Average customer rating:
- I'm glad I was never trapped on an island w/ these kids...
- Pretty Good Movie
- Great Product
- It is an ok movie
- Not the Best Adaptation
|
Lord of the Flies
Starring:
Balthazar Getty ,
Chris Furrh ,
Danuel Pipoly ,
James Badge Dale , and
Andrew Taft (II)
Director:
Harry Hook
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Innocence Lost
| By Theme
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Home & Garden
| Special Interests
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Getty, Balthazar
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hook, Harry
| ( H )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All MGM Titles
| MGM Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
DVDs Under $7.49
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
General
| Action & Adventure
| Today's Deals in DVD
| Special Features
| DVD
| Video
( L )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Lord of the Flies - Criterion Collection
-
Of Mice & Men (1992)
-
Animal Farm
-
Lord of the Flies
-
Golding's the Lord of the Flies (Cliffs Notes)
ASIN: B00005O06X
Release Date: 2001-11-20 |
Amazon.com
Harry Hook's adaptation is not as faithful to the William Golding novel as you'd wish (they excised the Lord of the Flies dialogue with Simon!) and because of it, the movie is less allegorical and less resonant. A group of young men from a military academy are stranded on an island. The group quickly becomes fractious with a passive section led by Ralph, trying to get rescued, and a hunter faction, led by Jack, trying to procure meat and "have fun." Peter Brook's 1963 filming seemed to get closer to the Darwinist sense of this cultural disintegration. Here, the hunter faction seems more like Peter Pan's Lost Boys than the bloodthirsty murderers they are. The performances, particularly young Getty, don't quite carry the weight of the situation. It's still, however, sobering to slowly watch the school uniforms traded for war paint, and the little boys turn into little savages. --Keith Simanton
Description
With 'sharply expressive performances (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) by its young cast, this stunning adventure explores the deep dark corners of the human soul, as a group of adolescent castaways are thrust into an intense world where law and accountability are governed by the rules of survival. After a harrowing plane crash into the sea, a group of American military cadets finds itselfmarooned on a deserted island. Realizing the minimal chances of being rescued, the boys band together out of fear and desperation. But as the island paradise becomes their own, competition and power struggles split them into two packs. Ralph (Bathazar Getty) leads one group and preaches civilized ingenuity and togetherness, but Jack (Chris Furrh) wants nothing of it and builds a faction of barbaric hunters who ultimately go to war with Ralph. This powerful shift in conscience transforms ordinary kids into primal killers, setting off a devastating battle of good versus evil and presenting a haunting metaphor for the savage in us all.
Customer Reviews:
I'm glad I was never trapped on an island w/ these kids..........2007-06-07
This was a very good movie that came from an even better book. When I was younger I didn't understand people who would claim that the books were better than movies. Now, I do. However, I feel that for this statement to be true, one must have a vivid imagination and be able to immerse themselves in the world that the author created.
Anyway, I loved the book and I thought the movie was well done too. The kids are pretty good at acting. Almost too good, as if they were actually dropped off on an island and told that they had to figure out a way to survive. I would recommend watching this movie w/o children because I think it may be a bit much.
Pretty Good Movie.......2007-06-04
It doesn't follow the book that much, but I think it's pretty realistic of what you see in the movie. It should be different since it's expressing someone's own idea and point of view to the book. Pretty intense and a really great movie. Buy it.
Great Product.......2007-03-11
The product was received in great condition and timely delivered by the seller. I would buy again
It is an ok movie.......2007-02-11
This updated version of this movie is quiet a change from the book. But, just because it is a change from the book isn't a good reason for me not to like it. I did like the movie over all and I thought that the point that the director tried to make came across fine. Even though there were no adults there, the children did develop a "government" and those differences came out in the group that won compared to the group that lost followers. Also, in developing a "government" there was a hierachy of leadership and blood shed. See the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions about the movie. For myself, I did enjoy it and will probably see it again.
Not the Best Adaptation.......2007-01-07
I read the book and then decided to purchase the film I thought it was not that bad but the swearing it was over the top. If you want to show this movie to students I'll be cautios there are more than 200 swearing words through out the film. There is an older version of this film, which is black and white, but far better than this one.
Average customer rating:
- Blah.
