The Handmaid's Tale - The Movie (1990)
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DawnFae
- Posts: 2157
- Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:21 am
I thought I'd share my impressions about the movie. I may come back here and add to it if something new comes to mind.
I found the movie to be bleak and the story quite dark. Perhaps it is an exaggeration of women's worst nightmares but there are parts of the world we live in where some of these horrible things happen to women on a regular basis.
The opening did not show how desperate the little family was until they were caught by the border patrol of the Gilead regime. The cold blooded shooting left the woman all alone in the world after she lost her daughter too.
The situation of the world of the movie is surely not a happy one but all the rules were made to be harsh and exploitative towards women and the lucky few who did not become sterile due to negative environmental changes were put to work for the upper class people, to give them the children they could not bear themselves. They also went overboard with the religious symbolism and the harsh punishment that accompany such fanatic religious based regimes.
The women were kept in the red centers to be controlled and conditioned to accept their new role of child bearers for the rich and powerful.
The most disturbing scenes were the ones called the "ceremony" where the wife holds the red woman and the man puts his seed in her, so very mechanically and "abusively" I would say even though the red women consented to go through with it but did it have to be that way?
It reduced the women to mere vessels, breeding mares...
The other women were either the jailers of the fertile, red women or they became Jezebels (Moira ended up there): the play things of the rich and mighty men who could not control their urges and had to use the women whenever they pleased and however they pleased.
Faye Dunaway played her role of a sterile but rich and bitter woman very well. She desperately wanted a child through the hired red woman but because her husband was sterile, she plotted for Offred to sleep with their chauffeur and get pregnant.
Offred and the Chauffeur seemed to fall for each other and they conceived a child. Another red woman approached Offred on behalf of the resistance to get rid of the commander, which reduced the feelings of helplessness and despair the movie conveyed from the very beginning...
Offred could escape with the help of her lover and his comrades in arms and the story ends with her dwelling in the mountains out of reach of the Gilead regime and hoping to find her lost daughter and for her baby to be born in a free world.
I found the whole thing as waging war against women in all shapes and forms. The men who had power in this regime made women their slaves in every role they wanted them to play, exploiting them to the fullest with no shame or remorse. Women were there for their own selfish agenda and pleasure.
The men were never really questioned, not even the ones who were sterile. If the red woman did not become pregnant then it was her failing and not the man's.
The movie did not explore the viciousness of the regime as much as the TV series did (which I still haven't fully watched) but the few horrible scenes in it painted the whole sad story in very dark colors. It is disturbing enough as it is.
The weakness and hypocrisy of the commander were simply chilling and he got what he deserved when Offred took her revenge on him. Such an act is horrible too but when people are abused in such a cruel way they tend to lash out and try and break free of the shackles of such regime.
The saddest part is that there are enough men even in the "free" world who dream of such total control over women...
I found the movie to be bleak and the story quite dark. Perhaps it is an exaggeration of women's worst nightmares but there are parts of the world we live in where some of these horrible things happen to women on a regular basis.
The opening did not show how desperate the little family was until they were caught by the border patrol of the Gilead regime. The cold blooded shooting left the woman all alone in the world after she lost her daughter too.
The situation of the world of the movie is surely not a happy one but all the rules were made to be harsh and exploitative towards women and the lucky few who did not become sterile due to negative environmental changes were put to work for the upper class people, to give them the children they could not bear themselves. They also went overboard with the religious symbolism and the harsh punishment that accompany such fanatic religious based regimes.
The women were kept in the red centers to be controlled and conditioned to accept their new role of child bearers for the rich and powerful.
The most disturbing scenes were the ones called the "ceremony" where the wife holds the red woman and the man puts his seed in her, so very mechanically and "abusively" I would say even though the red women consented to go through with it but did it have to be that way?
It reduced the women to mere vessels, breeding mares...
The other women were either the jailers of the fertile, red women or they became Jezebels (Moira ended up there): the play things of the rich and mighty men who could not control their urges and had to use the women whenever they pleased and however they pleased.
Faye Dunaway played her role of a sterile but rich and bitter woman very well. She desperately wanted a child through the hired red woman but because her husband was sterile, she plotted for Offred to sleep with their chauffeur and get pregnant.
