The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

Directed by

Volker Schlöndorff

Genre

drama film, science fiction film, post-apocalyptic film, LGBTQ-related film, dystopian film

Country

Germany, United States

Runtime

1h 48m

Rated

R

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 278 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In a totalitarian society where women are reduced to their fertility, a woman named Offred is forced to serve as a handmaid, bearing children for a powerful couple. She navigates a world of strict rules and hidden resistance while longing for freedom and the daughter taken from her.

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What happens

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). The screenplay was written by playwright Harold Pinter. The original music score was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The film was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival. It is the first filmed adaptation of the novel, succeeded by the Hulu television series which began streaming in 2017. 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 lukewarm, with critics expressing uncertainty about the movie's message and themes. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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