Lord of the Flies (1963 film)
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| Lord of the Flies | |
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| Directed by | Peter Brook |
| Produced by | Lewis M. Allen |
| Written by | Peter Brook |
| Starring | James Aubrey Tom Chapin Hugh Edwards |
| Music by | Raymond Leppard |
| Cinematography | Tom Hollyman |
| Distributed by | British Lion (UK 1963) |
| Release date(s) | France (Cannes): May 1963 United States: August 13, 1963 |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
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. Many consider it to be a faithful and well-made adaptation of the book, and Golding himself supported the film.
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[edit] Style
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 beautiful 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. [1]
[edit] Casting
Brook looked at over three thousand child actors before choosing the cast. [2]. 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." [3]. 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.)
[edit] Cast
- James Aubrey - Ralph
- Tom Chapin - Jack
- Hugh Edwards - Piggy
- Tom Gaman - Simon
- David Surtees - Sam
- Simon Surtees - Eric
- Roger Elwin - Roger
[edit] Film Location
The film has been filmed entirely in Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, El Yunque and on the island of Vieques.
[edit] Song
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.
[edit] 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.
- Piggy tells a story to the "littluns" about Camberley.
- 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; in the movie, he has blonde hair.
- 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.
[edit] Awards
- Peter Brook was nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1963. [4]
[edit] Influence
- CBS TV Show Survivor was in the words of host Jeff Probst "sort of inspired" by this movie.
[edit] DVD release
The Criterion Collection released it on DVD in America and Canada.
Janus films also released the DVD in the UK.
