Lord of the Flies (1963)

Lost on an island, young survivors of a plane crash eventually revert to savagery despite the few rational boys' attempts to prevent that.

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 | boy | island | plane | fire | 

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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

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

El señor de las moscas

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the boy who is whipped at the end is Piers in the movie (though his name is not mentioned in the dialogue), but was Wilfred in the book. The reasons that Jack imposed this punishment remain unspecified in both the movie and the book.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 5 mins) Jack is talking to the group of kids, while eating a banana. Even with the banana in his mouth, and with him taking bites, his voice remains unaltered. He even speaks while chewing.

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Quotes

Ralph: You're a beast, and a swine, and a bloody, bloody thief!

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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 Veronica Mars: Lord of the Pi's (2006)

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Soundtracks

Kyrie Eleison
(uncredited)
Performed by Choir Group

User Reviews

What's Everyone Complaining About?

After reading Golding's classic novel, my class watched this adaption of "Lord Of The Flies" in our literature class. I found it to be quite good, and a hell of a lot better than the 1990 version, which alters all too many important moments and characteristics of the book. Reading over these comments, I was very confused. 1. The story and moral of "Lord Of The Flies" is so haunting and powerful that it does not need an overly dramatic score. The tune that Jack and his choir sing around the island is just the right touch. 2. Of course the acting wasn't as amazing as it could have been! Everyone seems to be forgetting just how young and inexperienced these boys were. Besides, the character's in Golding's story are just as young, and act their age (however violent and disturbing it may be). I found the camera work to be quite lovely. The film uses beautiful shots, which only enhance it even more. The final scene is one of my favorites. My only bone to pick is how quickly the film goes through the events in the book. I really do wish it would have slowed down a bit, and concentrated more on such characters as Simon, as well as the boys transformation into savages. Overall I found this adaption of "Lord Of The Flies" to be fantastic. My advice to future viewers of this film is to read the book first, definitely watch this 1963 version afterwards,and completely avoid the 1990 version all together.