DVD Corner

Lord of the Flies Blu-ray Review

“Lord of the Flies” is a faithful adaptation to William Golding’s classic novel.

If for some reason you’ve never read William Golding’s classic book “Lord of the Flies” in school or in your spare time, let me fill you in on the plot. The story begins during an unspecified war. A group of British school boys are being evacuated on a plane to an unknown destination, but the plane winds up crashing on an island. The only survivors turn out to be kids and together they try and survive until they can be rescued (or so they hope). Instead of waiting and acting in a civilized manner, things turn violent and ugly as some of the boys (led by Jack) become savage hunters. Can the more level headed Ralph, Piggy and Simon restore order or will their methods not sit well with the violent Jack and his blind followers? That is the question.

As with any film adaptation of a classic book, it’s always hard for the entertainment industry to make a film version that is not only faithful, but good. Peter Brook’s film version of “Lord of the Flies” is one of those rare adaptations that just gets it right. Not only is it faithful to the book, but it’s also supremely well made considering the non-actor cast and the low, low budget. Yes, some of the budget issues are apparent with the still frame opening and the clunky sound and editing issues, but those are minor quibbles overall. The non-actor kid cast gives the film a sense of realism and director Peter Brook’s never  shies away from any of the film’s themes, ideas, metaphors, and gut punching dramatic moments. Much like the book, the film dives head first into ideas such as primal man, survival, bullying, peer pressure, lawlessness, fear, tribalism, government, religion, mob mentality, and power. To say the story is rich, haunting, and all too relevant is simply an understatement.

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in 1.37:1 1080p, the picture quality is a vast improvement over past releases. Yes, the image is a little wavy and grainy at times, but the B&W print visually looks clearer than it ever has.

The Uncompressed Mono audio track still has some scratchy dialogue deliveries, but the natural sounds of the island are noticeably sharper on this track.

Extras:
* A booklet featuring artwork and an essay by Geoffrey Macnab an excerpt from Peter Brook’s autobiography.
* “Lord of the Flies” trailer.
* “Novel Reading”- Audio recordings of William Golding reading from his own novel.
* A deleted scene between Jack and Ralph. This scene can be played with optional commentary by Peter Brook, Lewis Allen, Tom Hollyman and Gerald Feil and optional reading by William Golding.
* “The Empty Space”- 17 minutes of footage from “The Empty Spaces” documentary about Peter Brook’s stage work.
* An interview with director Peter Brook that contains lengthy discussions about the film.
* “Interview With Gerald Feil”- An interesting interview with editor/cameraman that focuses on technical aspects of the production.
* “The South Bank Show: William Golding”- An episode of the British series featuring author William Golding.
* “Living Lord Of The Flies”- Actor Tom Gaman (Simon) reads an essay over photographs and 8mm footage shot by the cast members.
* A 3 part behind the scenes extra featuring segments titled “Home Movies and Tests,” “Outtakes,” and “Production Scrapbook.”
* A solid commentary by Peter Brook, Lewis Allen, Tom Hollyman and Gerald Feil. Lots of discussions about characters, the locations that were shot at, the budget, set stories, and more.

Summary: If you’ve never seen the 1963 “Lord of the Flies,” you owe it to yourself to check it out. To this day, it is the best screen adaptation.

August 6, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Lord of the Flies Blu-ray Review, Lord of the Flies Criterion Blu-ray Review, Peter Brook, William Golding