There have been two film versions of the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ Essay Example

movie commences featuring Piggy and Ralph making their way through the creepers. A swift glance at Piggy suggests that he is dissimilar compared to Ralph. Piggy has a hat on, which sets him apart from Ralph. His attire includes a jacket while Ralph is wearing a blazer. He wears spectacles, appears more robust and less physically fit than Ralph. Additionally, once he starts speaking, you instantly notice a difference in their mannerisms, and he mentions his asthma. In 1990, a second color movie based on this celebrated book was created and was directed by Harry Hook. The film is American.

The beginning of the 1963 version of the film differs greatly from this one. Here, the film opens with an underwater scene, showing a pilot's body sinking and a boy struggling to bring him back up to the surface. Above the water, many other boys are seen struggling to stay afloat before an inflatable lifeboat appears. The title sequence then commences with bold, silver writing that reads 'Lord of the Flies' against a black background. This is accompanied by dramatic music as white writing on a black background fades in and out. Following the titles, there is an image of isolation with the outline of the island appearing in the distance and surrounded by darkness.

As dusk turns into night, a life boat crowded with boys slowly approaches the island. The dark shape of the boat drifts closer and they climb out before splashing towards the sandy beach. The camera then focuses on Ralph, followed by a shot of birds flying out of the dark trees. Piggy is also seen in a close up. After glancing around

the island, some of the boys drag the choking pilot's body up towards the trees on the shore.

As the mountains become enveloped in darkness, the boys find themselves in a clearing with trees looming behind them. Illuminated by a menacing green glow-stick, their faces reflect an eerie aura. In a brief exchange, one of the boys wonders aloud, "Do you reckon there's anyone else on this island?"

'It's just an island, there is nothing here,' Jack dismisses the notion immediately, much like he does with the beast. The opening scene concludes with a close-up of the full moon, which appears ominous with clouds drifting across it. In both versions of 'Lord of the Flies', sound is a pivotal element.

Both the black and white and colour versions of the film utilize music to create atmosphere, mood, and tone. Raymond Leppard composes the music for the black and white version, while Philippe Sarde composes it for the colour version. The sound can be analysed in three ways: dialogue, diagetic sound that exists within the film's world, and non-diagetic sound that does not. Sound is used extensively in the first five minutes of the black and white version, particularly during a montage of images featuring a public school and children. In this sequence, sound and camera motion combine to convey both movement and emotion.

To enhance the experience of viewing different photos, non-diagetic sound effects are employed. These sounds create an immersive feeling, making the viewer feel like they are actually present within the photo. For instance, in a school photo, the sound of a ringing bell is played, while in photos of Science and Latin classes, the voice of

a teacher can be heard in the background. In the photo of a choir singing, choir boys' voices can be heard. Eventually, the non-diagetic sound transitions to non-diagetic music. When the image of boys playing cricket alternates with pictures of nuclear weapons, an ethnic and primitive-sounding music is used to accompany the visuals.

The sound resembles the rapid beating of bongos as the two images rapidly switch. The music adapts to the changes in the collage, shifting from cheerful snapshots of children playing and learning in school to depictions of London under attack and kids being relocated. Consequently, the tune takes on a somber, funeral-like quality. Afterward, the title sequence ensues, with images of planes alternating with the titles. Despite only seeing stills of planes, one can perceive the sound of aircrafts soaring through the air.

The motionless objects seem to move realistically before your eyes. Then, you'll see images of plane wings cutting back and forth, building in speed until a lightning bolt strikes one of them. The music intensifies, reaching its climax as the lightning strikes and the plane crackles. The fast-paced music induces panic, causing your heart rate to quicken in response.

Despite its low budget, the film's use of motionless images and non-diagetic sound in its opening scene is surprisingly impactful. The combination effectively creates the illusion that the objects depicted in the photos are in motion. For instance, the image of a plane spinning is accompanied by the sound of a large object hurtling through the sky, accentuated by the whistling wind. After the montage of still images concludes, the film transitions into its moving segment.

As they navigate through the thick vegetation,

Ralph and Piggy encounter the diagesis of birds, insects and their own movement amongst the foliage. Piggy reveals his asthma condition in a conversation with Ralph, showcasing the distinctiveness of their voices.

Piggy's lower-class sounding language is one of many reasons why the other boys dislike him, while Ralph's speaking style sounds upper-class. In the 1990 version, nature sounds are also present, but because of the film's unique qualities, different noises are used. The movie begins with an underwater scene showing a pilot's body sinking and a boy trying to rescue him by bringing him back to the surface.

The audio is modified to produce an underwater sensation and an eerie non-diagetic music increases the sensation of being underwater and in a difficult situation. The diagetic audio of the boys struggling to keep afloat is suddenly amplified when they are above the water. Other diagetic sounds include water, shouting, and choking sounds, as well as the sound of a lifeboat being inflated. The opening sequence starts with titles fading in and out along with dramatic music.

The music in the title sequence combines elements of both military and childish styles, with a snare drum providing a military feel and possibly a piccolo adding a playful tone. However, if one ignores the snare drum, the music is actually quite traditional and orchestral. Towards the end of the sequence, the music becomes more upbeat and primitive, reminiscent of the 1963 version. This change in tone seems to symbolize the transformation of the boys from respectful military figures to savage beings. Essentially, the music tells a miniature story, with the military music representing the boys before their arrival on the

island and the more primitive tones mirroring their descent into savagery.

