Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic DVD transfer
Review: I've been waiting for this one to become available for awhile. The Criterion DVD has so many valuable extras. The amount and quality of commentary is exceptional. Crystal clear images! You even get Golding reading is own excerpts! As for the movie itself... It is compelling and disturbing. I wrote a review back in about December. The images grow on you and are very memorable. Outstanding filmmaking. Yes, the dialogue of the scene from the book where Simon talks to the pig is left out. I would have put it in, but the facial expression by the child is very interesting as he examines "The Lord." I've taught the novel and find this version very powerful and true to the intent of the author. The later movie version is horrendous and completely perverts the message. This is the version. The child actors are very real, the story of the filmmaking on the DVD will only further your enjoyment! A Criterion Collection Winner! My other Criterion Collection DVD, the Third Man, is also a winner. Golding Rules! Very Powerful!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you're a fan.
Review: If you're a fan of the book or the old movie, this DVD is a good choice. The extras are not to be missed, and they include some "behind-the-scenes" type of info, as well as some very interesting commentary from various people who worked on the film. The DVD brings back the original film in crystal clarity, no fuzzy VHS tapes like what you've probably gotten renting. This film is, however, in black and white and a bit longer than viewers are used to. If you're getting this for younger viewers, the newer version will probably be a better bet. It's in color, a bit more fast-paced, and definitely more modern. Only get this version if you are a collector or prefer the older movie.
Rating:
Summary: The best film version of the Golding masterpiece.
Review: Initially, this film looks very low budget, but it's cinematic style tells the story very powerfully. I found myself engrossed with the film. The amateur cast of children rings very true to form, especially the actor who plays Ralph. The characters are very strongly realized. The sound appears off in a few places so I want to see if the DVD version coming out works over this problem. This version will get to you. The black and white film presents an atmosphere very faithful to the book. The later 90's version perverts the main idea by adding females and a living adult on the island. This alters the nature of the "beast," and leads the story down a different moral path. See this black and white version. It'll stay with you. Simon's death and the final sequence are very disturbing and profound. I'm buying the dvd Criterion version when it becomes available in December!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Experience
Review: It was a pleasure to see the original version of "Lord of the Flies" again. I'll be interested in seeing the DVD version as well, to see what additional material comes in that format. Having been one of the boys in the movie, I also appreciated seeing the reviews posted by other Amazon customers! I wonder if any of the other cast members have checked out this site...I confess to liking the original version far more than the remake, but that's not surprising, I guess. I TRIED to keep an open mind when I saw the new version, but, alas, I failed. My recollections of running from the burning jungle, coughing, onto the beach at the end makes a black-and-white rendition seem more real to me.
Rating:
Summary: DARK SIDE OF THE MAN
Review: Last Criterion DVD to date, Peter Brook's LORD OF THE FLIES has the flavour of dead flowers. Adapted from the book of Nobel Prize winner William Golding, the movie relates the adventures of a group of english children lost in a desert island after the crash of their airplane. The purpose of Golding-Brooks was not to describe another Robinson Crusoë story but rather to describe the evolution or rather the regression of a society left without the protection of the laws established during 2000 years of civilization. So, LORD OF THE FLIES is an allegory. One can easily follow the ideas of Peter Brook if we keep in mind that the actions of the children can be read in the mirror of ethnological or anthropological recent discoveries. Their fear from the beast that some of the children believe to have seen in the tropical nights is very close to the fear of God or of the gods of our ancestors, and so on. Shot in black and white and with children wonderfully directed by Peter Brook, LORD OF THE FLIES is hypnotizing. How can these blond heads become so rapidly like us, cold-blooded monsters ? Our rousseauist view of Mother Nature will disintegrate very fast in front of these kids, our kids. Sound, images and extra features are at the level of what we expect from Criterion. A read the book too DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Hearts of darkness
Review: Life Magazine published a documentary about the making of this movie, which was filmed in Puerto Rico. The boy-actors were housed in a bunkhouse during filming. One night their "scoutmaster" was wakened by a commotion coming from the boys' room. He padded to the door to discover them all huddled on the floor surrounding an electric fan. The fan was set on full speed and the guard had been removed. The boys were having a contest. The winner was the boy whose newly-caught lizard was sliced into the greatest number of pieces when dropped into the blades of the fan. I seem to recall the article noting the "good guys' " characters, Ralph and Piggy, were just as keen contestants as the baddies. One can imagine Golding's ghost nodding, nodding, nodding, nodding.
Rating:
Summary: Review: Lord of the Flies
Review: Lord of the Flies represents society to a tee. Even more so in the 90s than in the day it was written. William Golding is a genius, and this book proves it. Lord of the Flies is a dramatic book that is hardly a feel-good experience. After reading the book, I watched the 1963 movie, which I promptly bought. It is just like the book, word for word. I give it 4 out of 4 stars. I then watched the 1990 movie, which didn't follow the plotline entirely, and had unneccessary scenes. It was rated R, which no movie based on Lord of the Flies should be. I give that movie 1/2 of a star. The book is my favorite, and every time I read it, I get more out of it. It had me weeping at the close of the story. I stongly reccomend that you read this book. END
Rating: 
Summary: Subpar movie of an excellent book!
Review: Most of the time the movie scolds the initial novel in a negative way and in this case this is entirely true. Goldings novel is rich with analogies and inuendos. Brock's version on the other hand is very shallow and not moving at all.
Rating:
Summary: Not too fussed......
Review: My decision to buy this movie was based solely on the number of positive 5-star reviews from previous shoppers. I'd never seen the movie nor read the book, but I was aware of the premise of the story. The Criterion DVD is simply superb, with the many extra features and great print quality so typical of this company. As for the movie....frankly, I was bored with it. If you are familiar with the film and enjoy it, then buy this DVD, you couldn't hope for better presentation.
Rating:
Summary: Read the book
Review: Not as good as the second one (1990). It's filled with bad child actors, and seems to skip through a little too quickly without explaining what's going on very well. The book is much better in this regard of course. As usual, read the book. As a film, this just isn't very good. As a look into the savagery encoded in everyone, even the most highly educated well-mannered English boys, it's an excellent lesson in sociology and psychology.
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