Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Kirpianuscus It is one of my favorit novels. because it remains the fundamental map for define the childhood, the dictatorship, the demons living in us, the temptation, the cold and hot, in same mesure, cruelty. and the adaptation of Peter Brook represents the inspired one. first, for the great cinematography . second - for lovely reflection of the essence of Wiiliam Golding masterpiece. not the last, for the performances. you feel each line of novel in this film, in its original sound and flavor and tension. you discover, again, the powerful message of the novelist. his fears. and his pesimistic perspective about the evil and its "freshness" of childre. entire universe of shadows and cruelty is reflected in the art of Peter Brook. and scene by scene I remind the period of high school when I was first time front to this magnificent book . it is an useful film. and this fact is only real important thing. for see the world from the right angle. for create, like me, a solid imafe about the demons inside us. and for become sincere. about yourself. about the others.

thejcowboy22 Shot on a low budget with tropical backdrop and an entire cast of children. There are Four standout preadolescence characters that represent different factions about life in this inverted Island society. Ralph who is by nature very practical (the protagonist)who represents order, and early in the movie is the productive leader.Jack is the antithesis of Ralph who was strong willed and an ego maniac as he already is making the majority of the young boys into warriors. As the movie wears on Jack takes off his school uniform and transforms into a cannibal savage type complete with war painted face and palm leave loin coverings. The vast majority follows suit over time which puzzle Ralph. Then there's Simon, slender and small in stature, who's dialogue is minimal at best but gives an impression of all that pure and good in the world and most importantly doesn't sway and is non-impressionable to the savagery that's brewing around the island. Finally there's our tragic figure Piggy. portly, bespectacled and colorful martyr of the story who tends to the little ones. Piggy who is teased and badgered by the group except for Simon and Ralph. Piggy's value to the young savages is his glasses which are used to start fires. Ralph quickly loses control of the children as they transform into wild like cannibals with war painted faces and spears. Some are even naked by films end. Two reasons for this is there is no adults around and secondly no hope of rescue in sight which poses many thoughts in my mind as I viewed this movie. The mystique of this picture is the unknown from past events. Why did the plane crash. How many Adults where on board? Why did this Boarding school from England travel across an ocean to this remote location? So many answered questions which is the glue that holds your imagination.You can't help yourself to continue watching this down hill spiral of this juvenile civilization, School yard style. Great performances by James Aubrey as Ralph Tom Chapin as Jack. Tom Gaman as Simon and Hugh Edwards as Piggy. Cleverly, the filmmaker's shot this movie in black and white as to not let the greenery overtake the somber and cannibalistic tone of the movie. On a spoiling note the death scenes of Piggy and Simon are heart wrenching. Film makers use music to soften the blow but not in this movie when it comes to death. When you see an innocent dead child floating in the murky water it shocking. A must see film on life's lessons that show's that human's young and old can easily fall into their inner demons.To quote Emma Cole, "...Our souls may be consumed by shadows,but that doesn't mean we have to behave as monsters."

ofpsmith As a big fan of William Golding's 1954 novel, I was eager to see Peter Brook's 1963 film, as I knew that Golding himself had shown approval of it. In the midst of a school trip (or evacuation as the film makes clear), a plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. The only survivors are the children. Ralph (James Aubrey) is a natural benevolent leader who gets the group together and decides the first order of business is to make a fire so that they can be rescued. Piggy (Hugh Edwards) is the overweight adviser to Ralph, who although represents reason, is often picked on. Jack Merridew (Tom Chapin) is the malevolent choir boy, who seems to care little about being rescued, and whose desires are hunting and having a cult of personality. Although the boys are productive at first, Jack soon turns most boys against Ralph's democratic practices and begins a new tribe on the island. Soon almost all boys turn against Ralph. The film has very little theme music, and often relies on long running takes to illustrate the story. Cinematography is excellent and the child actors really do a good job. The film follows the novel very carefully and faithfully adapts it to screen. I enjoyed both the book and the movie fully.