- Fly No Further
- One of a Kind, a True Classic
- The Power of the Conch
- Don't Let the Pig Speak to You! Unnoticed cinematography!
|
Lord of the Flies - Criterion Collection
Starring:
James Aubrey ,
Tom Chapin (II) ,
Hugh Edwards ,
Roger Elwin , and
Tom Gaman
Director:
Peter Brook
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Classics
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Innocence Lost
| By Theme
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Action & Adventure
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Aubrey, James
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hammond, Nicholas
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Brook, Peter
| ( B )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Classics
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
International
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Action & Adventure
| British Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| British Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
General
| British Cinema
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( L )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Lord of the Flies
-
Lord of the Flies
-
Animal Farm
-
Of Mice & Men (1992)
-
To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)
ASIN: 0780022084
Release Date: 2000-01-18 |
Amazon.com
In this classic 1963 adaptation of William Golding's novel, a planeload of schoolboys is stranded on a tropical island. They've got food and water; all that's left is to peacefully govern themselves until they're rescued. "After all," says choir leader Jack, "We're English. We're the best in the world at everything!" Unfortunately, living peacefully is not as easy as it seems. Though Ralph is named chief, Jack and the choristers quickly form a clique of their own, using the ever-effective political promise of fun rather than responsibility to draw converts. Director Peter Brook draws some excellent performances out of his young cast; the moment when Ralph realizes that even if he blows the conch for a meeting people might not come is an excruciating one. Well acted and faithfully executed, Lord of the Flies is as compelling today as when first released. --Ali Davis
Description
Lord of the Flies is famed theater director Peter Brook's daring translation of William Golding's brilliant novel. The story of 30 English schoolboys stranded on an uncharted island at the start of the "next" war, Lord of the Flies is a seminal film of the New American Cinema and a fascinating anti-Hollywood experiment in location filmmaking. As the cast relived Golding's frightening fable, Brook found the cinematic "evidence" of the author's terrifying thesis: there is a beast in us all.
Customer Reviews:
Blah........2007-05-01
The point, I think, of making a novel into a movie is to take the text and replace it with a visual. In this case, and in most cases, all the awesome good bits of the text are butchered in the name of artisitc license. Well "boo" to that! I cringe when my students ask to see the movie after we read the book, because it's just not the same. Where's the part with Simon and the head? And what's the deal with the parachutist? Those are important elements of the text that are either glossed over, mangled, or removed completely. I object to such tinkering with greatness! The merit in such films is only to encourage students to write reviews or to compare/contrast. Any other use, such as a substitution for the text, is not reccomended. Rhetorical question: Why don't film makers create a real version of the text? Enough said. Just read the book.
Fly No Further.......2007-01-19
If you are looking for the definitive theatrical version of "Lord of the Flies", here it is. All essential thematic elements are included without laboring over miscellaneous detail. Sure, it could be longer to include every detail from the novel, but it loses nothing at its current length. I found it very useful as a follow up to classroom study, and my students adjusted well to the black and white presentation. You know it hits the mark when you need to pass out Kleenex, after Simon and Piggy's deaths, to a jaded bunch of ninth graders. Worth the investment!!
One of a Kind, a True Classic.......2006-07-17
"We're Englishmen, and the English do everything right!" one of the choirboys says soon after finding themselves on the island. From then on, it's a steady degeneration into savagery. I saw Lord of the Flies (and read the Golding novel) when it first came out in the '60's, and it keeps getting better everytime I see it. There are just so many memorable images: "Piggy", the nerdy kid with the shattered glasses lens; flies buzzing around the hog's head impaled on a stick; the "Beast", etc. This is great story telling, and the kids' characters are so well delineated. Low budget and filmed entirely on location, the camera crew had to be very resourceful in overcoming obstactles. (Speaking of budgets... Criterion Editions does great work, but there's no reason to charge 40 bucks for this DVD. The transfer is excellent, but it's no better than an earlier issue on videotape put out by another outfit.) In special features, the filmakers discuss how they discovered an ingenious use of the zoom lens, a relatively new gadget at that time. (The effect is not the cheesy zoom in/zoom outs used ad nauseum on '70's TV shows.) An "indie" film of sorts, Lord of the Flies was filmed in black and white, but then, so were classics like On the Waterfront, To Kill a Mocking Bird and The Haunting. Technicolor film was very expensive, and you didn't want to leave too much of it on the cutting room floor. The '90's version is OK, but I think the film makers erred in making the kids military school students. The seed of violence has already been planted, and it's not so far a leap to savagery.
