Product Details

• Actors: Lukas Haas, Jorge Rivero, Richard Harris, Tere Tarin, Paul G. "Litefoot" Davis
• Directors: Jr. Alfredo Zacharias
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Allumination
• DVD Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009PW4CI
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,925 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile for the classroom, September 23, 2005

By	James J. Jenkins (Weare, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am also an English teacher and I was thrilled to learn of this film adaptation. Even after reading the other two reviews I was excited to show this to my students after we finished our reading, and the changes that the film makes are interesting rather than disappointing. One of the projects that I offer to my students is to change the storyline to fit their interests, including the ending, and I presented this film as one person's vision. I love the way it starts with Kino as a little boy listening to his father's advice, and I like the actor who is cast as Kino the grown man. I like how his brother Juan has a larger role. In fact, I like the happy ending because it is something I used to discuss with my students, asking them how things could have been resolved differently. Richard Harris is wonderful as the shrewd doctor, and the scene where he "buys" eternal salvation from the priest is excellent. Yes, it is always preferable to see a faithful adaptation of a novel, but it doesn't ruin the fact that I can enhance my own and my students' appreciation of a great story.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars the pearl, September 12, 2005

By	R. Clements "English Teach" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an English teacher, I was very eager to purchase this modern adaptation of Steinbeck's novella to show to students. Imagine my shock and horror when I discovered this film has a HAPPY ending! Hollywood has totally changed the impact of Steinbeck's original work to satisfy those who need to walk out of a movie experience with a smile on their faces...unfortunately, a smile isn't what people will walk out with after viewing this film. Very disappointing!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't read the liner notes., March 3, 2006

By	L. Dale Richesin "Alaska High School Teacher" (Togiak, AK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.