July 31, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 ‘Lord of the Flies’ depicts the original ‘lost boys’ by Dennis Seuling “Lord of the Flies” (The Criterion Col- lection) is Peter Brook’s adaptation of the William Golding novel, a staple of high school English classes. The film is the first of two big-screen versions, this one in black and white. A color version was made in 1990, but the Brook version is defini- tive. A plane crashes near a deserted island and all the adults die. A group of English schoolboys, ages 10 to 12, survive and hope to be rescued. They establish a make- shift but initially workable government that soon degenerates into anarchy. Tribal strife occurs based on class differences and a power play ensues as the boys evolve from decent kids to savage survivalists. Director Brook strived for a documen- tary look and selected for his cast mostly British boys who had grown up with structure, parental guidance, and societal law to reflect the characters in Golding’s novel. On location without parents, the boys loosened up. A lot of the action was improvised. The film metaphorically illustrates what happens when civilization breaks down and man’s true nature is revealed. Because the boys are stranded in a tropi- cal paradise, they have plenty to eat, fresh water, and a temperate climate, so the dis- Piggy (Hugh Edwards) and Ralph (James Aubrey) are among a group of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island in ‘Lord of the Flies.’ solution of morality is planted squarely on human flaws and frailty and the lack of moral leadership rather than solely on environment. The Blu-ray edition contains audio commentary by Brook, audio recordings of Golding reading from his novel, a 2008 interview with Brook, never-before-seen footage, and a booklet featuring a critical essay. “The Bronte Sisters” (Cohen Media Group) is a bio-drama nominated for the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. Director and co- writer Andre Techine achieves an authen- tic depiction of the bleak, lonely existence of the Victorian-era Bronte sisters, Emily (Isabelle Adjani), Charlotte (Marie-France Pisier), and Anne (Isabelle Huppert). The young women live in a Yorkshire village under the stern eye of their minister father (Patrick Magee, “A Clockwork Orange”), and also must deal with their troubled, opium-addicted brother, Bramwell (Pascal Gregory). While all four siblings have artis- tic ambitions, their dreams are thwarted by romantic disappointments and tragic ill- ness. However, against all obstacles and using pseudonyms, the sisters publish their poetry and novels. Through beautiful cinematography and highly atmospheric music by Philippe Sarde, Techine contrasts the sisters’ hum- drum lives with the wildly romantic fantasies they created in such novels as “Wuthering Heights” and “Jane Eyre.” Blu- ray extras include a 60-minute documen- tary featurette and audio commentary. The film is in French with English subtitles. “Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Fourth Season” (Paramount Home Enter- tainment), new on Blu-ray, offers deeper character development than earlier sea- sons, making this season one of the best. The six-disc set contains all 26 episodes, beginning with the Season 3 cliffhanger, “The Best of Both Worlds (Part 2),” an exciting episode in which Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is promoted to captain and com- mands a fleet of starships to confront the Borg. Filled with neat visual effects, rous- ing music, phaser fights, and outer space (continued on Crossword page)