The Giver (2014)

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Michael Mitnick (screenplay), Robert B. Weide (screenplay)

Stars:

Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	The Giver
Meryl Streep	...	Chief Elder
Brenton Thwaites	...	Jonas
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Father
Katie Holmes	...	Mother
Odeya Rush	...	Fiona
Cameron Monaghan	...	Asher
Taylor Swift	...	Rosemary
Emma Tremblay	...	Lilly
Alexander Jillings	...	Gabriel 12 Months
James Jillings	...	Gabriel 12 Months
Jordan Nicholas Smal	...	Gabriel 3 Months
Saige Fernandes	...	Gabriel 6 Months
Renate Stuurman	...	Dinah
Vanessa Cooke	...	Elder

Storyline

After The Ruin, a civil but colorless, drug-dampened, equalitarian society eschewing memories of the past emerged, where everyone followed established rules of politeness enforced by a council of ever-watchful Elders. On the ceremonious day of graduation, teenagers leaving childhood are assigned careers chosen by the Elders. Jonas, who feels different from his appointed parents and his two best friends, Fiona and Asher, finds himself assigned to the rare position of Receiver of Memories, trained by a mentor (later called The Giver), who telepathically imparts memories of the world before The Ruin. Jonas learns emotions such as love, fear, excitement, loss and the concept of family, but when the planned elimination of a baby named Gabriel, whom he comes to love as a brother, enters his awareness, Jonas decides society needs to change, which the Chief Elder will do anything to stop.

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Plot Keywords:

black and white segues into color | community | dystopia | memory | color | 

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Taglines:

Search for truth. Find freedom.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a mature thematic image and some sci-fi action/violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Given the number of housing clusters and the approximate number of occupants in each house, the total population is approximately 20,000 individuals. The minimum number of people required to maintain a genetically diverse and healthy population is approximately 4,200 people, which makes this "civilization in a bottle" quite viable.

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Goofs

After Mother interrupts Jonas showing Lilly how to dance, Lilly says, "Jonas said it's called dancing," but her lips don't move.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: From the ashes of The Ruin, the Communities were built. Protected by the Boundary. All memories of the past were erased.
Jonas: After The Ruin we started over, creating a new society, one of true equality. Rules were the building blocks of that equality. We learned them as Newchildren. Rules like: use precise language, wear your assigned clothing, take your morning medication, obey the curfew, never lie.
Jonas: My name is Jonas. I don't have a last name. None of us did. That day, the day before ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jared Leto/Amy Brenneman/Thirty Seconds to Mars (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Holly and the Ivy
Traditional, music first published by Cecil J. Sharp, arranged by H. Walford Davies

User Reviews

not horrible, not great.

saw 'the giver' last night at the fathom events screening. It was my favorite book growing up when i read it in school and maybe the reason I wasn't horribly disappointed was because it didn't even look great from the previews. nonetheless, i watched the movie. having recently read the book in preparation for the movie, the first thing that stood out to me was how quickly they jumped into the memories. It takes about ten chapters of the book to get there, and the movie gets there in less than ten minutes. it cuts out all the build up of the book and depending on how you like the speed of your films, this could be good or bad. this could pinpoint to why the movie didn't completely work. the script was rushed. it is definitely a case of 'when good actors happen to bad scripts'. because of the nature of the script (or because the nature of the movie, who knows?) the actors aren't given much to work with. this may not be their fault as the whole point of the story is a dystopian society where they don't allow you emotions, but to watch actors have straight faces for 94 minutes isn't exactly a pleasant experience. it leaves you feeling meh about the whole thing as i did. shame.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

South Africa Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Giver

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,305,016, 17 August 2014

Gross USA:

$45,090,374

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$66,980,456

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tonik Productions, Asis Productions, Canada Film Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1