The Handmaid's Tale
Release date: 1990-02-15
Votes: 247
Genres: Drama, Science Fiction
In a dystopian, polluted right-wing religious tyranny, a young woman is put in sexual slavery on account of her now rare fertility.
Reviews
GenerationofSwine
Now look at this, someone made the Handmaid's Tale into something watchable. You know what the difference between this and the series is? I'll give you a hint it's two things... do you have it yet? Time and story. The TV show has FAR too many episodes, and each is far too long to tell a compelling story. The 1990 HBO version is only about 100 minutes. It's not dragged out to the point where it is filled to overflowing with, well, with filler. It delivers a clean and concise story that didn't spare a cut. And because of that it works. But.... it also has Faye Dunaway, and it has Natasha Richardson, and it has Robert Duvall, and it has Aidan Quinn... and those are all people that everyone would be honored to cast, and they were certainly people that anyone would be thrilled to cast back in 1990. So, what you have is a clean script that is void of unnecessary filler (and in the case of the TV series, free of painfully long unnecessary filler) and that script is acted out by some of the best people in the industry. You can't ask for more.
CinemaSerf
Yikes, but there must have been some volume of hairspray used in this production that makes the "Stepford Wives" look like an ordinary family street. The women are divided into two groups in this futurist version of the USA. The blue are the privileged and wealthy, the red are the surrogates in a society that cannot now readily breed. A few lucky men are the commanders, lording over everyone and having their own fun trying to conceive children much as roosters fertilise hens. "Kate" (Natasha Richardson) is one such red dress. She is to be indoctrinated into the mansion run by "Serena Joy" (Faye Dunaway) so she can service the sexual needs of the boss (Robert Duvall). Now they only have a certain amount of tries at the conception lark, and if they don't come up with the goods then they go back to an homeless oblivion. She isn't getting pregnant but nobody dares to ask if it's the "Commander" who is firing blanks so she befriends him, tries to earn his trust whilst all along making plans with his driver "Nick" (Aidan Quinn) to get the hell out of the place. She might just be in luck as there is an increasing unrest amongst society at large with this hierarchical and zealous societal structure that sees the wealth - money, food and children, in the hands of very, very few. It's starts off quite intriguingly but pretty quickly runs out of steam with some really stilted performances and dialogue - despite having Margaret Atwood and Harold Pinter as the wordsmiths. Dunaway doesn't really appear enough to make much difference and by half way through I thought that it might have worked better on stage - though whether I'd have bothered to leave the bar after the interval is a good question. It's all adequate enough, just nothing special.
Movie Recommendation
Circuitry Man1990-05-01In a future where most humans have moved underground to escape the pollution, one of the few pleasures left is a kind of narcotic in the form of chips which can be plugged directly into the brain. Lori, a female body guard steals a case of such chips and flees underground Los Angeles with Danner, a pleasure android so that they can smuggle the chips to New York. In pursuit is Plughead, a dangerous criminal so named because of the many sockets and ports which decorate his scalp so that he can test and use the chips that he is after.More...
Heaven and Earth1990-11-24Warlords Kagetora and Takeda each wish to prevent the other from gaining hegemony in feudal Japan. The two samurai leaders pursue one another across the countryside, engaging in massive battles of cavalry and infantry. Younger and less brutal, Kagetora must find the strength to be as brutal as his opponent, but at what cost?More...
The Vicious2019-03-09Worlds collide as a family on a road trip stumbles upon a farmhouse with a peculiar set of residents.More...
Dancing Machine1990-11-28Students of the prestigious dance school are dying under mysterious circumstances. Inspector Michel Eparvier suggests that the cause of death for women is physical exhaustion for dance lessons as their teacher Wolf brings the girls to exhaustion, making them to practice the technique of movement over and over again.More...
Betty Fisher and Other Stories2001-09-01When bestselling novelist Betty Fisher loses her young son in a tragic accident, her unstable mother resorts to unusual actions to alleviate Betty's grief, actions which set off a chain reaction among a promiscuous waitress and her criminal associates.More...
Love Is My Profession1958-09-17Married French lawyer Andre defends succesfully the case of Yvette, who committed a robbery. He falls in love with her, but she isn't true to him.More...
The Courier2012-03-29A shady FBI agent recruits a courier to deliver a mysterious package to a vengeful master criminal who has recently resurfaced with a diabolical plan.More...
Indiscreet1958-07-16Anna Kalman is an accomplished actress who has given up hope of finding the man of her dreams. She is in the middle of taking off her face cream, while talking about this subject with her sister, when in walks Philip Adams. She loses her concentration for a moment as she realizes that this is the charming, smart, and handsome man she has been waiting for.More...
