Mon Dec 26th
The Keys to the House (Ita/Fra/Ger, 2004) dvd
Lord of the Flies (UK, 1963) dvd
Peter Brook's adaptation of the William Golding novel, released on Criterion dvd as part of their Great Adaptations set. The premise: somewhere in the near future, the next world war erupts. A plane carrying a group of British school boys being evacuated crashes on a deserted island in the South Pacific (inexplicably). Thirty boys survive, no adults. The boys elect a leader, a thoughtful one named Ralph, attempt to set rules and become organized. Jack, the "alpha male" leader of the school choir, resents Ralph and rebels against the rules. A boy's suggestion that he saw a "snake thing" or a "beastie" takes a life of its own. Soon boys are talking about "ghosts" and "monsters from the sea". Boys like "Piggy" who doesn't believe there is a beast and the intuitive Simon, who states "maybe it's only us", are in the minority. The potential threat allows Jack to create dissension, as he is a "hunter", considered more capable of protecting them from the perceived enemy. The boys' behavior becomes increasingly violent and savage.
Peter Brook had a lot to contend with: an inexperienced crew, a cast of non-actors, producer-imposed duration limited to 90 minutes, no lights, no ability to see the rushes, bad weather, a shooting schedule limited to two summer months, inability to use synched-sound because the roar of the waves drowned the kids' voices, a fable full of symbolism and subtext that presents unique challenges, etc. and he still delivered a good movie. No, it's not a classic, or a "great adaptation". It's an effective film that works as drama and conveys the basic message of Golding's book. But there are flaws in the script (mostly ellisions and omissions required by the short running time), poor mise-en-scene of certain passages, and the acting in some scenes is unconvincing. A second adaptation of the novel released in 1990 is markedly inferior.
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