1. Lord of the Flies : from page to screen Corina Jula, English-Italian

2.  The first film was made in 1963 by Peter Brook.  The second film was made by Harry Hook in 1990.

3. Ra lph  Analyzed from an allegorical point of view “Ralph represents the British civilizer”, who fights for democracy, freedom (Parlog: 2011- 57). He uses a conch shell in order to gather the children.  He has the role of a democratic leader.The protagonist, Ralph leads a democratic group, with rules who “commands and values the good of the group” (Xiaofang Li &Weihua Wu, 2009).  In the film from 1963 Ralph less cruel than in the novel because he speaks with Piggy, listens to what he says, does not mock him.  In the film from 1990 Ralph resembles the same features as in the book.

4. Jack  Jack is the negative character who stands for barbarism, evilness, savagery, dictatorship, control upon the others.  When killing pigs, Jack is very pleased, he feels strong, he has a thirst for blood: “He has outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, and taken away its life like a satisfying drink”. (Golding: 76).  “Jack represents more completely than anyone else in the novel the theme of ‘reversion to savagery’ and he finds that behind the disguise of paint and mask he can assume a more self-confident personality” (Alastair Niven, 48).  In both films Jack shares the same behavior.  One major difference between the novel and the two films is that he has fair hair whereas in the novel he has red hair.

5. Piggy  Piggy on the other side “appears in the novel as a knower” (John F. Fitzgerald and John R. Kayser, 2002).  Piggy indicates the intelligence, cleverness, rationality, he sees the things in their natural form, and how they are, “suggesting that the real fear is the fear of people” (Xiaofang Li & Weihua Wu, 2009).  Even if Ralph finds the conch, Piggy is the one who knows what to do with it and observes that they need to gather a meeting. (John F. Fitzgerald and John R. Kayser, 2002)  Mature, rational, weaker than the others because of his asthma.  In the film from 1963 Piggy resembles very well the character from the book. He is mature, intelligent, loyal, rational, more civilized than the others.  In the film from 1990 he is the same as in the novel.

6. Simon  “Simon is a Christ-figure…a lover of mankind, a visionary” (Alastair Niven: 49).  He is the one who acts morally and not out of guilt.  He is the one who finds the pig’s head and realizes that the beast, ’’Lord of the Flies’’ does not exist. I agree with C. B. Cox (1960) when saying that for Simon the pig’s head is not a beast but ‘‘the infinite cynicism of adult life”.  Simon believes in the value of morality, he is wise and brave when ‘‘he confronts the Lord of the flies’’, finding out that the beast is only a dead parachutist. (Cox, 1960:120,121).  In both films Simon is more absent than present, for example in the older film he finds the “beast” that was the pig’s head and in the last film the audience sees him when he is dead without his contribution in discovering the beast.

7. The title  The title is related to the theme of evilness that dominates the novel with the help of the characters.  The presence of the beast itself in the films is more limited than in the book.  The imaginary beast is not well represented in the films.

8. How the sound influences the two films?  The non-diegetic sound in the two films creates more mystery, therefore some scenes have a greater impact on the audience by producing stronger feelings.

9. Major differences  The image of the English choir boys vs. American military cadets.  In the film from 1990’s the producer has cut the scene where Simon talks to the pig’s head.  The presence of an adult in the film from 1990.  Vernacular language in 1990’s film.  Horror stories around the fire.

10. Conclusion  The 1963 version is more faithful to the book, therefore the 1990’s film does not resemble the novel as well as the first one.

11. Bibliography :  Cox, C. B., Novels, 1954-67, A Casebook Edited by Norman, Macmillan, 1985, p. 120:121  F. John, Fitzgerald, and John R., Kayser, 2002,’Golding’s Lord of the flies: Pride as a original sin’, Copyright EBSCO Publishing  Golding, William, Lord of the Flies, Faber and Faber Limited Bloomsbury House, London, 2012  Niven, Alastair. (1989). William Golding: Lord and the Flies, York Notes Series: World Publishing Corporation, p. 48.  Parlog, Aba-Carina, Harbingers and Agents of Postmodern Literature, Lord of the flies, Editura Universitatii de Vest Timisoara, 2011  Xiaofang Li & Weihua Wu, March 2009, On Symbolic Significance of Characters in Lord of the Flies, Vol. 2, No. 1