The Handmaid's Tale (film)
1990 film by Volker Schlöndorff / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Handmaid's Tale is a 1990 dystopian film adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, the film stars Natasha Richardson (Offred), Faye Dunaway (Serena Joy), Robert Duvall (The Commander), Aidan Quinn (Nick), and Elizabeth McGovern (Moira).[2] The screenplay was written by playwright Harold Pinter.[2] The original music score was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The film was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.[3] It is the first filmed adaptation of the novel, succeeded by the Hulu television series which began streaming in 2017.
The Handmaid's Tale | |
---|---|
Directed by | Volker Schlöndorff |
Screenplay by | Harold Pinter |
Based on | The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood |
Produced by | Daniel Wilson |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Igor Luther |
Edited by | David Ray |
Music by | Ryuichi Sakamoto |
Distributed by | Cinecom Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
Countries | United States West Germany |
Language | English |
Box office | $4,960,385[1] |
The film adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale faced numerous challenges in its development, with screenwriter Harold Pinter expressing dissatisfaction with the final product due to significant alterations from his original script. Pinter had contributed only part of the screenplay and ultimately gave the director and author carte blanche to make changes. He tried to have his name removed from the credits but was unsuccessful.
The film's reception was mixed, with an approval rating of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics expressing uncertainty about the movie's message and themes.