Offred and the Chauffeur seemed to fall for each other and they conceived a child. Another red woman approached Offred on behalf of the resistance to get rid of the commander, which reduced the feelings of helplessness and despair the movie conveyed from the very beginning...
Offred could escape with the help of her lover and his comrades in arms and the story ends with her dwelling in the mountains out of reach of the Gilead regime and hoping to find her lost daughter and for her baby to be born in a free world.
I found the whole thing as waging war against women in all shapes and forms. The men who had power in this regime made women their slaves in every role they wanted them to play, exploiting them to the fullest with no shame or remorse. Women were there for their own selfish agenda and pleasure.
The men were never really questioned, not even the ones who were sterile. If the red woman did not become pregnant then it was her failing and not the man's.
The movie did not explore the viciousness of the regime as much as the TV series did (which I still haven't fully watched) but the few horrible scenes in it painted the whole sad story in very dark colors. It is disturbing enough as it is.
The weakness and hypocrisy of the commander were simply chilling and he got what he deserved when Offred took her revenge on him. Such an act is horrible too but when people are abused in such a cruel way they tend to lash out and try and break free of the shackles of such regime.
The saddest part is that there are enough men even in the "free" world who dream of such total control over women...
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DawnFae
- Posts: 2157
- Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:21 am
You're welcome Dee!
Yes, I will watch with you guys. The actress in the TV series is simply amazing!
Looking forward to exploring more of this wretched world and to seeing her rebellious triumphs. Amen!
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Dee
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:52 pm
Thanks for your review, DF, and for suggesting to watch the film. It's interesting to compare it to the book and to the series. (I expect to come back here later as I watch further episodes, because so far I've only seen the first one.)
I didn't like this adaptation much, to be honest. I wasn't keen on Natasha Richardson in the role, she lacked depth for me. I didn't like the Commander either, (he just came across like an idiot), and felt no chemistry between 'Kate' and Nick.
That first kiss between Nick and Kate was totally out of the blue. It's such an important moment in the book with the emphasis being on starvation for human touch.
Aunt Lydia is a none event. Faye Dunaway as the Wife has done ok with what she's been given scriptwise, but hasn't made a huge impression on me either, to be honest. The most relatable character and actress for me was Moira. She had some moments of brilliance.
The film script has made some changes I thought was not only unnecessary, but a mistake. Moira was supposed to be Offred's best friend from before. It didn't make sense how these two girls made such close friends just in this heavily controlled environment. There was no relationship built between Offred and Ofglen. Also, we saw Luke shot infront of 'Kate' at the beginning. In the book she doesn't know for sure what's happened to him. Yes, there were shots, but she didn't see. She still has hope he has survived. I think that makes the story much more interesting and layered.
The depiction of the religious ceremonies of the new world in the movie didn't work for me either: I was taken back by all the angelic singing. I understand the intent to show contrast and hypocracy, but still, it makes no sense. This extreme religious sect would have been puritan through and through, and probably not allow music and singing at all.
One aspect where the series has hit the jackpot in my view is the inclusion of Offred's inner commentary on everything that happens around her. That makes the tv series so much more intimate and intricate. The casting also feels much better in the series, though again, I am yet unsure about the casting of Nick, and imagined him very different reading the book.
The music, the costumes, the generally minimalistic scenery of the tv series feels much more timeless and superior to the movie.
The intercourse part of the ceremony: both the movie and the tv series differ from the source material where the Handmaids are instructed to have their eyes closed. In the tv series Offred just stares into space which is incredibly chilling. The most horrible depiction is actually the movie, where it feels more rape than a horrible "consensual" (in reality still very much coerced) ritual.
What I did like: I think the movie picked up momentum towards the end. I thought the meeting between Moira and Kate at Jezebels was well done, their final scene together was particularly touching.
It was a bold change from the books to kill the Commander, but it kinda works for me in the film too, where the rebels are already actively fighting. I also like that we get to see what happens to Kate a little further than what the book reveals.