The Power of the Conch.......2006-07-07
We were handed paperback copies of Sir William Golding's novel in my seventh grade class back in 1973, and it was not until three years later when I saw the 1963 movie. The plot was about thirty or so British schoolboys, ages 6 to 13, whose plane crashes in the South Pacific Ocean and were the only survivors. They came ashore on a small uncharted, uninhabited tropical island where survival and the hopes of being rescued took precedence. While the pilot perished in the crash, there were no other adults and the boys were left to fend for themselves.
The task was left to two of the oldest boys, Ralph and Jack. Ralph did his best to keep order with the younger boys where survival was the key by building shelters and gathering food. They would also build a fire as a signal to alert any passing ship or plane. While exploring the island and walking along the surf, Ralph and a fat, nearsighted boy, suffering from asthma, named Piggy stumbled upon a conch washed up on the shore. To Ralph the conch was an important symbol that whoever held onto it had the power to speak.
During their isolation on the island, the boys managed to get along until Jack, a choirboy who initially proclaimed that the British people were the most civilized on earth, wanted to have fun and hunt since the island was inhabited by wild pigs. This led to a falling out between him and Ralph, and two separate factions ensued. Jack's group were mainly other choirboys who split away from the main group, settling on one part of the island where they would engage in savagery with painted faces and long hair. Aside from Piggy, Ralph's group included a boy named Simon, two twins named Sam'n'Eric and some of the smaller boys that were called "littleuns".
The longer the two groups remained, hostilities between them grew more and more.
Since no adults were present, one fear they faced was that of "the Beast". Jack's group was determined to hunt down the beast, and the nightly rituals was dancing around the fire and chanting, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
The trauma was that of a weak Simon who happened to stumble upon one of these rituals and was killed by Jack's group. His bloodied body thrown into the sea. The traumas continued as Jack's attention turned toward Ralph's group. The need for Piggy's spectacles to start fires was one thing and finishing off Ralph was another. Piggy would later be killed by a boulder falling on top of him and the conch smashed into worthless pieces. Sam'n'Eric would be apprehended and forced into Jack's group. This led to the littleuns abandoning Ralph as well.
Ralph, now alone, was in fear for his own life. Jack's goal now was to hunt him down and kill him, even if it meant smoking him out by burning the entire island. While Jack and his group were in pursuit, Ralph ran as fast as he could until he stumbled on the beach and would look up at a naval officer who happened to come ashore with a rescue party.
The plot in the film came very close to that of the novel. There was a remake of "Lord of the Flies" in 1990 that, to me, did not make any impression. The plot was altered where American boys from a military school faced similar situations. As for the 1963 film, I find it a classic not one worth missing.
Don't Let the Pig Speak to You! Unnoticed cinematography!.......2006-06-05
This film is truly a masterpiece! Unless you're so up on your research, or unless you watched the extra stuff on the DVD, you'd have no idea that it was probably the first big picture which used a zoom lens! Many of the camera shots were extremely complicated since the producers had to invent and tinker around until they could make temporary dolly mechanisms with proper tracks that worked for their sets in Puerto Rico. Dialogue had to be done separately almost every time sinc eethe soun of the sea was so loud and since our video technolgoy was not so advanced. (I don't know of advanced technology can even block the sound of the sea out.) Long, hot hours for all 1st time actors and film people- most people involved in the film didn't realize at the time that the film was risky- limited time slot- all the students hasd to miss 1 month of school, not a day more, and summer vacation.
Another interesting factoid is that this film for the Premier release had the sound all backwards, and it was fixed and played correctly all on time in 1.5 hours. A police escort was provided to have the reel shipped to a UK theater.
The DVD has a "movie version" where Golding himself reads an abridged version of his book while the entire movie plays. There's also another "movie version" where directors and other staff make various comments on the movie. Listening to the readings is probably good enough for "cliff notes" though I would not recommend ever readign only the cliff notes or just watching the video. The book is too good to just read the cliff notes only, and that accentuates the video only more. One thing to noe though is that Golding's readings do not always match up with what is being shown in the movie itself.
In this original version, the pig does not talk because they had to remove many scenes. Most of the scenes removed were due to the film being too long, but the pig talking portion may've been removed because it may have been too hard for people to handle at the time. Even now, the movie's content is questionable for a rating because it's young male children living as savages, and sometimes there are captures with very little clothes. You never see the front when someone is totally undressed, but there may be a quick flash or two or things that you can't really see distinctly. This movie is definitely NOT sexual, but if you are looking for a clean, pure movie, non-realistic movie, or if you are vegetarian, this is probably not a good movie for you to watch.
