Film Review: The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

One of the most influential pieces of 1980s literature was The Handmaid’s Tale, novel by Canadian writer Margaret Attwood. Inspired by certain cultural and political trends in neighbouring USA – namely the rise of Religious Right and increasing influence of Christian fundamentalists on Reagan’s administration – it speculated that they could lead to theocratic regime as oppressive to women as Iran became after Islamic Revolution. The book became much lauded and widely embraced by leftist and liberal intelligentsia, making its screen adaptation all but inevitable. First such attempt, 1990 film directed by Völker Schlöndorff, became a huge disappointment.

The plot is set in relatively close future when coup and series of ecological catastrophes transformed United States in Republic of Gilead, oppressive theocratic regime that strips people of their rights. The protagonist, librarian named Kate (played by Natasha Richardson), tries to escape with family to Canada and stumbles onto border guard patrol; her husband gets killed, her daughter taken away while Kate is sent to special prison camp. Since industrial pollution resulted in most of population sterile, those women who can conceive and bear children are given very special treatment – they are indoctrinated and trained into becoming Handmaids, women tasked with providing children to couples belonging to regime’s elite. Kate is given new name “Offred” and sent to home of Commander (played by Robert Duvall) and his wife, former televangelist Sarah Joy (played by Faye Dunaway), where she must endure “Ceremonies” – ritual intercourses during which Commander tries to impregnate her with his wife present. Commander begins to like Offred and tries to make his relationship more conventional. However, he is apparently sterile and Kate’s failure to conceive might condemn her to transfer to “Colonies” where the work consists of removing toxic waste. Desperate for baby, Sarah offers solution in form of Commander’s handsome driver/bodyguard Nick (played by Aidan Quinn) who has fallen in love with Kate and has little problems making her pregnant.

The Handmaid’s Tale had more than decent budget and some quite notable names involved in the project. Script was written by Harold Pinter, one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, and directed by Völker Schlöndorff. German film makers who best received works, liks “Oscar”-awarded The Tin Drum, hadn’t shied away from political subjects of controversies. Music was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician known for his innovative work. Yet, the end result of their efforts was surprisingly underwhelming. Some of it can attributed to the quarrels between Pinter and Schlöndorff, with the latter rewriting much of the original script. Schlöndorff, for the most parts, discards internal monologues from Attwood’s novel and replaces them with more conventional narrative techniques. He reconstructs most of the novel’s most shocking scenes, but does so in very inept manner that makes The Handmaid’s Tale look like cheap television film. Natasha Richardson doesn’t help either with her confusing performance, having to play character forced to hide her true emotions. Veterans Duvall and Dunaway do much better job, just like Elizabeth McGovern in the role of Kate’s rebellious lesbian friend Moira. Aidan Quinn is given poorly written role with which he can’t do much. The ending, which features Kate joining resistance movement, looks unconvincing and too Hollywood-like for something that was supposed to be much serious. The Handmaid’s Tale failed among critics and audience; the latter can be explained with novel’s message not resonating that well during administration of Reagan’s “kinder and gentler” successor George Bush Senior. Hollywood feminists would nevertheless soon get their iconic film with Thelma & Louise. Attwood’s novel would ultimately be adapted into long-lasting television series which had its popularity enhanced by Hollywood’s jihad against Trump, whose administration, rightly or wrongly, was interpreted as source of all the evil in America and the closest the country came to becoming real life Gilead.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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