Pictures of team sports then are shown such as cricket. I believe the game of cricket is symbolising team work, rules and fair play. In the book there are several references where Jack says to Ralph “You’re not playing the game” which is almost underlining civilised life. Then suddenly pictures of war cut into these team pictures symbolising that war is beginning to break out. The sound track at this point in the image sequence speeds up and gets louder and for the first time a drum beat is introduced. I personally see the drum beats building up the intensity of the film and making the viewer see that war is getting closer as the drum beats get louder.
There are quick flashes of missile sites then in the next sequence and there is a pan shot where the camera goes from the bottom of a missile to the top. I think that the director of this movie has decided to put the war images in not only to alert the viewers war is closer, but to remind the spectators of World War II where evacuation also took place and people were taken to the other side of the world to get away from the fighting and destruction that planes were causing.
The plane is hit by lightning and due to the film being made in the 1960’s there was no way the director could film a plane being shot down because of technical difficulties, so the camera is simply rotated to resemble the plane diving/spinning. Whilst the plane is spinning Raymond Leppard (the music/soundtrack editor) decided to use the sound of a diving plane to represent the falling of the aircraft and suddenly a symbol is used as the plane hits the water and the last image shown in this sequence is an explosion.
The opening sequence of Hook’s version is quite short compared to Brook’s and does not come to emphasize many of the key themes. However the Hook version does build up the key theme of Ralph being the protagonist of the film and taking on the role of the adult. It also shows how he is very much a true human due to the fact he always tries to maintain order, which is also highlighted in other parts of the play especially when the first meeting is held on the beach. Another advantage to Hook’s opening sequence is that he has decided to use an array images which suggest birth and death, which I personally feel is a good idea to represent the beginning to a new world and an ending to another.
Harry Hook immediately captures the viewer’s attention by showing the first image of a pilot floating down to the bottom of the screen in slow motion in the sea, which is used as a major difference to the earlier made film, as the pilot becomes part of the film by Ralph rescuing him. I myself think that the pilot is used to symbolise the old world and show how the old world is still there and not yet gone. Also I think that Ralph rescuing him is showing that Ralph wants to hold on to everything he can about the old world which I personally think is a good way of representing the old world. When Ralph rescues the pilot there is a tracking shot which follows Ralph down and then back to the surface of the water. The blue background in these opening shots I feel represent the emptiness and coldness there is, and how there is going to be a new start. The soundtrack, as this is done is silent but as soon as Ralph breaks through the surface of the sea there is a sudden burst of sound with yelling, screaming and shouting from the boys around him, who you are shown by a underwater camera are kicking their legs to try to save themselves. Ralph rescues the boys by diving down into the water again to get the raft. It is almost as if Ralph has taken on the role of an adult and when the raft breaks to the surface it underlines the point that there are many images of birth and death in the opening sequences in this form of the film.
I generally believe that establishing the island can be proved quite difficult for the film maker, as it is in these scenes that the viewer gets the sense about the upcoming events on the island and generally gets an impression of what the island is about.
When Brook thought about how to establish the island, I feel he thought hard of how he could create uncertainty, whilst also showing there are two contrasting worlds and making it obvious to the audience that Ralph is the protagonist of the dramatic piece. Brook deliberately makes it clear to his audience that there are two different worlds. The old world and the new world. The old world is represented by the sea while the old world is represented by the forest. Ralph immediately adapts to the environment, breaking through all the “creeper things” and branches, but at the same time longing to be rescued or saved from the nightmare that he is in.
The first image shown is of Piggy and Ralph breaking through the branches. Raymond Leppard has decided to bring the sound of buzzing flies to attention in this scene by using it in the soundtrack. This sound is used repeatedly through the film and comes to represent evilness and the devil.
When breaking through the trees and branches on the island Ralph accidentally falls over. In reply to this action it is almost as if the creatures of the forest laugh at him because simultaneously as he falls over there is a change in the soundtrack. It is as though the birds are laughing at him. But it is until Ralph and Piggy get onto the beach that there is only harmonious sounds at all, which is a total contrast from when they were in the forest signifying that the old world was calmer than the one ahead of the boys.
It is at the point of escaping to the beach, that the buzzing of flies sound is drowned out by the sea. It is quite ironic that as soon as you are reminded that the old world still exists by the sound of the sea, Piggy instantaneously starts talking about home and the family. It seems to me that the sea is constantly at battle with the beach, as the sea is always coming up onto the beach in the tide which I personally feel is a battle between the two contrasting worlds. Tom Hollyman decides at the point of escaping to the beach to use a two-shot from behind. Personally I think this is used to underline the fact that there is a link between Piggy and Ralph and at the same time showing the contrast between the two characters, James Aubrey and Hugh Edwards. The contrast between them is clearly shown when they both go to play in the sea. The first one to get undressed quickly and jump into the sea is Ralph whereas Piggy is the one that is very slow, cumbersome and finds it very awkward to get undressed. It comes to my attention that Ralph has maybe become a little less frightened at the aspect of being on the island.
