BBBB
(out of 5)
Those disappointed by the more recent version of William Golding’s novel should definitely get a look at this classic film by Peter Brook. It centres around the experiences of a group of British schoolboys who are marooned on a desert island after their plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. In their new little microcosm, we see how all the tribal patterns of humanity, the violence and thirst for power, take their toll on the boys as they create a vicious, primitive state of civilization. Brook’s direction brings out all the best subtleties that the novel had to offer, and the acting by all the youngsters is top-notch.
Directed by Peter Brook
Screenplay by Peter Brook, based on the novel by William Golding
Cinematography by Tom Hollyman
Produced by Lewis M. Allen, Ross Milloy
Music by Philippe Sarde
Production Design by Jamie Leonard
Costume Design by Doreen Watkinson
Film Editing by Harry Hook
Film Festivals: Cannes 1963