A Space Odyssey to the International Space Station (2006).
Yes, sometimes we're idiots, but at least we can let everyone know who's really responsible.