bandw Anyone coming to this probably knows how it starts, but the opening credits here do a great job of setting the stage. This is done with a sequence of still images: young boys in an English prep school, boys in a choir singing Kyrie Eleison, boys playing cricket, missiles, bombers, evacuation notices to the London airport, an atom bomb, a plane in the water. These images are inter-cut with a drumbeat soundtrack. No further back-story needed.Many serious themes are broached, the overarching one being to consider what would ensue if the thin veneer of civilization were stripped away. The ninety minutes of the movie follow Golding's book fairly closely and we get his take on the theme by following what happens to some thirty-odd kids on an isolated Pacific island. One of the boys, Ralph (James Aubrey), recognizes the need for organization and the need for a leader. A vote is taken and Ralph is elected, but another boy, Jack, is a rival. Jack, having been chief chorister at the school, gets all of the votes from the choirboys, but none others. Any relevance to contemporary politics is not coincidental. Initially things go all right, with tasks being apportioned: Jack will be in charge of hunting and keeping a fire going as a signal to any possible rescue ships. Ralph will oversee building huts and making executive decisions. Soon a power struggle develops between Ralph and Jack and Jack gets the upper hand, since he is the main provider of food.If you are so inclined, allegorical meanings abound, offering occasion for endless analysis and speculation. Segments of modern society are reflected in the personalities of the main characters: Ralph the reasoned leader representing civilization; Piggy, the intellectual, Ralph's friend and moral adviser; Simon the gentle, dispassionate truth seeker; Jack the militarist; Sam and Eric, the common man. The conclusion that savagery triumphs over good is depressing, but at least there is a recognition that there can be noble impulses embedded in our DNA. Jack makes a comment early on, "After all we're not savages. We're English and the English are best at everything." The irony of that statement is appreciated as the movie moves along.The origins of religion are shown to be rooted in fear, and used by the group in power to their advantage. The corpse of an airman is found and it is mistakenly taken to be a "beast" shrouded in mystery and feared. Jack, recognizing an opportunity, offers protection from the beast and sacrifices pig's heads to feed it to keep it at bay. Since young kids have the least exposure to civilizing influences (read restraints), the implication is that we are all part brute--unfettered ego and the will to power are what make most things go bad.If you are not inclined to allegory or deep meaning, then you can see this simply as an adventure showing what might happen to a bunch of school kids when set loose without authority. Their relationships become pretty much what they probably were in school: Jack, a closet bully; Ralph, a straight-up kid; Piggy, a fat intellectual who was picked on; Simon, a quiet thinker; Sam and Eric, congenial get along guys. They become who they truly are, which is scary to think about. I thought the child actors were quite good, especially for kids with little or no acting experience. They did not speak with great eloquence, they spoke as kids in a believable manner. Hugh Edwards makes a perfect Piggy. Aubrey plays the final scene with such emotion that it had a powerful impact on me; he communicates a sorrow bordering on despair. In that final scene he is made to look much older, which would indicate the effect his experiences on the island have had on him.Black and white is the right medium for this story, since it puts the focus on the kids and their faces. In color the kids would be overshadowed by the lush tropical island setting. The scene near the end where Ralph encounters the sailor is stunning in black and white. Panning up from the sailor's feet along the length of his brilliant white uniform is inspired. The spotless uniform offers a great contrast to the shape the kids were in.The score by Raymond Leppard is gently supportive while being mostly unobtrusive after the opening credits. The choir singing Kyrie Eleison as they march along the beach in their black robes will likely stick in your mind. Fragments of this song are repeated on several occasions throughout the movie. Leppard's score lets the tense drama unfold naturally without having to hit you over the head by what emotion you should be having. Many of the scenes play with no accompanying music; silence is used to great effect.Perhaps Walt Kelly's Pogo quote best sums up the takeaway: "We have met the enemy ... and he is us."