This version of the movie is very different than the 1990 version, as 1990 is in color, and this version is more raw and more real like Survivor minus all the hype and silliness. I don't remember if Piggy's real name is even mentioned in the book or the 1990 version, but it's definitely not in this version. Most people would say this version is critically much better than the 1990 version as the 1990 version strips away the fact that about half of the boys are from a choir school. American actors will tend to act different than actors from various countries with a UK background, and since the book was written from a UK perspective, in this sense, the 1990 movie loses that degree of originality from the book. There have been other "versions" of the movie, and one mentioned in the extra stuff on this DVD that was so offkilter that they wouldn't even name it "Lord of the Flies." This particular version mentioned even had girls in it and a very happy ending. This is a movie of true value, substance, and realism.
Amazon.com
Harry Hook's adaptation is not as faithful to the William Golding novel as you'd wish (they excised the Lord of the Flies dialogue with Simon!) and because of it, the movie is less allegorical and less resonant. A group of young men from a military academy are stranded on an island. The group quickly becomes fractious with a passive section led by Ralph, trying to get rescued, and a hunter faction, led by Jack, trying to procure meat and "have fun." Peter Brook's 1963 filming seemed to get closer to the Darwinist sense of this cultural disintegration. Here, the hunter faction seems more like Peter Pan's Lost Boys than the bloodthirsty murderers they are. The performances, particularly young Getty, don't quite carry the weight of the situation. It's still, however, sobering to slowly watch the school uniforms traded for war paint, and the little boys turn into little savages. --Keith Simanton
Description
With 'sharply expressive performances (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) by its young cast, this stunning adventure explores the deep dark corners of the human soul, as a group of adolescent castaways are thrust into an intense world where law and accountability are governed by the rules of survival. After a harrowing plane crash into the sea, a group of American military cadets finds itselfmarooned on a deserted island. Realizing the minimal chances of being rescued, the boys band together out of fear and desperation. But as the island paradise becomes their own, competition and power struggles split them into two packs. Ralph (Bathazar Getty) leads one group and preaches civilized ingenuity and togetherness, but Jack (Chris Furrh) wants nothing of it and builds a faction of barbaric hunters who ultimately go to war with Ralph. This powerful shift in conscience transforms ordinary kids into primal killers, setting off a devastating battle of good versus evil and presenting a haunting metaphor for the savage in us all.
Customer Reviews:
I'm glad I was never trapped on an island w/ these kids..........2007-06-07
This was a very good movie that came from an even better book. When I was younger I didn't understand people who would claim that the books were better than movies. Now, I do. However, I feel that for this statement to be true, one must have a vivid imagination and be able to immerse themselves in the world that the author created.
Anyway, I loved the book and I thought the movie was well done too. The kids are pretty good at acting. Almost too good, as if they were actually dropped off on an island and told that they had to figure out a way to survive. I would recommend watching this movie w/o children because I think it may be a bit much.
Pretty Good Movie.......2007-06-04
It doesn't follow the book that much, but I think it's pretty realistic of what you see in the movie. It should be different since it's expressing someone's own idea and point of view to the book. Pretty intense and a really great movie. Buy it.
Great Product.......2007-03-11
The product was received in great condition and timely delivered by the seller. I would buy again
It is an ok movie.......2007-02-11
This updated version of this movie is quiet a change from the book. But, just because it is a change from the book isn't a good reason for me not to like it. I did like the movie over all and I thought that the point that the director tried to make came across fine. Even though there were no adults there, the children did develop a "government" and those differences came out in the group that won compared to the group that lost followers. Also, in developing a "government" there was a hierachy of leadership and blood shed. See the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions about the movie. For myself, I did enjoy it and will probably see it again.
Not the Best Adaptation.......2007-01-07
I read the book and then decided to purchase the film I thought it was not that bad but the swearing it was over the top. If you want to show this movie to students I'll be cautios there are more than 200 swearing words through out the film. There is an older version of this film, which is black and white, but far better than this one.
