Lord of the Flies (1963)

Schoolboys marooned on a Pacific island create their own savage civilization.

Director:

Peter Brook

Writer:

William Golding (novel)

Stars:

James Aubrey, Tom Chapin, Hugh Edwards

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Aubrey	...	Ralph
Tom Chapin	...	Jack
Hugh Edwards	...	Piggy
Roger Elwin	...	Roger
Tom Gaman	...	Simon
Roger Allan	...	Piers
David Brunjes	...	Donald
Peter Davy	...	Peter
Kent Fletcher	...	Percival Wemys Madison
Nicholas Hammond	...	Robert
Christopher Harris	...	Bill
Alan Heaps	...	Neville
Jonathan Heaps	...	Howard
Burnes Hollyman	...	Douglas
Andrew Horne	...	Matthew

Storyline

A group of young boys are stranded alone on an island. Left to fend for themselves, they must take on the responsibilities of adults, even if they are not ready to do so. Inevitably, two factions form: one group (lead by Ralph) want to build shelters and collect food, whereas Jack's group would rather have fun and HUNT; illustrating the difference between civilization and savagery.

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Plot Keywords:

innocence lost | airplane | smoking plane | walk | deserted island | 

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Taglines:

Evil is inherent in the human mind, whatever innocence may cloak it...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the religion of the choir is never specified in the book , the film implies that the boys belong to a Catholic or even a Protestant dogma (judging from their outfits and their British nationality). The boys are twice heard chanting "Kyrie eleison" with a sufficiently fluent pronunciation. This is a common hymn in both Catholic and Orthodox Church ceremonies. It means "Lord, have mercy" in Ancient Greek.

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Goofs

As Piggy is near-sighted, his spectacles could not be used as a "magnifying glass" to light a bonfire: lenses for near-sightedness would scatter, not focus, the sun's rays. (This error occurs in the original novel and was perpetuated in the 1990 remake of the film.)

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Quotes

Ralph: [thinking about Simon's death] Piggy?
Piggy: Huh?
Ralph: Piggy, that was murder.
Piggy: You stop it! What good are you doing talking like that? It was dark. There was that bloody dance. There was thunder and lightning and rain. We were scared. It wasn't what you said.
Ralph: [sobs] Oh, Piggy!
Piggy: [comforts him] It was an accident. He was batty. He asked for it. It was an accident.
Ralph: Oh, God, I want to go home!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits list the entire production crew but none of the actors.

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Connections

Referenced in Seinfeld: The Library (1991)

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Soundtracks

Kyrie Eleison
Written by Raymond Leppard
Performed by Choir Group

User Reviews

Very impressive.

Having just completed the novel, I was eager to see the film adaptation, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well William Golding's ideas were captured. It isn't very often that a movie can help you understand the book better. All of the actors were wonderful, particularly the four leads. They nailed the characters of Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon dead on. I was also pleased that the director didn't attempt to re-create the "conversation" between Simon and the Lord of the Flies, it would have been nearly impossible to make it as effective as it was in the novel. In general, it was very well done and well worth the time spent viewing it.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lord of the Flies

Filming Locations:

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Two Arts Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1