In 1996, Jeff Bridges (who plays the title character) decided to bring this book to the screen. Everyone involved thought the process would be easy, but producers weren’t interested in a children’s drama at the time. It wouldn’t be until the proven success of The Hunger Games in 2012 that they’d finally come around. Perhaps this was the right decision, because The Giver performed modestly at the box office; with a production budget of only $25 million, the movie earned a worldwide total of $66.3 million.
THE MOVIE ITSELF
The opening shots show a futuristic, highly organized establishment situated quite comfortably on a raised plateau. Lines of text tell us how, after X cataclysmic event, humanity has decided to do away with emotions and memories of the past in favor of a peaceful, stagnant present. The camera pans closer, and we see all the houses look the same—white, boxy, egalitarian. Further lines of text, also spoken in the innocent narrative voice of protagonist Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), list the rules of this society: (1) use precise language; (2) wear your assigned clothing; (3) take your morning medication; (4) obey the curfew; (5) never lie.
Interestingly, the last rule underscores many of the hypocrisies we observe in this Communistic world called Sameness. Rule number one bans the use of antiquated, ambiguous words like ‘love’ and ‘terror,’ yet, in large part, the society relies on euphemisms like ‘lose’ for ‘kill’ and ‘Elsewhere’ for ‘euthanasia.’ We can even see the human villainy of the Chief Elder (played beautifully by Meryl Streep) as she debates with the Giver (Jeff Bridges) on the merits and pitfalls of Sameness. (It’s kind of obvious the Elder elected to forgo her mood-stabilizing injection that morning).
Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories, who becomes student to the Giver. The memories of the past world, with myriad manifestations of love and hatred, are traditionally bequeathed from the Giver to the Receiver; the intent is for the future Giver to advise the decision makers of Sameness if the need should arise. Then, we begin to see the world change in appearance through Jonas’ eyes. The film begins in black and white, but, in true Pleasantville fashion, colors begin to appear. The effect isn’t as powerful as it is in that ‘90s gem, but it serves its purpose well. In fact, I think this gradual coloring may at least mirror author Lois Lowry’s visual writing style in the original novel.
My chief complaint about this movie is how the dystopian world doesn’t seem appropriately dire at the beginning. We’re introduced to a perfectly peaceful society—of course, that’s the point. But the immediate translation of its wrongness just seems clunky. These matter-of-fact methods of living, dropped like bowling balls, mitigate any meaningful effect on the viewer. A later scene shows Jonas watching surveillance, being told by the Giver about this particularly sinister, commonplace practice. What he sees looks like a very peaceful process; for all we know, without being told, such is what we would think. Well, the movie should have opened with this scene; it should have bathed us in blissful ignorance and left the horrifying reveal for later. As is, the world feels contrived. It’s kind of boring and tasteless.
Also, Taylor Swift’s three-minute scene in this movie feels like a ploy to sell tickets. Her part is pivotal, but her presence is distracting. The film would have been much better served if they’d gone with someone else. But for all that, we have a wealth of acting talent here. The Giver is also visually striking, and its score will make you feel—something, at least.
PRESENTATION
Presented with a 1080p, MPEG-4 AVC transfer and an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, The Giver looks fantastic. With a film so dependent on effective use of color, visual presentation here is of paramount importance. When the colors begin to appear, they pop beautifully. During moments of complete color saturation—moments when it’s important we appreciate the beauty—the desired effect translates perfectly. During the black-and-white portions, the blacks aren’t too deep, and the whites aren’t too bright; the visuals are crisp and clear. Unfortunately one shot in particular looks fuzzy. Whether this is the fault of the film itself or the transfer, I can’t be sure.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio certainly surrounds you. This is especially important during scenes when Jonas discovers music. I’m thankful there aren’t very many deafening sound effects in this particular summer blockbuster (I also rejoiced to find it had a run time of only 93 minutes); it’s more of a thoughtful film that puts emphasis on the dialogue and score. The surround sound here is used to great effect, heightening the viewer’s experience in comparison with a regular mono sound.
EXTRA FEATURES
How strange there’s no audio commentary. At least, included with the Blu-ray, you’ll get both a DVD version of the film and a code for Digital HD Ultraviolet download. Other than that the bonus features are by no means extensive, yet they are still interesting.
• Jeff Bridges presents the original script reading, featuring Lloyd Bridges – Roughly 40 minutes of a script reading with the Bridges family from the ‘90s
• Making The Giver: From Page to Screen – Interviews with producers and actors on this long, hard journey and the film itself
• Jonas’ Harrowing Journey: Extended Scene – About six or seven minutes have been added to an important scene
• Press Conference with Filmmakers and Cast – 35 minutes of a panel with all the big names. Personally, I love this kind of thing.
• “Ordinary Human” Featurette with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder – Interview with the artist about the original song he wrote for the film.
• Author Lois Lowry on The Giver – At three minutes, this is too short
• Study Guide – Book-to-movie study plans for the classroom. Now, this is actually useful.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My memories of Lois Lowry’s novel have all but disappeared. I’m sure I read it some time between the third and fifth grade, but all recollection—except for my feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment—has dissipated. It’s probably an unfortunate thing, to have been cursed and blessed with the inability to recall novels in the long term (I know what the Giver would say here), but I’ve gotten to experience the story again. Available now on Blu-ray, the adaptation of this classic rounds off a collective vision 20 years in the making.