At the beginning of the story, the music is daring to reflect the boys' mood. As the life boat approaches the island, the music transitions to a mournful tune played on a violin. This music resembles the emotional and melancholy music played when troops return from war. In addition, diagetic sound effects of water, animals, birds, and rustling trees can be heard in the background. The pilot's choking and a minimal amount of dialogue can also be detected in the scene.

Subsequently, the boys find themselves in a clearing with trees looming behind them. The last five minutes of the film are accompanied by dialogue among the group, accompanied by sounds of nature in the background. Music is crucial in establishing the milieu, ambience, and attitude of both films. Devoid of sound, the films would be lackluster and unavailing. The sound element is truly what renders the films worth watching.

While various factors are necessary for a good film, the implementation of diverse camera shots is also crucial. Both films integrate different camera shots that blend together to construct a well-crafted scene. The beginning of the black and white film is preoccupied with still life pictures that are mostly zoomed and panned. To create a sense of motion during the spinning of the plane picture, a handheld camera is spun. When the actual motion picture begins, various types of camera shots are utilized, including panning to trace Piggy and Ralph's movements.

The camera work in the film involves a mix of medium distance shots and close-ups. When Piggy discusses his asthma, there is a close-up on

his face. During a scene where two boys walk through creepers and fall over, the camera remains still and captures an upward angle of the characters approaching it. This variety of camera angles effectively depicts the scene. The director intended to create a documentary-like aesthetic by using black and white film and handheld cameras. However, given the colorful location, I disagree with this choice unless cost was a factor limiting the use of color in the film.

It's my opinion that the image often has excessive empty space at the top and bottom, which isn't surprising given that this was Tom Hollyman's debut as director of photography. The 1990 adaptation employs various camera shots and starts with the pilot's body sinking in water.

The camera angle of the pilot's body is a medium close-up, shot from below to make him appear larger than he is. From this perspective, the viewer can also see the frantic movement of the children's legs. The camera rotates in a circle to capture the panic from beneath and emphasize the large number of people above. This scene may remind viewers of a similar one in Titanic due to the many legs waving in the water. Eventually, the camera rises upward to a medium close-up shot of several children, with the life-boat inflating in the background.

The audience is given the impression of being one of the boys through clever camera work, as the camera is positioned at their height. This effect is evident from the title sequence onwards, particularly in the lengthy shot of the lifeboat where the camera slowly pans around the shoreline to bring it into focus. The

boys are then shown climbing off the boat with Ralph being the focus of a close-up shot. A shot of trees in medium close-up and then Piggy in close-up follows. As the camera surveys the island, viewers feel as though they are seeing through the eyes of one of the boys.

Following that, there is an instance when the pilot is pulled up the beach, and subsequently, a medium close-up of nearly ten boys in a clearing surrounded by trees where they converse about the island. The colorized rendition of the film likely employs more diverse camera shot methods in comparison to the original 1963 version. The reason being that the opening five minutes of the latter mostly consist of pictures, and the employment of a single hand-held camera restricts the application of various techniques.

Using a combination of artificial and natural light, lighting is key in establishing the atmosphere, mood, and tone of a film. Employing different shades and shadows adds to its overall effect. One can observe that the 1963 adaptation and the novel share a daytime beginning, while the 1990 version starts during dusk.

I believe that both versions of the film are equally effective, but there are some advantages to following the novel like the 1963 version. The lack of color in the 1963 adaptation results in less noticeable use of light. However, the varying shades of gray effectively emphasize where light is present and where it is not. Conversely, the newer color film makes much more prominent use of lighting. The utilization of shadows creates an eerie feeling while also highlighting a significant source of evil. The green glow-stick creates an unnatural sensation

as it illuminates the boys' faces, casting dark shadows and green highlights that make them appear almost beast-like.

Although the novel doesn't incorporate this modern technology, its use in the movie adaptation effectively creates an eerie mood. The 1990 film version diverges not only from the 1963 one, but also from the original novel published in 1954. Considering the film was produced just a decade after the book's release, it's understandable that it closely adheres to the source material. The video cover identifies the movie as 'based on the novel,' while Harry Hook's video cover describes it as 'from the novel'.

In essence, the color iteration diverged from the original novel's plot. While some consider this version more realistic and exhilarating than the black-and-white 1963 rendition, others appreciate the latter's reduced commercial and speculative elements that clearly prevailed at that time. The story remains equally captivating in both versions. Unfortunately, Harry Hook's adaptation fails to adhere to William Golding's book completely, excluding the Lord of the Flies conversation with Simon, which diminishes the movie's allegorical and impactful nature.

Peter Brook's 1963 adaptation of the story seems to portray the cultural decay in a more Darwinist sense. The hunters appear more like Peter Pan's Lost Boys rather than the savage killers they are. The presentation of the story is relatively uncomplicated, with the children climbing onto the sand, their clothes becoming increasingly ragged, starting a signal fire, fighting over who will tend it, struggling to obtain a knife and glasses to light fires with, and eventually separating into two groups and preparing for battle.

Even though the newer, color version of the film has its own benefits, I personally

find the 1963 production to be more impactful. This is because it closely follows the novel, unlike the newer version which seems quite different. I believe that the color film has deviated too much from the original storyline, making me prefer the 1963 version for its faithfulness to Golding's book.