The Chocolate War

source: The Chocolate War

I'm a fan of Keith Gordon. I've liked all his films which I've seen, which was all but 2, before this. I will say his direction wasn't bad at all on this film. Even the dialouge in his script isn't laughably bad. But this premise! Possibly the stupidest premise I have ever seen. I had no idea what the film was about but I didn't think "chocolate war" was literal. A bunch of high school boys selling chocolate? What would possess anyone to give him funding for such an atrocious idea? I had to laugh at some scenes. KG does a good job to set up drama with pacing, editing, cinematography and acting but then you realize what the drama is - some boxes of chocolates are missing. Oh my god!!!!! I peeked in on the commentary at a few spots and its funny I heard KG putting himself down. It was a first film and was pretentious as he admits. I think he is one of America's most underrated directors but I am glad he saw the light and began doing adaptations. I can't believe IMDb gives this a 6.7, should be a 1.5. p.s. yes, yes I "get" that the chocolate storyline is a vehicle for the deeper things the film is trying to say about class distinction, standing up to bullies, male comradary, blah, blah. The story sucks! edit: p.s. after posting I realized it IS an adaptation. The opening credits end with "written and directed by Keith Gordon" which is usually only done when it is an original screenplay (more young pretentiousness?). That may help explain the funding and gives KG a slight break but I still stand by what I say about the premise being ridiculous, no matter how the film compares to the book.

I respectfully disagree with the reviewer who said that "he (Jerry Renault) doesn't win in the end anyway." This was a moral battle -- Jerry Renault represented conscience moral choice fighting against the Vigils' frantic need to keep the corrupt but popular status quo. Jerry's will won... he did not sell chocolates. Other viewers may miss this important point: this story is not about "winning." This story is about the price we pay in order to do what is right. Cormier's story says living according to our own conscience often has a steep price -- but that it is a price infinitely worth paying.

The Chocolate War is a movie about a young kid named Jerry and his power struggle with the group at school called the Vigils. They want him to sell the schools annual chocolates but he refuses and from then on the Vigils make his life miserable. I really enjoyed this movie and I thought that Wallace Langham gave a great performance as Archie. He was so mean and cold that you couldn't help hating him and this to me is a sign of a great actor. I think everyone should see this movie and if you already have see it again!

As a movie, THE CHOCOLATE WAR is good, but doesn't do justice to the book. Robert Cormier's 1974 novel ranks with A SEPARATE PEACE and CATCHER IN THE RYE as a landmark in young adult literature. While the film does wimp out on the original ending, it does a great job of conveying the bleak landscape of the adolescent mind and the dreary banality of high school life. Exterior shots are filmed under overcast skies, interior shots in gloomy half-light. Like the tone of the book, the film's atmosphere is stifling, apprehensive, and glum. The actor playing Archie gives a methodical, sociopathic performace. Yes, there is some artyness to the film, but it conveys the complex emotions in actions among the characters. Doesn't seem to have been widely released in theatres and was available on video at one point, this one gets overlooked when the lists of best teen films of the eighties are compiled. A stunning indictment of adolescent cruelty. Worth seeking out.

Growing up in high school, our year 10 teacher assigned us to read this book as part of our education. We also got to (occassionally) watch the movie adaptation of the novel. I really liked this film as the storyline was good. The Vigils are a secret gang in an all boys school who assign tasks to students as part of their way of saying " we will not conform to the standards others set, so we go our own way." Then Jerry Renault is selected for a task of not to sell chocolates for a set period of time. After the time elapses, Jerry still stops selling chocolates and becomes a sort of hero, as he is overcoming adversity and going beyond his boundaries. If Forrest Gump was around, maybe Jerry could have sold his portion to Forrest and Forrest could have given them away to people as he told stories to strangers on a park bench somewhere. Look out for an appearance of a young Brendan Fraser (before he was in Encino Man, or The Mummy). Its an educational film and should be viewed in all schools as part of the learning curriculum.

