Lord of the Flies

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Lord of the Flies

1963

1h 31m

Drama

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

92%

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24 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Amidst a nuclear war, a plane carrying a group of schoolboys crash lands on a deserted island. With no adult survivors, the boys are forced to fend for themselves. At first they cooperate, but when the they split into two separate camps -- one led by the pragmatic Ralph (James Aubrey) and the other by militaristic Jack (Tom Chapin) -- their society falls into disarray, leading to a disturbing examination of human nature and a chilling conclusion.

Scott Tobias

The Dissolve

Brook's adaptation is an encroaching nightmare of innocence lost, following Golding's thesis about what happens when civilization breaks down and man's true nature is revealed.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 16, 2013

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Book-based classic can be scary and troubling in places.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 25, 2010

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

Peter Brook's film preserves the book's character with a fastidiousness that strikes me as very remarkable.

Mar 5, 2024

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Joe Lipsett

Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast

Ralph's jarring ADR aside, Brook's film has a discomforting authenticity thanks to its non-professional cast, on-location shooting and sumptuous black and white photography. Piggy and Simon's death are horrifying, though characters are all too shallow

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 1, 2022

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MFB Critics

Monthly Film Bulletin

Too slow in the establishing shots and too flurried with action shots, the direction, like the tediously repetitive score, raises a barrier between us and the subject.

Jan 22, 2018

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

For all that time has changed the way it fits into the world, Lord Of The Flies remains as important today as it was in 1963. The quality of the restored version is excellent. Don't wait too long to see it.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 31, 2017

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Tim M

Getting the most out of William Golding's seminal novel, Lord of the Flies is a stark portrayal of fear and mob mentality in dire circumstances.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

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Cindy R

True to the book, a simple yet stark look at the essence of humanity in terms of foundational savagery vs intellect and societal obligation. The book (and movie) is haunting and plainly showcases the evil some humans are innately capable of and why we continually end up where we are today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/24

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Aldo G

Disturbing film that, like the book, should be shared in all classrooms.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/24

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sim M

We live in a "civilized" world, but, when life is threatened, our primal survival instincts are activated, as amazingly illustrated in this film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/03/24

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Joel H

Watching Lord of the Flies reminded me of how powerful this story really is. Even though some of the children are better actors than others, there is an innocence to their performances that makes it feel genuine. Having actual kids play the parts also made the bad things that happen even more horrific. Yet despite the amateur performances and the fact that you can tell that this film was shot on a minimal budget, the plot is strong enough to hold everything up. Reading the novel as a teen was an unforgettable experience for me, and this movie brought back a lot of memories and feelings of that time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/24

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Kevin P

A very interesting character study and microism of humanity when "civilized" children are left to their own devices in a fight for survival.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/19/23

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Peter Brook

Director

James Aubrey

Ralph

Tom Chapin

Jack

Hugh Edwards

Piggy

Roger Elwin

Roger

Tom Gaman

Simon

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Synopsis

Amidst a nuclear war, a plane carrying a group of schoolboys crash lands on a deserted island. With no adult survivors, the boys are forced to fend for themselves. At first they cooperate, but when the they split into two separate camps -- one led by the pragmatic Ralph (James Aubrey) and the other by militaristic Jack (Tom Chapin) -- their society falls into disarray, leading to a disturbing examination of human nature and a chilling conclusion.

Director: Peter Brook
Producer: Lewis M. Allen
Screenwriter: William Golding
Production Co: Two Arts Ltd.
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 31m

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