Average customer rating:
|
Literary Classics - Lord of the Flies
Manufacturer: Eagle Rock Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Action & Adventure
| African American Cinema
| Animation
| Anime & Manga
| Art House & International
| Classics
| Comedy
| Cult Movies
| Documentary
| Drama
| Educational
| Fitness & Yoga
| Gay & Lesbian
| Horror
| Kids & Family
| Military & War
| Music Video & Concerts
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Mystery & Suspense
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Special Interests
| Sports
| Television
| Westerns
Similar Items:
-
Lord of the Flies
-
Golding's the Lord of the Flies (Cliffs Notes)
ASIN: B000OONRXO
Release Date: 2007-03-21 |
Average customer rating:
|
Great Adaptations - Criterion Collection (Great Expectations / Lord of the Flies / The Most Dangerous Game / Oliver Twist)
Starring:
Joel McCrea ,
Fay Wray ,
Leslie Banks ,
Robert Armstrong , and
Noble Johnson
Director:
Ernest B. Schoedsack ,
Irving Pichel , and
David Lean
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Classics
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Classics
| Drama
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Armstrong, Robert
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Banks, Leslie
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Clare, Mary
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Davidson, William B
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Flavin, James
| ( F )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Guinness, Alec
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hamilton, Hale
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
McCrea, Joel
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Newton, Robert
| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Stephenson, Henry
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Sullivan, Francis L
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Walsh, Kay
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Wray, Fay
| ( W )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lean, David
| ( L )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Pichel, Irving
| ( P )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Schoedsack, Ernest B
| ( S )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| Boxed Sets
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Drama
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Classics
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Boxed Sets
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
All
| Criterion Collection
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
David Lean
| By Director
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( G )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
-
Insomnia - Criterion Collection
-
Wild Strawberries - Criterion Collection
-
Viridiana - Criterion Collection
-
Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection (David Copperfield 1935 / Marie Antoinette 1938 / Pride and Prejudice 1940 / A Tale of Two Cities 1935 / Treasure Island 1934)
-
Le Samourai - Criterion Collection
ASIN: B0002JELNQ
Release Date: 2004-09-07 |
Description
Great Expectations: One of the great translations of literature into film, David Lean's, Great Expectations brings Charles Dickens' masterpiece to robust onscreen life. Pip, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, and Estella populate Lean's magnificent miniature, beautifully photographed by Guy Green and designed by John Bryan. Lord of the Flies: Lord of the Flies is famed theater director Peter Brook's daring translation of William Golding's brilliant novel. The story of 30 English schoolboys stranded on an uncharted island at the start of the "next" war, Lord of the Flies is a seminal film of the New American Cinema and a fascinating anti-Hollywood experiment in location filmmaking. As the cast relived Golding's frightening fable, Brook found the cinematic "evidence" of the author's terrifying thesis: there is a beast in us all. The Most Dangerous Game: "One of the best and most literate movies from the great days of horror," The Most Dangerous Game stars Leslie Banks as a big game hunter with a taste for the world's most exotic prey—his houseguests, played by Fay Wray and Joel McCrea. Before making history with 1933's King Kong, filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack wowed audiences with their chilling adaptation of this Richard Connell short story. Criterion is proud to present the DVD premiere of The Most Dangerous Game in a new digital transfer. Oliver Twist: Expressionistic noir photography suffuses David Lean's Oliver Twist with a nightmarish quality, fitting its bleak, industrial setting. In Dickens' classic tale, an orphan wends his way from cruel apprenticeship to den of thieves in search of a true home.
Average customer rating:
|
The Emerald Forest/ Lord of the Flies Double Feature
Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Action & Adventure
| African American Cinema
| Animation
| Anime & Manga
| Art House & International
| Classics
| Comedy
| Cult Movies
| Documentary
| Drama
| Educational
| Fitness & Yoga
| Gay & Lesbian
| Horror
| Kids & Family
| Military & War
| Music Video & Concerts
| Musicals & Performing Arts
| Mystery & Suspense
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Special Interests
| Sports
| Television
| Westerns
All MGM Titles
| MGM Home Entertainment
| Studio Specials
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Product Features:
ASIN: B000NQJP98 |
Amazon.com
Harry Hook's adaptation is not as faithful to the William Golding novel as you'd wish (they excised the Lord of the Flies dialogue with Simon!) and because of it, the movie is less allegorical and less resonant. A group of young men from a military academy are stranded on an island. The group quickly becomes fractious with a passive section led by Ralph, trying to get rescued, and a hunter faction, led by Jack, trying to procure meat and "have fun." Peter Brook's 1963 filming seemed to get closer to the Darwinist sense of this cultural disintegration. Here, the hunter faction seems more like Peter Pan's Lost Boys than the bloodthirsty murderers they are. The performances, particularly young Getty, don't quite carry the weight of the situation. It's still, however, sobering to slowly watch the school uniforms traded for war paint, and the little boys turn into little savages. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews:
I'm glad I was never trapped on an island w/ these kids..........2007-06-07
This was a very good movie that came from an even better book. When I was younger I didn't understand people who would claim that the books were better than movies. Now, I do. However, I feel that for this statement to be true, one must have a vivid imagination and be able to immerse themselves in the world that the author created.