Piggy cannot go in the water “on a count of his asthma” according to his aunt at home and he tells Ralph this. Bringing up the subject of home and family again and the rules he has to follow. This individually for me sets up images in my mind of Piggy at home, and how scared he must be of losing anything that belongs to the old world. Hence the reason Piggy (the home bird in my eyes) keeps his uniform on as long as he physically can.
Hook however has not only made it easier for the viewer to understand the uncertainty the boys have, but has also added further suspense and mystery to the establishing island scene by using a variety of different backgrounds, and using outlines of shapes of the forest and shadows.
When we first see the boys entering the new found island, we are given a long shot and then the outline of a mountain, then instantly we are given a close up on the boy’s faces so the fear and the nerves can be shown. It is almost as if the island is opening up and greeting them. Additionally the director has decided to continue using the blue background which I believe is suggesting that there is still uncertainty. Hook has furthermore made a decision to use silhouettes and a simple outline to build up more tension for the observer; additionally he keeps the boys as a group due to the fact of none of the boys actually being identified at that particular stage. Also whilst Hook is introducing the island he uses silhouettes just to make clear that everything is still uncertain. Philippe Sarde has continued the flute sound and introduced a violin to make the soundtrack almost mournful. I feel the violin is used to put across the point that the boys are frightened of what is ahead and to show the group that they have truly survived.
When the group finally reach the island, the audience are unaware of any of the boys’ names, so the director has decided to highlight Jack, Piggy and Ralph. We notice these characters because of their distinctive personalities. Piggy the fat boy with glasses, Ralph the hero and the protagonist of the film and Jack the clear antagonist with his malicious and animalistic ways.
The clear contrasts between the two different versions of the film are that in scenes of establishing the island Brook decided to get James Aubry (the actor who plays Ralph) to find a conch. On the other hand Hook has given the film a modern touch by making Balthazar Getty (the actor who plays Ralph) use glow stick which glows green. I see the green glow stick as symbolizing nervousness and how people are feeling; unhappy, scared and extremely concerned. I believe that using the glow stick was quite effective way of showing the fear and the uncertainty of the boys. The soundtrack is much more effective in Hook’s film than it is in Brook’s. Hook has decided to use a variety of jungle sounds to build up insecurity, fear and anxiety. The fear of the unknown is in place here as the sounds are unseen which adds to the dramatic feel of the film.
In the daylight the director of the 1990’s version hints that the island maybe not as bad as you initially think. You are deliberately given the perfect holiday images of long, golden beaches and clear waters which people would dream of having an adventure on and think it was pure paradise. Hook concentrates on the colour of the sea and stresses the fact that the former world is nevertheless there. A point of which the director has focussed on the sea is when the boys are on the mountain top, you get a high-angle shot which looks down from the mountain onto the sea, which highlights the point that the island is perfect.
Jack in the establishing island scene is starting to be linked to the forest, which develops through the film. The opposite of this is Piggy who is linked to the beach and rarely strays from there, to stay close to the sea. Hook gives us two sets of images from the forest and the beach. Jack hunting in the forest for the pig and Piggy rescuing the conch from the sea. These contrasts give the viewer the immediate impression that Piggy is the home bird and Jack is the primitive one.
Simon is the like the Christ figures of the both films and as the dramatic piece progresses he becomes more and more alienated. Simon realises that the beast is inside the boys and when he finds this information out he goes to tell the boys his newly found information and explain his findings to the others. It is his truthfulness that eventually gets him sacrificially killed by the boys which is shown especially well in the scene of Simon’s death.
The 1960’s version deals with the scene of Simon’s death quite similarly to the 1990’s version. First of all there are images where you are shown a close up of Simon looking at the pig’s head that has been put out for the beast. Hook develops the cutting of the pigs head more than Brook and is much more realistic due to the film being in colour.
The boy’s fear of the unknown on the island leads to their fear of the beast. The boys cannot accept the notion of a beast existing on the island, nor can they let go of it. The recognition that no real beast exists, and that the only beast on the island is fear itself is one of the deepest meanings of both interpretations of the film.
Both interpretations of the film cut between the beach and Simon. You get flashes of different images in diverse places. In the Brook version the soundtrack is completely in silence, then when it cuts to the beach the aboriginal sounds are introduced which are finally drowned out by the sea. The black and white version builds up tension and suspense as the director uses silence and then cuts to a crowded and noisy beach to show that Simon is the isolated figure. It comes to my attention from analysing the soundtrack that whenever Simon is on screen there is a much more relaxed atmosphere which is silent and calmer.
When Simon discovers what the beast is up on the mountain top (a dead pilot) I personally think this is not very impressive at all, and is done far better in the colour film. This is for the reason that it is not apparent at all of what the actual “thing” hanging in the tree is due to the lack of colour.
