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Bookmark this pageThe Handmaid's Tale (1990)
Director: Volker Schlöndorff
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Margaret Atwood's novel is a remarkable tour de force, a kind of feminist 1984 which gradually builds up detail so that the full horror of the world created creeps up like a killer in the night: a vision of an America so obsessed with physical, environmental and moral pollution that it returns to a mix of old Calvinism and newer Fascism. It should have transferred well to the screen, particularly as Schlöndorff is a veteran of literary adaptation. Of the fine cast, both Richardson (as the titular surrogate mother chosen to give birth on behalf of the state) and Duvall (as her unwelcome mate, an ageing military bigwig) are particularly fine. Sadly, the faults in the film lie in Harold Pinter's uncharacteristically bland script, and often woefully inadequate design and direction: the latter often missing opportunities in key scenes, the former full of rather tacky and silly uniforms, symbols, vehicles, and particularly crass watchtowers.Author: SGr
User reviews of this film
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- Norman Lowther said...
- Posted on Dec 27 2009 15:55 Quite simply the worst ever film until you see the equally worst film The Box (2009)
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Cast & crew
Director: Volker Schlöndorff
Producer: Daniel Wilson
Cast: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth McGovern, Victoria Tennant, Robert Duvall, Blanche Baker, Traci Lind full cast
Duration: 108 mins
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