Comparison

//Lord of the Flies// was written in 1954 by William Golding and proposes the idea that all beings possess corrupt thoughts and have the ability to perform malicious acts. In 1963 the first film version of the novel was directed by Peter Brook, the film stays fairly true to the novel with respect to the dialogue and actions, but several of the key symbols of the novel are left out which changes how the film and themes are viewed.

//Lord of the Flies// is an allegorical novel containing many strong and significant pieces of symbolism which extenuate the themes of the novel. The film touches upon several of these symbols but fails to highlight a few of the vital pieces of symbolism. Ralph’s hair is extremely important, because it symbolizes their growing savagery; many times Ralph wishes that he could cut his hair but is never able to, much like the boys inability to work together and just stop their arguing. The film does not include this piece of symbolism and because of that the viewer misses out on Ralph’s view of their situation as well as the passage of time. In the film there is little representation of time, except for the rips in the boys clothing, while in the novel Ralph’s hair and the change in boy’s appearances shows the passage of time. Without the passage of time it is difficult to see the boys’ changes into savages and Ralph’s desperation for rescue. This also affects the theme that all creatures have evil tendencies, for we don’t see the boys’ transformation from innocent children to malicious beings as well as in the novel. The film does illustrate the importance of the tribes and conch well. The conch is extremely important to the order of the boys, it allows each of the boys to voice their opinions and feelings, and once the conch is taken away from the equation the boys become much more uncontrollable. Without the conch Jack begins to take control of the group and the boys are forced into submission. Much like a nation might become wild and uncontainable without a structured government. The boy’s short lived unity dissolves into two different tribes, without a central leader the boys fight over a difference in how to best survive on the island. This is another important piece of the symbolism which is portrayed in the film, as it represents two separate governments and war and demonstrates the themes of the novel.

Another aspect of the film that altered the key pieces of symbolism is the actors’ who played Ralph and Jack. The actors’ chosen for these two boys do not fit what I imagined while reading the novel, and therefore changed the way I viewed the film. I imagined Ralph to look a lot more like Jack did in the film. Ralph and Jack are both strong minded with the desire for power, but have opposite views on what to do with that power. Therefore I expected the boys to have very similar looks, but in the film Ralph appears to be much younger, shorter and weaker, while Jack is just the opposite. This difference in the boy’s appearances changed the way I viewed the film, for Jack looked more like a strong and able leader. I imagined a more equal struggle for leadership and Jack seemed to easily take control over the group. Ralph’s personality also seemed to miss the mark in the film, Ralph seemed weaker and less outspoken and therefore less believable.

The film version of //Lord of the Flies// follows the novel without many artistic interpretation or changes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if the book is to be followed so strictly it must be done really well, and I feel the film missed some key points. The director was forced to cut several scenes from the film in order to keep it an appropriate length, and by doing so lost several key points of the novel. In the novel there are several parts about the boys just being boys and playing in the water and jungle. The novel fails to show the boys just being kids, it’s all business; finding food, shelter, and maintaining fire, and this weakens the theme that even innocent children can succumb to the savagery of man. The audience does not get to see the boys’ full transformation for all that is seen is the boys fighting for power, but there are actually many moments in the novel where Jack and Ralph get along and just play. The boys are still just children, yet they have the ability to be evil and viscous beings. I think a scene in which the boys are just playing in the water and hanging out would add to the film for it would give another dimension to the film.

The scene in which Simon is brutally, but “accidentally” murdered translated well into film. The film version does a great job showing the confusion and fear of the boys, with use of camera angles, sound, and lighting. The film is able to capture the feeling of the scene perfectly. In both the novel and film, Simon had just encountered the beast” on top of the mountain and is coming down to inform the boys that there is nothing to fear. Similar to the novel, the boys have worked themselves into frenzy as they dance and chant; as Simon’s figure emerges from the jungle the boys’ amidst confusion and excitement attack and murder Simon. In the film the scattered, quick back and forth camera shots help to create the feeling of confusion along with the boys wild chanting and the use of the fire as the main lighting. Although the film version of this scene does not include Simon’s revelation with the skewered pig head, it is still able to capture the savageness and insanity that the boys have turned to.

The film tried to stay true to the novel but fell short in conveying the full symbolism and themes of the novel. //Lord of the Flies// is very well written and each piece of symbolism places and important piece in conveying the themes. The film was able to convey several pieces of symbolism, but the overall theme of innocence and the essence of man were not entirely or strongly conveyed in the film.