The Pearl
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Movie Reviews of The Pearl
Movie Review: Don't read the liner notes.
Summary: 4 Stars
The DVD "The Pearl" directed by Alfred Zacharias is an excellent adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel. However, one could be misled if the liner notes were to be trusted.
The notes suggest that "the peasant is soon engulfed by greed, envy and betrayal," when in fact the peasant was the victim of the greed, envy and betrayal of the upper class. The peasant was presented as an ideal of humanity. Indeed, the entire film depicted the simple peasant life as ideal and pure, while the life of the upper class was gluttonous, depraved, and sinful.
The movie and the book suggest the the peasant may have to make the ultimate sacrifice, interpretted as either the loss of his child or the loss of his life. The liner notes affirm that "in order to achieve his dreams, he may have to make life's ultimate sacrifice."
In the end he throws the pearl away. This is not an ultimate sacrifice, but a most practical one. And one, I might add, that his wife sought to make earlier in the film.
On the whole, it is an excellent DVD and quite faithful to the original novel.
Movie Review: The Pearl - DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a good movie. Much better than the old one in black and white. However, the ending is different than the book. My students enjoyed watching it after we read the book. It led to a great lesson on comparison between the book and the movie. Had they watched the movie and not read the book, they would have failed the written test!Movie Review: DVD "The Pearl"
Summary: 4 Stars
I am pleased with the quality of the DVD although the audio is too low at times. It is frustrating that the movie is "unrated" and that makes it difficult to get approved for Middle School viewing. Why did they change the ending from Steinbeck's novel?Movie Review: Vivid Scenery
Summary: 4 Stars
Vivid scenery. Excellent picture. However, the script was not true to the text that my class is reading; too many "innovations".
Also, I wish the DVD could be shipped overseas.
Movie Review: Great visuals, but disappointing adaptation
Summary: 3 Stars
Like many of the other reviewers, I am an English teacher and was very pleased to find this adaptation to use with my 9th grade class. I have used the 1947 version but old black and white films tend to be heavy going for young audiences. This version is nowhere near as satisfying as I would like, but to break down the likes and dislikes:
It offers great visuals for the town, the village and the trek through the wilderness. It also offers good visuals for pearl diving.
The pond fight with the tracker is changed from the book but builds suspense nicely.
Most of the actors, expecially Tarin, Harris, and Rivero are very good in my opinion. Unlike some other reviewers, I like the added love scenes for Kino and Juana. They are a young couple and in love. It's nice for that to be seen, although I could do without the heavy breathing scene!
On the negative side:
While Lucas Haas is acceptable as Kino, I find it very, very difficult to believe they couldn't have found a Latino actor better suited to the part.I show this movie to a young class of largely hispanic background; they know the difference! This is no longer the 1950's where you just smear brown makeup on white actors to make them "ethnic".
I very much dislike the whole idea of the happy ending, as others have pointed out. Steinbeck clearly states repeatedly in the text that Kino and his kind are discriminated against,oppressed, and cheated from cradle to grave. That message is far from totally outdated even 60 years later. Frankly, I view the throwing away of the pearl as Kino's surrender to a system he now thinks it is not possible to escape rather than as any kind of victory of the common man. To lose that idea loses a great deal of the novel's strength in my opinion.
I also am not crazy about identifying all the villiany so clearly with the character of the doctor. I certainly am not convinced the doctor in the book would have the energy or the brains to be so wicked. I do understand it is a way to build up the role for a name actor like Harris so I can accept it. However, it certainly defeats the purpose of having the envy of the nameless, faceless surrounding community become one of Kino's main sources of conflict.
So, all that said, I continue to show this film, but certainly not until after the book is read and as a means of discussion about the points I believe Steinbeck meant to make.