Lord of the Flies (1963 film)

Infobox Film
name = Lord of the Flies
amg_id = 1:80468
imdb_id = 0057261


writer = Peter Brook
starring = James Aubrey
Tom Chapin
Hugh Edwards
director = Peter Brook
producer = Lewis M. Allen
music = Raymond Leppard
cinematography = Tom Hollyman
editing =
distributor = British Lion (UK 1963)
released = France (Cannes):
May 1963
United States:
August 13, 1963
runtime = 92 min.
country = UK
language = English
budget =

"Lord of the Flies" is a 1963 film adaptation of William Golding's novel of the same name. It was directed by the renowned theatre director Peter Brook and produced by Lewis A. Allen, known for producing films based on modern classic novels. The film was in production for much of 1961 though the film was not released until 1963. Golding himself supported the film.

tyle

The film uses a somewhat naturalistic style of filmmaking (environment and nature are emphasized, with little music when there is dialogue). The credit sequence is also somewhat unique, as the prologue only occurs in still images mixed with sound.

The music by Raymond Leppard continually contrasts the civilization and reason of the boys, represented by a trumpet and other horn instruments, with their increasing primality and evil, which is symbolized by a pounding drum beat.

In an interesting touch, choirboys sing a hymn as Simon's dead body, in a crucified position, is washed away by the sea.

The film was filmed mainly on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, although some parts were filmed on the main island. [http://lordoftheflies.org/img/island.htm]

Casting

Brook looked at over three thousand child actors before choosing the cast. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057261/trivia] Hugh Edwards, the actor who plays Piggy, got the role by writing a letter to Brook saying simply: "Dear sir, I am fat and I wear spectacles." [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057261/trivia] He went to school in Camberley, and it is likely that the scene, in which he tells the 'littluns' about the history of Camberley, was not scripted but improvised. Meanwhile, Nicholas Hammond, who played Robert, was later cast as Friedrich von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" (1965).

Production

The boys in the cast had mostly not read the book, and actual scripting was minimal; scenes were filmed by explaining them to the boys, who then acted them out, with some of the dialogue improvised. The completed film was given an X Certificate by the BBFC, for its mature themes; ironically, none of the speaking cast could watch the movie at its premiere, even though they performed in it.

Cast

* James Aubrey - Ralph
* Tom Chapin - Jack
* Hugh Edwards - Piggy
* Tom Gaman - Simon
* David Surtees - Sam
* Simon Surtees - Eric
* Roger Elwin - Roger

Film Location

The film was filmed entirely in Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, El Yunque and on the island of Vieques.

ong

The song heard throughout the film of the boys singing is Kyrie Eleison which loosely translated from Greek means "Lord, have mercy" as taken from prayer of Christian liturgy.

Differences between the book and the film

The film follows the book very faithfully, but there are a few differences:

* When they first light the fire on the hill, the fire doesn't spread over the jungle and thus the child that died from this fire is not shown.
* The killing of the mother sow is not shown, only the boys stabbing at something off-screen.
* Similarly, the dead parachutist mistaken by Sam and Eric for the beast isn't shown, only their reaction to seeing it but they do see the parachute flapping in the wind behind the mountain.
* Piggy does not make an emotional speech denouncing Jack and imagining a confrontation after the theft of the glasses.
* Ralph does not insult Piggy as much as in the novel.
* Piggy hardly ever cleans his spectacles.
* Due to the producers making up a boy named Morris, the boy Maurice is called Rupert.
* The boys spot a plane instead of a ship.
* Simon has very few lines throughout the film.
* Simon does not actually talk to the pig head, instead staring at it for a long period of time, as the flies' buzzing grows increasingly louder.
* When Jack leaves the tribe, the whole re-election scene is left out, instead, he just leaves the tribe and asks who wants to come with him.
* In the film, Piggy tells a story to the littluns about Camberley, a town not even mentioned in the book.
* At the end of the book, Ralph talks to the navy officer and tells him about the deaths of Simon and Piggy; in the movie, it is left out.
* In the book, Simon is said to have black hair and a dark complexion; in the movie, he has blonde hair and is very fair. Golding's point in the book was to make him a Christ-like figure, and as Christ was from Jerusalem, he would have looked like this. However, in the film, he's made to look like the modern, westernised view of a Christ figure.
* In the book, it is said that Ralph is slightly taller than Jack; in the movie, Jack is taller.
* In the book, Jack's hair is said to be red. In the movie, though it was filmed in black and white, his hair is clearly brown.
* Simon's death is less violent.
* Samneric were not painted when Ralph went to see them after they were forced to join Jack's tribe; in the movie, they were.
* Ralph is said to have "fair hair" in the book; however, in the movie it is clearly brown. (Golding 7.).
* Many parts of the book are excluded from the movie.

Awards

* Peter Brook was nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1963. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057261/awards]

Influence

* The CBS TV Show Survivor was in the words of host Jeff Probst "sort of inspired" by this movie.

DVD release

The Criterion Collection released it on DVD in America and Canada.

Janus Films also released the DVD in the UK.

References

External links

* [http://www.epinions.com/content_387027930756 Movie Review by George Chabot]
* [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=43&eid=64&section=essay Criterion Collection essay by Peter Brook]
* [http://www.lordoftheflies.org lordoftheflies.org]