Anyway, I loved the book and I thought the movie was well done too. The kids are pretty good at acting. Almost too good, as if they were actually dropped off on an island and told that they had to figure out a way to survive. I would recommend watching this movie w/o children because I think it may be a bit much.
Pretty Good Movie.......2007-06-04
It doesn't follow the book that much, but I think it's pretty realistic of what you see in the movie. It should be different since it's expressing someone's own idea and point of view to the book. Pretty intense and a really great movie. Buy it.
Great Product.......2007-03-11
The product was received in great condition and timely delivered by the seller. I would buy again
It is an ok movie.......2007-02-11
This updated version of this movie is quiet a change from the book. But, just because it is a change from the book isn't a good reason for me not to like it. I did like the movie over all and I thought that the point that the director tried to make came across fine. Even though there were no adults there, the children did develop a "government" and those differences came out in the group that won compared to the group that lost followers. Also, in developing a "government" there was a hierachy of leadership and blood shed. See the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions about the movie. For myself, I did enjoy it and will probably see it again.
Not the Best Adaptation.......2007-01-07
I read the book and then decided to purchase the film I thought it was not that bad but the swearing it was over the top. If you want to show this movie to students I'll be cautios there are more than 200 swearing words through out the film. There is an older version of this film, which is black and white, but far better than this one.
Amazon.com
In this classic 1963 adaptation of William Golding's novel, a planeload of schoolboys is stranded on a tropical island. They've got food and water; all that's left is to peacefully govern themselves until they're rescued. "After all," says choir leader Jack, "We're English. We're the best in the world at everything!" Unfortunately, living peacefully is not as easy as it seems. Though Ralph is named chief, Jack and the choristers quickly form a clique of their own, using the ever-effective political promise of fun rather than responsibility to draw converts. Director Peter Brook draws some excellent performances out of his young cast; the moment when Ralph realizes that even if he blows the conch for a meeting people might not come is an excruciating one. Well acted and faithfully executed, Lord of the Flies is as compelling today as when first released. --Ali Davis
Customer Reviews:
Blah........2007-05-01
The point, I think, of making a novel into a movie is to take the text and replace it with a visual. In this case, and in most cases, all the awesome good bits of the text are butchered in the name of artisitc license. Well "boo" to that! I cringe when my students ask to see the movie after we read the book, because it's just not the same. Where's the part with Simon and the head? And what's the deal with the parachutist? Those are important elements of the text that are either glossed over, mangled, or removed completely. I object to such tinkering with greatness! The merit in such films is only to encourage students to write reviews or to compare/contrast. Any other use, such as a substitution for the text, is not reccomended. Rhetorical question: Why don't film makers create a real version of the text? Enough said. Just read the book.
Fly No Further.......2007-01-19
If you are looking for the definitive theatrical version of "Lord of the Flies", here it is. All essential thematic elements are included without laboring over miscellaneous detail. Sure, it could be longer to include every detail from the novel, but it loses nothing at its current length. I found it very useful as a follow up to classroom study, and my students adjusted well to the black and white presentation. You know it hits the mark when you need to pass out Kleenex, after Simon and Piggy's deaths, to a jaded bunch of ninth graders. Worth the investment!!
One of a Kind, a True Classic.......2006-07-17
"We're Englishmen, and the English do everything right!" one of the choirboys says soon after finding themselves on the island. From then on, it's a steady degeneration into savagery. I saw Lord of the Flies (and read the Golding novel) when it first came out in the '60's, and it keeps getting better everytime I see it. There are just so many memorable images: "Piggy", the nerdy kid with the shattered glasses lens; flies buzzing around the hog's head impaled on a stick; the "Beast", etc. This is great story telling, and the kids' characters are so well delineated. Low budget and filmed entirely on location, the camera crew had to be very resourceful in overcoming obstactles. (Speaking of budgets... Criterion Editions does great work, but there's no reason to charge 40 bucks for this DVD. The transfer is excellent, but it's no better than an earlier issue on videotape put out by another outfit.) In special features, the filmakers discuss how they discovered an ingenious use of the zoom lens, a relatively new gadget at that time. (The effect is not the cheesy zoom in/zoom outs used ad nauseum on '70's TV shows.) An "indie" film of sorts, Lord of the Flies was filmed in black and white, but then, so were classics like On the Waterfront, To Kill a Mocking Bird and The Haunting. Technicolor film was very expensive, and you didn't want to leave too much of it on the cutting room floor. The '90's version is OK, but I think the film makers erred in making the kids military school students. The seed of violence has already been planted, and it's not so far a leap to savagery.
