Review of Lord of the Flies (1963) by Luke B — 04 Jun 2010

Lord of the Flies is a real challenge to put on screen. I can only imagine the difficulties in 1963. It shows humanity at it's worst, and uses young children to get it's point across. It's one of those wonderfully grim English tales, like Animal Farm, an allegorical attack that is an engaging and enthralling story.

Brook never quite captures the feel of the novel, and a lot of the dramatic irony is lost in cinematic form. However, he does do a pretty good job and coaxing some very natural performances from the children, even if some of them do look directly at the camera every now and again.

It doesn't quite build up the suspense, and it all seems to happen in a short period of time. Regardless, this is a powerful and memorable adaptation.