From two articles by T.E.D. Klein in the New York Times: "They Kill Animals and They Call It 'Art'" (January 13, 1974) and "Animals in Movies—The Abuse Gets Worse" (June 8, 1975). These films, mostly from the first half of the '70s, caused real death (or serious injury) of real animals.
"This is a new kind of violence, a kind apparently ignored by all but a few humane groups, bleeding hearts, and, I daresay, children. It points up a curious—and alarming—trend in filmmaking: what can only be called Death for Art's Sake."
The directors include Alexander Jodorowsky, Dennis Hopper, Sidney Pollack, Sam Peckinpah, Jean-Luc Godard, Fernando Arrabal, and others.
Disturbing fact: that was a real horse's head in The Godfather (but it came from a slaughterhouse).
