A stark, faithful, black and white adaptation of William Golding’s novel, theatre director Peter Brook (Marat/Sade, TV’s Mahabharata) skilfully manouevres the group of pre-pubescent English school boys marooned on a deserted Pacific island.
Evacuated from an unnamed location during a threat of war, a plane crash and death of its adult crew result in the boys being forced to look to their collective wits to survive. A commentary on western society (it was made in 1963 in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis), divisions occur as two boys, Ralph and Jack, compete for leadership. A more inclusive Ralph initially leads but a competitive Jack offers hunting and adventure as adolescent violence and savagery bubbles to the surface – with Piggy a scapegoat.
A psychologically brutal film, Lord of the Flies is an extraordinarily naturalistic film with measured realism from the boys resulting in an allegory that rings uncomfortably true.
Rating: 68%
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