The Power of the Conch.......2006-07-07
We were handed paperback copies of Sir William Golding's novel in my seventh grade class back in 1973, and it was not until three years later when I saw the 1963 movie. The plot was about thirty or so British schoolboys, ages 6 to 13, whose plane crashes in the South Pacific Ocean and were the only survivors. They came ashore on a small uncharted, uninhabited tropical island where survival and the hopes of being rescued took precedence. While the pilot perished in the crash, there were no other adults and the boys were left to fend for themselves.
The task was left to two of the oldest boys, Ralph and Jack. Ralph did his best to keep order with the younger boys where survival was the key by building shelters and gathering food. They would also build a fire as a signal to alert any passing ship or plane. While exploring the island and walking along the surf, Ralph and a fat, nearsighted boy, suffering from asthma, named Piggy stumbled upon a conch washed up on the shore. To Ralph the conch was an important symbol that whoever held onto it had the power to speak.
During their isolation on the island, the boys managed to get along until Jack, a choirboy who initially proclaimed that the British people were the most civilized on earth, wanted to have fun and hunt since the island was inhabited by wild pigs. This led to a falling out between him and Ralph, and two separate factions ensued. Jack's group were mainly other choirboys who split away from the main group, settling on one part of the island where they would engage in savagery with painted faces and long hair. Aside from Piggy, Ralph's group included a boy named Simon, two twins named Sam'n'Eric and some of the smaller boys that were called "littleuns".
The longer the two groups remained, hostilities between them grew more and more.
Since no adults were present, one fear they faced was that of "the Beast". Jack's group was determined to hunt down the beast, and the nightly rituals was dancing around the fire and chanting, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
The trauma was that of a weak Simon who happened to stumble upon one of these rituals and was killed by Jack's group. His bloodied body thrown into the sea. The traumas continued as Jack's attention turned toward Ralph's group. The need for Piggy's spectacles to start fires was one thing and finishing off Ralph was another. Piggy would later be killed by a boulder falling on top of him and the conch smashed into worthless pieces. Sam'n'Eric would be apprehended and forced into Jack's group. This led to the littleuns abandoning Ralph as well.
Ralph, now alone, was in fear for his own life. Jack's goal now was to hunt him down and kill him, even if it meant smoking him out by burning the entire island. While Jack and his group were in pursuit, Ralph ran as fast as he could until he stumbled on the beach and would look up at a naval officer who happened to come ashore with a rescue party.
The plot in the film came very close to that of the novel. There was a remake of "Lord of the Flies" in 1990 that, to me, did not make any impression. The plot was altered where American boys from a military school faced similar situations. As for the 1963 film, I find it a classic not one worth missing.
Don't Let the Pig Speak to You! Unnoticed cinematography!.......2006-06-05
This film is truly a masterpiece! Unless you're so up on your research, or unless you watched the extra stuff on the DVD, you'd have no idea that it was probably the first big picture which used a zoom lens! Many of the camera shots were extremely complicated since the producers had to invent and tinker around until they could make temporary dolly mechanisms with proper tracks that worked for their sets in Puerto Rico. Dialogue had to be done separately almost every time sinc eethe soun of the sea was so loud and since our video technolgoy was not so advanced. (I don't know of advanced technology can even block the sound of the sea out.) Long, hot hours for all 1st time actors and film people- most people involved in the film didn't realize at the time that the film was risky- limited time slot- all the students hasd to miss 1 month of school, not a day more, and summer vacation.
Another interesting factoid is that this film for the Premier release had the sound all backwards, and it was fixed and played correctly all on time in 1.5 hours. A police escort was provided to have the reel shipped to a UK theater.
The DVD has a "movie version" where Golding himself reads an abridged version of his book while the entire movie plays. There's also another "movie version" where directors and other staff make various comments on the movie. Listening to the readings is probably good enough for "cliff notes" though I would not recommend ever readign only the cliff notes or just watching the video. The book is too good to just read the cliff notes only, and that accentuates the video only more. One thing to noe though is that Golding's readings do not always match up with what is being shown in the movie itself.
