Bugs Bunny is the last surviving rabbit in the countryside or, at least, I presume this to be true, because Elmer Fudd seems to have killed and eaten quite a few! This particularly-rotund version of Fudd was a short-lived design used in five cartoons in 1941 and 1942, and was based upon the dimensions of voice actor Arthur Q. Bryan, who played him. In 'Fresh Hare (1942),' Fudd braves the snow and ice of the Canadian wilderness (where his added layers might actually come in handy) to capture the wanted outlaw Bugs Bunny, who is charged with a long list of crimes, everything from jaywalking to "conduct unbecoming to a wabbit." Of course, Bugs has little respect for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (colloquially known as the "mounties") and, as might be expected, has no intentions of surrendering without a fight.
This cartoon, while nothing particular special amid a vast catalogue of similar Bugs-Fudd encounters, has enough interesting and funny moments to keep the viewer entertained for the full seven minutes. After the inept hunter tracks Bugs to his rabbit-hole, via a trail of graffiti-vandalised WANTED posters (and a rather risqué picture of a woman), he discovers that finding the fugitive was only the beginning of his troubles. When Bugs finds himself handcuffed early in the film, we're certain that this couldn't possibly be the end of the struggle, and, sure enough, the rabbit somehow contorts himself out of custody and replaces his wrist with a fuse-lit bomb. Later, Fudd is stripped off all his clothing well, almost all his clothing and left completely exposed to the elements, while Bugs makes a quick getaway; there are also a few amusing visual gags with the characters' outlines in the ice.
Having seen Tex Avery's 'The Heckling Hare (1941)' earlier today, I noticed that here director Friz Freleng recycles one of the gags from that film, as Bugs' ears miraculously separate to avoid an obstacle as he darts through the deep snow. Most often nowadays, 'Fresh Hare' is noted only for its somewhat controversial ending, which has subsequently been censored by do-gooders to gloss over America's darker racial history. Personally, I didn't really find anything particularly wrong with the ending, in which Bugs bursts into a chorus of "I Wish I Was in Dixie" and the cast briefly performs a few lines of "Camptown Races" in black-face. True, it's completely random and doesn't contribute much to the story, but my greater annoyance, in any case, is with the attempt to alter the film itself, which I regard as cultural vandalism in a sense. Keep an eye out for the unedited version.
This cartoon, while nothing particular special amid a vast catalogue of similar Bugs-Fudd encounters, has enough interesting and funny moments to keep the viewer entertained for the full seven minutes. After the inept hunter tracks Bugs to his rabbit-hole, via a trail of graffiti-vandalised WANTED posters (and a rather risqué picture of a woman), he discovers that finding the fugitive was only the beginning of his troubles. When Bugs finds himself handcuffed early in the film, we're certain that this couldn't possibly be the end of the struggle, and, sure enough, the rabbit somehow contorts himself out of custody and replaces his wrist with a fuse-lit bomb. Later, Fudd is stripped off all his clothing well, almost all his clothing and left completely exposed to the elements, while Bugs makes a quick getaway; there are also a few amusing visual gags with the characters' outlines in the ice.
Having seen Tex Avery's 'The Heckling Hare (1941)' earlier today, I noticed that here director Friz Freleng recycles one of the gags from that film, as Bugs' ears miraculously separate to avoid an obstacle as he darts through the deep snow. Most often nowadays, 'Fresh Hare' is noted only for its somewhat controversial ending, which has subsequently been censored by do-gooders to gloss over America's darker racial history. Personally, I didn't really find anything particularly wrong with the ending, in which Bugs bursts into a chorus of "I Wish I Was in Dixie" and the cast briefly performs a few lines of "Camptown Races" in black-face. True, it's completely random and doesn't contribute much to the story, but my greater annoyance, in any case, is with the attempt to alter the film itself, which I regard as cultural vandalism in a sense. Keep an eye out for the unedited version.