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Movies / On DVD / The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale

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The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

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27 %
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Reviews Counted: 11

Fresh: 3

Rotten:8

Average Rating: 4.7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, THE HANDMAID'S TALE presents a harrowing vision of (as the film's opening legend reads) "the very near future." In Gilead, formerly the United States, a... Based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, THE HANDMAID'S TALE presents a harrowing vision of (as the film's opening legend reads) "the very near future." In Gilead, formerly the United States, a series of ecological disasters rendering most women infertile has been followed by a coup d'état by puritanical right-wing fundamentalists. Attempting to escape the increasingly unjust and brutal oligarchy, Kate (Natasha Richardson) is captured by border guards while her husband is killed and her daughter lost. Because she is fertile, Kate is sent for training as a handmaid, where she meets the defiant Moira (Elizabeth McGovern). Kate then becomes handmaid to the Commander (Robert Duvall) and is forced to enact a ceremony, based on the biblical story of Rachel, in which she lies between the Commander and his infertile wife, Serena Joy (Faye Dunaway), so he can impregnate her. The ceremony leaves Serena Joy angry, the Commander unfulfilled, and Kate humiliated, rebellious, and desperate for freedom. The splendid performance of the ensemble cast is highlighted by McGovern's wrenching turn as the disaffected "gender traitor." Celebrated playwright Harold Pinter supplies a stark, affecting screenplay for director Volker Schlöndorff (THE TIN DRUM), who retains all the sting of Atwood's feminist classic by sculpting a frighteningly plausible futuristic parable. [More]

Starring: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Aidan Quinn

Starring: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Aidan Quinn, Robert Duvall, Traci Lind

Director: Volker Schlöndorff

Director: Volker Schlöndorff

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Release:

Dec 11, 2001

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Reviews for The Handmaid's Tale

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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

overblown paranoid crap based on same.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Pretentious, self-righteous melodrama about the evils of patriarchy

comment Comment
12/17/04
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
05/15/04
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

No review available.

comment Comment
03/19/04
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Harold Pinter's adaptation has its powerful moments, but ultimately the narrowing of the novel's scope dilutes the story's message too much.

Full Review Source: James Sanford on Film | comment Comment
08/17/03
James Sanford
James Sanford on Film

This film adaptation of Margaret Atwood's bestselling 1986 novel heralds freedom as a cherished ideal.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
07/10/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
01/29/03
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

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Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
01/09/02
Movieline

Uneven yet still gripping

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/16/01
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
01/01/00
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

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Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
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Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Latest News for The Handmaid's Tale

March 18, 2009: Natasha Richardson: 1963-2009
Natasha Richardson, the Tony award-winning actress who starred in a number of highly regarded films and plays, has passed away, succumbing to injuries she sustained during a... More...

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