There haven’t been many film adaptations of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (I believe this one and one in 2001 from MGM), but Peter Brook’s 1963 experimental film (available on Kanopy) might be the only one we need because the novel itself is an experiment. When a plane of schoolboys crashes on a deserted island, they are forced to decide how they will survive. Will they follow rules and order, or descend into chaos and savagery? Will order prevail, or will the fun of living untamed win?
Brook leans more heavily into this moral conundrum than into traditional character development, which is why I’d recommend reading the novel first (it’s a short read). The terror of this film is more so rooted in what unfolds, not necessarily in one particular scene (although there are certainly a few gut wrenchers): the bullying of Piggy, the low self-esteem follower who looks to Ralph as the fair-minded leader versus Jack, the “big man on campus” whose authority acted out through intimidation rather than reason. Between these opposing forces are a handful of boys we can feel for, none more than Simon, the timid and curious observer quietly grappling with his own moral compass.
Hunting and playing all day looks fun, but can fun save them, or is it just a slippery slope into madness?
The film rolls at an even pace, and the boys’ turn toward order or disorder is implied rather than drawn out. The transitions happen quickly, sometimes too quickly, but by the midpoint it becomes very clear where Golding believed humanity would drift when in this situation. Brook captures this sentiment brutally well. He doesn’t ease the message into us but instead twists it in with the roughness of a whittled spear.
When the credits rolled, I didn’t feel like I’d just watched a movie, but more so an apocalyptic study on the tenacity of human innocence.
Watch now on Kanopy: Lord of the Flies (Free with your library card). You can reserve the book in BCCLS here.
Comment below your thoughts once you’ve had a watch.
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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 