In this original version, the pig does not talk because they had to remove many scenes. Most of the scenes removed were due to the film being too long, but the pig talking portion may've been removed because it may have been too hard for people to handle at the time. Even now, the movie's content is questionable for a rating because it's young male children living as savages, and sometimes there are captures with very little clothes. You never see the front when someone is totally undressed, but there may be a quick flash or two or things that you can't really see distinctly. This movie is definitely NOT sexual, but if you are looking for a clean, pure movie, non-realistic movie, or if you are vegetarian, this is probably not a good movie for you to watch.
This version of the movie is very different than the 1990 version, as 1990 is in color, and this version is more raw and more real like Survivor minus all the hype and silliness. I don't remember if Piggy's real name is even mentioned in the book or the 1990 version, but it's definitely not in this version. Most people would say this version is critically much better than the 1990 version as the 1990 version strips away the fact that about half of the boys are from a choir school. American actors will tend to act different than actors from various countries with a UK background, and since the book was written from a UK perspective, in this sense, the 1990 movie loses that degree of originality from the book. There have been other "versions" of the movie, and one mentioned in the extra stuff on this DVD that was so offkilter that they wouldn't even name it "Lord of the Flies." This particular version mentioned even had girls in it and a very happy ending. This is a movie of true value, substance, and realism.
Amazon.com
Harry Hook's adaptation is not as faithful to the William Golding novel as you'd wish (they excised the Lord of the Flies dialogue with Simon!) and because of it, the movie is less allegorical and less resonant. A group of young men from a military academy are stranded on an island. The group quickly becomes fractious with a passive section led by Ralph, trying to get rescued, and a hunter faction, led by Jack, trying to procure meat and "have fun." Peter Brook's 1963 filming seemed to get closer to the Darwinist sense of this cultural disintegration. Here, the hunter faction seems more like Peter Pan's Lost Boys than the bloodthirsty murderers they are. The performances, particularly young Getty, don't quite carry the weight of the situation. It's still, however, sobering to slowly watch the school uniforms traded for war paint, and the little boys turn into little savages. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews:
I'm glad I was never trapped on an island w/ these kids..........2007-06-07
This was a very good movie that came from an even better book. When I was younger I didn't understand people who would claim that the books were better than movies. Now, I do. However, I feel that for this statement to be true, one must have a vivid imagination and be able to immerse themselves in the world that the author created.
Anyway, I loved the book and I thought the movie was well done too. The kids are pretty good at acting. Almost too good, as if they were actually dropped off on an island and told that they had to figure out a way to survive. I would recommend watching this movie w/o children because I think it may be a bit much.
Pretty Good Movie.......2007-06-04
It doesn't follow the book that much, but I think it's pretty realistic of what you see in the movie. It should be different since it's expressing someone's own idea and point of view to the book. Pretty intense and a really great movie. Buy it.
Great Product.......2007-03-11
The product was received in great condition and timely delivered by the seller. I would buy again
It is an ok movie.......2007-02-11
This updated version of this movie is quiet a change from the book. But, just because it is a change from the book isn't a good reason for me not to like it. I did like the movie over all and I thought that the point that the director tried to make came across fine. Even though there were no adults there, the children did develop a "government" and those differences came out in the group that won compared to the group that lost followers. Also, in developing a "government" there was a hierachy of leadership and blood shed. See the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions about the movie. For myself, I did enjoy it and will probably see it again.
Not the Best Adaptation.......2007-01-07
I read the book and then decided to purchase the film I thought it was not that bad but the swearing it was over the top. If you want to show this movie to students I'll be cautios there are more than 200 swearing words through out the film. There is an older version of this film, which is black and white, but far better than this one.
Average customer rating:
|
Great Books: Lord of the Flies
Manufacturer: Discovery Education
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Educational
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
ASIN: B000OIOYOQ
Release Date: 2005-09-13 |
DVD:
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
- Mastering Aikido - 5 Vol Set
- Masters of the Universe
- Mission Impossible - The Second TV Season
- Mortal Kombat
- Once Were Warriors
- Out of Reach
- Patriot Games (Special Collector's Edition)
- Resident Evil - Apocalypse (Special Edition)
- Resident Evil - Apocalypse (Special Edition)
DVD
DVD
![Lord of the Flies [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/211ZRKS823L.jpg)
![Lord of the Flies [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/218XBZRGSFL.jpg)