Director Peter Brooke, Great Britain, 1963. James Aubrey, Tom Chapin, Hugh Edwards and others.
The screening of the novel was carried out by the famous British theatre director Peter Brook. Filming took place in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Actors were selected after Brooke personally watched over 3,000 children; none of them read the whole script, and the director encouraged improvisation during the filming, although for the most part the dialogue in the painting corresponds to the text of the novel. Because the film was rated «X», none of the child actors were present at the premiere.
The author of the novel personally supported the creation of the film despite the plot changes introduced by the director. The tone of the film is clearly different from that of the book. In the nine years that divide them, the perception of child innocence in society has changed dramatically, as has the attitude towards power. That is why Golding’s metaphor, which in the public mind spoke of the tragic end of childhood, may have sounded differently in the film: children left unattended begin to look like adults.
Director Peter Brook was nominated for the Flies Lord at the 1963 Cannes Golden Palm Festival, and the British National Council of Film Critics called the film one of the top ten films of the year.