Whenever Peter Brook has decided to cut to the beach it seems to me that the boys have grown more aboriginal, primitive and wilder. It is also quite apparent that it gets darker every time there is an image of the beach and the mist on the sea builds up more, which maybe is suggesting the probability of being rescued is getting less and less probable. The boys also throw fire into the sea which I believe may be suggesting that they are at battle with the old world.
Brook builds up mystery and tension in this scene by using shadows across the boy’s faces and on the sand. The camera becomes one of the boys at this point as a point of view shot which creates a lot of confusion because it goes in amongst the dancing boys.
When Simon appears on the beach the camera becomes a point of view shot from Simon. All the images you can see are of the boys charging towards him. I personally think that Jack in both versions of the film knows deep inside that the object/thing coming towards them is Simon. But Jack has wound the boys up so much it is easy for him to get them to charge, I do not think that he wants the boys to find out the real truth because it will spoil his chances.
The closing shot for this scene is of the sea coming and taking Simons body away back to civilisation, which is shown also in the coloured version. In this situation the “Kyrie” is brought back into the soundtrack, signifying the fact that Simon was a martyr and was religious. Light is also reflected off the sea to create shadows and light to see the boy’s faces and their reactions.
The modern interpretation is quite similar to the Brook version, apart from the fact Hook makes the cutting off of the pigs head more realistic by adding more realistic sounds, and the use of colour which makes it easier to relate to. In this version there is still the cutting from the beach to Simon, where again he stares at the pig’s head and realises the beast is within the boys.
The body paint becomes more effective in the colour version rather than the black and white interpretation as the boy’s are able to hide behind the body paint. When hiding behind the paint the boy’s allow themselves to become far more aboriginal and primitive, this is why I think they are able to commit murder to Simon.
The director of the 1990’s cut’s back to the beach a number of times, the last however is where Piggy has his uniform on still whereas Ralph is undressed. The camera stays in one place low down on the floor and you see the hunters going past. Harry Hook has used a variety of images, colours and shadows to create and add more suspense and drama to build up to Simon’s death. It then returns to Simon going to discover the dead pilot with a green glow stick; I personally believe the glow stick is used to establish more uncertainty and furthermore add to the commotion. We are given images at the beach where the music builds up momentum by having a fast, racing soundtrack. I personally see that Philippe Sarde uses these sounds to keep up the tension. The camera whilst still on the boys goes into slow motion and as soon as Jack spots the glow stick he shouts “it’s the beast, lets kill it.” I generally believe that Jack knows that it is Simon with the glow stick because Simon always has it but, similarly to the 1960’s version, Jack keeps the secret to himself.
The tacking shot backwards towards Simon gives us the view of the boys charging. Once Simon is killed, the boys realise what they have done, it is at this point I believe Ralph and Piggy recognize the fact that it will be them next. Ironically as in the Brook interpretation, the sea comes back and takes Simon’s body back to the previous world and to civilisation.
Finally from comparing the two cinematic interpretations of Golding’s Lord of the Flies: the Peter Brook version and the Hook version, I have come to the conclusion that I prefer the Hook version. I personally believe that Hook captures the viewers’ attention more than Brook does. The colour version makes it easier to relate to how the boys must be feeling whilst also making the uncertainty and fear clear. Hook makes it feel more realistic as well due to the special effects that the director of the colour version has decided to use.
The key differences in the two interpretations of the film include the pilot, the type of boys which of whom get stranded (American boy scouts and English private school boys), the use of pyrotechnics in the final scene and also the establishing the island scene. I feel that Hook introducing the audience to the pilot is one major successful point to the film, because it emphasises the symbol of the old world. However I do think that in the black and white version the group of boys which get stranded (in this case a group of British public school boys) is better because in the Hook version it is sometimes not apparent what the actors are saying due to them having a strong American accent. Whilst establishing the island Brook immediately puts images onto the screen which suggest Piggy is going to have difficulty coping with the forest with all the “creeper things.” On the other hand Hook chooses to first show the protagonist of the play, Ralph. I generally believe the way Hook established the island was far better than Brooks for the simple reason the director of the colour version gets straight to the point of showing who the main characters are.
As a modern viewer I think that Hook’s interpretation is much more effective in capturing the main themes, and furthermore is more effective than the Brook version. I also believe that Hook stresses the point about the loss of identity more than the director of the black and white film does which adds to the tension and drama to the play.
The issues which are brought up in the Hook’s interpretation are more relevant to today by giving the film modern touches such as the glow stick, which makes the film far more easily to relate to. The disappointing side to the film is that in some areas the American accent can come over quite strong and can be difficult to understand. This is where I feel the Brook version is better due to the language and accent used.
Conclusively I feel both films are giving out the message that laws and rules are definitely necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line, when even all elements of civilization disappear on the island, the boys revert to a more primitive part of their nature, and they turn into savages and anarchy replaces democracy. Society holds everyone together and without civilization and rules, the boy’s ideals, values, and basic ideas of what is right and wrong is forgotten, and the evils of human nature emerge.
