Lord of the Flies (1963)

Star Review

Peter Brooks' 1963 adaptation of William Golding's classic debut novel, Lord of the Flies, is still, quite rightly, regarded as the definitive take on the novel. Opening with a title sequence that seeks to place the familiar story of the children shipwrecked upon a tropical island within a context of global conflict, Brooks goes on to play it relatively straight, adapting the book pretty much key scene for key scene. His great skill, then, comes in making a story that is probably familiar to everyone watching immediate, compelling and visually arresting. The fresh-faced children help (most of the boys had not appeared in a film before and with the exception of perhaps only James Aubrey, most would never appear in anything again) as do cinematographers Gerald Feil and Tom Hollyman who, similarly, had not worked on a film prior to Lord of the Flies and learned their stock in trade as they went along. All told, Lord of the Flies has stood the test of time well and stands head and shoulders above the inferior 1990 remake.

Peter Wild on 12th July 2007

View all 55 of Peter Wild’s reviews

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Film Description

Following a plane crash, a group of schoolboys find themselves on a deserted island. For the sake of their survival, they appoint a leader and attempt to create an organised society, but democracy and order soon begin to crumble when a breakaway faction forms and quickly regresses to brutal savagery with horrifying consequences. At times idyllic, at others nightmarish, this adaptation of the brilliant William Golding novel is shot with a raw style and still retains the power to shock. It was given an ‘X’ certificate on its 1963 release.

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William Golding's novel is one of the great glories of English literature: a cold-eyed, utterly compelling picture of the savagery that lurks beneath the surface of ou... more >

William Golding's novel is one of the great glories of English literature: a cold-eyed, utterly compelling picture of the savagery that lurks beneath the surface of our civilised manners, as seen via a descent into barbarism by a group of marooned English schoolboys. At the time, few felt that Peter Brooks’ film would do justice to the novel, but the nay-sayers were proved absolutely wrong. The film’s impact was immediate, and it remains a riveting experience in this exemplary new DVD edition. < less

View all 352 of Barry Forshaw’s reviews

Rejecting Rousseau's notion of man at one with nature, the film suggests that society is, at best, a flimsy set of rules, which will be rejected, or replaced with some... more >

Rejecting Rousseau's notion of man at one with nature, the film suggests that society is, at best, a flimsy set of rules, which will be rejected, or replaced with something darker, when the savagery of nature threatens. < less

View all 4 of Unknown’s reviews

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DVD Extras

• Feature commentary by director, producer, director of photography and cameraman/editor.

Film Details

Cast

James Aubrey, James Chapin, Hugh Edwards

Technical Details