Sure this film doesn't compare to the classic Cormier book but, as it is, it's not a bad film about the abuse of power and the evils of conformity. I think the reason why the producers chose to change the ending is because, face it, the book made everything so hideously, slash-your-wrists-depressing (like all of Cormier's other books) that I don't think anyone would want to see it! Despite the changed ending, director/adapter Keith Gordon manages to make the message clear. While this is a low-budget film with obvious limitations (the school looks like it has a total of 100 students at best), Gordon never lets the film drag and he got good performances from the actors (particularly from John Glover who steals the show as the evil headmaster and Bud "Harold and Maude" Cort in a great cameo as one of the priests). The "80's soundtrack" is impressive, with excellent cuts from Peter Gabriel, Yaz, Kate Bush and more. My rating: 7/10.

My perspective on this film is likely to be unique, in that I've never read the book. The critical reception and most user reviews widely criticize Keith Gordon's re-writing of the book's ending and this was ultimately reflected in its shocking performance at the box office. If you've never read the book, you can effectively ignore all criticism, because The Chocolate War is arguably one of the finest films to explore the dark underbelly of teenage cruelty, manipulation and the childhood induction of the mob mentality and a superb directorial debut for Keith. John Glover's performance as the twisted and politically carnivorous Brother Leon is stunning and easily his best work. With echoes of Lord of the Flies, The Chocolate War explores the outer reaches of cruelty, fear and control exercised by the two antagonistic forces of the student led secret society The Vigils, and the school's acting school head - Brother Leon. Anyone who has ever been bullied or coerced to side with bullies out of the necessity for self-preservation will find a string of painful moments to relate to in this film. The soundtrack is a masterpiece of emotion. The intro to Peter Gabriel's "We Do What We're Told" is used as a recurring musical theme providing an atmospheric backdrop to the web of cruelty and manipulation that unfolds for Jerry the protagonist. But the revelation is the haunting piano of "Shepherd's Song" by Scott Cossu, which holds the space for Jerry's introspection, his loss and the tragedy of his situation. Yes, there are some elements lacking in this film - namely the performance of the hero (Jerry) played by Ilan Mitchell-Smith and some of the dated directorial techniques adopted by Keith Gordon for the flashback sequences and other scenes. However the strength of the story, soundtrack and performances from John Glover and Wallace Langham tower above the film's shortcomings. Keep in mind this was Gordon's feature film directorial debut. I'm not going to comment on the ending, other than to say it works perfectly for the narrative of this film and is in no way disappointing. To the contrary, it still moves me to tears despite more than half a dozen viewings of this film over the years. The Chocolate War is difficult to find but absolutely essential viewing.

The annual fund raiser at a parochial boy's school becomes a battleground between integrity and peer pressure when a lone freshman defies authority by refusing to join the mandatory chocolate sale, calling down the wrath of both his megalomaniac headmaster and an omnipotent secret society of upperclassmen. Disregarding the techno-pop sound track the best that can be said about this murky allegorical drama is that it makes a sincere attempt to avoid standard teen movie clichés. But whatever message it might have had is camouflaged by the trendy, self-conscious photography (fancy POV camera moves, slow motion flashbacks) and a lack of definition to the campus background. The characters, as a result, all seem to be moving in a vacuum, which makes for a curiously uninvolving film.

This is a textbook example of how NOT to adapt a book to the screen. Teenager Jerry Renault in high school is having a terrible life. His mother just died, he has no connection with his father and has next to no friends. Then he has a run in with a secret group in the school called the Vigils. They tell him to do something and he refuses. Then his life becomes a nightmare... At least that's how the book went. The book is harrowing. Strong, powerful and very bleak and desolate and Jerry is put through utter hell and is almost killed in the end in a truly horrifying sequence. A faithful adaptation of the novel was not going to happen--it was considered too extreme and doubtless it would get an X rating (for the violence). So...why bother with a movie version? Well...they did. The story was toned down and changed a LOT and VERY badly cast (especially the part of Janza). It was also shot with a wobbly camera which made me sea sick and (for some reason) Jerry has acne and nobody else does (?????) And, worst of all, they totally changed the ending which completely destroyed the point of the book! The ending is just hopeless--I'd love to know what they thought of when they dreamed it up. The book is powerful, grim stuff and NOT for kids. It's not easy to read--it's very disturbing--but it has a point. This movie just tones down everything, casts it badly and destroys the book. This seems to have disappeared completely--that's a good thing. Don't bother. I give it a 1.