All in all, even though the tv series has changed things up too - judging by the first episode -, it feels much closer to the source material in its feel, and also feels a lot more atmospheric.
I didn't like this adaptation much, to be honest. I wasn't keen on Natasha Richardson in the role, she lacked depth for me. I didn't like the Commander either, (he just came across like an idiot), and felt no chemistry between 'Kate' and Nick.
Spoiler:
Aunt Lydia is a none event. Faye Dunaway as the Wife has done ok with what she's been given scriptwise, but hasn't made a huge impression on me either, to be honest. The most relatable character and actress for me was Moira. She had some moments of brilliance.
The film script has made some changes I thought was not only unnecessary, but a mistake. Moira was supposed to be Offred's best friend from before. It didn't make sense how these two girls made such close friends just in this heavily controlled environment. There was no relationship built between Offred and Ofglen. Also, we saw Luke shot infront of 'Kate' at the beginning. In the book she doesn't know for sure what's happened to him. Yes, there were shots, but she didn't see. She still has hope he has survived. I think that makes the story much more interesting and layered.
The depiction of the religious ceremonies of the new world in the movie didn't work for me either: I was taken back by all the angelic singing. I understand the intent to show contrast and hypocracy, but still, it makes no sense. This extreme religious sect would have been puritan through and through, and probably not allow music and singing at all.
One aspect where the series has hit the jackpot in my view is the inclusion of Offred's inner commentary on everything that happens around her. That makes the tv series so much more intimate and intricate. The casting also feels much better in the series, though again, I am yet unsure about the casting of Nick, and imagined him very different reading the book.
The music, the costumes, the generally minimalistic scenery of the tv series feels much more timeless and superior to the movie.
The intercourse part of the ceremony: both the movie and the tv series differ from the source material where the Handmaids are instructed to have their eyes closed. In the tv series Offred just stares into space which is incredibly chilling. The most horrible depiction is actually the movie, where it feels more rape than a horrible "consensual" (in reality still very much coerced) ritual.
What I did like: I think the movie picked up momentum towards the end. I thought the meeting between Moira and Kate at Jezebels was well done, their final scene together was particularly touching.
The weakness and hypocrisy of the commander were simply chilling and he got what he deserved when Offred took her revenge on him. Such an act is horrible too but when people are abused in such a cruel way they tend to lash out and try and break free of the shackles of such regime.
It was a bold change from the books to kill the Commander, but it kinda works for me in the film too, where the rebels are already actively fighting. I also like that we get to see what happens to Kate a little further than what the book reveals.
All in all, even though the tv series has changed things up too - judging by the first episode -, it feels much closer to the source material in its feel, and also feels a lot more atmospheric.
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Dee
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:52 pm
I agree that the film has come across exactly like that. The book is a lot more layered and shows that men have pretty much cornered and imprisoned themselves as well, in this new world order. I'm looking forward to finding out how the tv series will fare in this respect. Things are never just black and white.I found the whole thing as waging war against women in all shapes and forms. The men who had power in this regime made women their slaves in every role they wanted them to play, exploiting them to the fullest with no shame or remorse. Women were there for their own selfish agenda and pleasure.
The men were never really questioned, not even the ones who were sterile. If the red woman did not become pregnant then it was her failing and not the man's.
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Lori
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 11:08 pm
Hey ladies - I did not rewatch this movie, but I remember it well from the 1990's and enjoyed the reviews, and also tend to agree with your assessments. It was quite popular at the time. I agree it was not as well-acted or presented as the current day adaptation, but definitely had its moments. I'm interested in how these various versions treat the issue of consent. We know there definitely is none. When the consequences are so vile, there is only compliance.
DF - I was struck by the statement you made that this happens in various forms to women throughout the world, some blatantly and some with soft oppression. It is a worthy conversation and realization that so much needs to be done to educate and help. We talked about this in the book discussion also. So sad in this day and age so many women experience these horrors.
DF - I was struck by the statement you made that this happens in various forms to women throughout the world, some blatantly and some with soft oppression. It is a worthy conversation and realization that so much needs to be done to educate and help. We talked about this in the book discussion also. So sad in this day and age so many women experience these horrors.
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