Girl Asleep2015-10-20The world is closing in on Greta Driscoll. On the cusp of turning fifteen she can't bear to leave her childhood, it contains all the things that give her comfort in this incomprehensible new world. She floats in a bubble of loserdom with her only friend Elliott, until her parents throw her a surprise 15th birthday party and she's flung into a parallel place; a world that's weirdly erotic, a little bit violent and thoroughly ludicrous - only there can she find herself.More...
Hotel Desire2011-12-07Antonia is a single mother who works as a hotel maid in Berlin. A normal hot summer day takes a dramatic turn when she crosses paths with a particular guest of the hotel, famous blind portrait painter Julius Pass.More...
Jackie & Ryan2014-09-01A modern day train hopper fighting to be a successful musician and a single mom battling to maintain custody of her daughter defy their circumstances by coming together in a relationship that may change each others lives forever.More...
Vacation of Terror1989-05-11After inheriting a new summer home from a deceased relative, Fernando brings his family along for a vacation. They quickly discover strange happenings on the property, but when young daughter Gaby falls into a well and returns with an old doll, things take a turn for the horrific.More...
Le Mans1971-06-23Filmed during the annual 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans, Michael Delaney is a Porsche driver haunted by the memory of an accident at the previous year's race in which a competing driver was killed. Delaney also finds himself increasingly infatuated with the man's widow.More...
St. Agatha2018-04-20St. Agatha is set in the 1950s in small town Georgia. A pregnant con woman named Agatha is on the run and seeks refuge in a convent hidden in deafening isolation. What first starts out as the perfect place to have a child turns into a dark lair where silence is forced. Ghastly secrets are masked, and every bit of will power Agatha has is tested. She soon learns the sick and twisted truth of the convent and the odd people that lurk inside its halls. Agatha must now find a way to discover the unyielding strength needed to escape and save her baby before she’s caged behind these walls forever.More...
I Hired a Contract Killer1990-10-12After losing his job and realizing that he is alone in the world, a businessman opts to voluntarily end his life. Lacking courage, he hires a contract killer to do the job. Then, while awaiting his demise, he meets a woman and promptly falls in love.More...
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva2009-12-01Archeologist and avid puzzle solver Professor Layton and his assistant Luke are caught up in an adventure when a masked figure steals an entire opera house and forces those in attendance to play a high-stakes game. The winner will receive eternal life, but it could mean death for the losers.More...
Let Them All Talk2020-12-10A celebrated author takes a journey with some old friends to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew comes along to wrangle the ladies and finds himself involved with a young literary agent.More...
Take My Eyes2003-10-08One winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...More...
Miracle Mile1989-05-19After 30 years of searching, Harry has finally met the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately, before they even have a chance to go on their first date, Harry intercepts some chilling news: WWIII has begun and nuclear missiles will destroy Los Angeles in less than an hour!More...
Dark Angel1990-01-26Jack Caine is a Houston vice cop who's forgotten the rule book. His self-appointed mission is to stop the drugs trade and the number one supplier Victor Manning. Whilst involved in an undercover operation to entrap Victor Manning, his partner gets killed, and a sinister newcomer enters the scene...More...
Similar Movies
Nanook of the North
1922-06-11This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.Contact
1997-07-11A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.Dead Man Walking
1995-12-29A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.The Bridges of Madiso...
1995-06-02Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.Manhattan
1979-04-25Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.Moonraker
1979-06-26After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the help of scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond soon uncovers Drax's nefarious plans for humanity, all the while fending off an old nemesis, Jaws, and venturing to Venice, Rio, the Amazon...and even outer space.A Streetcar Named Des...
1951-09-19A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace — but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral.Finding Forrester
2000-12-21Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.Murder She Said
1961-09-26Miss Marple believes she's seen a murder in a passing-by train, yet when the police find no evidence she decides to investigate it on her own.Murder at the Gallop
1963-06-24Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again investigate by herself.V for Vendetta
2006-02-23In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman from the secret police, he finds in her an ally with whom he can continue his fight to free the people of Britain.Murder Most Foul
1964-03-01A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his innocence. Once again she begins her own investigation.GoodFellas
1990-09-12The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.Gone with the Wind
1939-12-15The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.A Trip to the Moon
1902-06-15Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant cannon. Once on the lunar surface, the bold explorers face the many perils hidden in the caves of the mysterious planet.Grand Illusion
1937-06-04A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.Gattaca
1997-09-07Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.Kolya
1996-05-15After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.Closely Watched Train...
1966-11-18At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.Cruel Intentions
1999-03-05Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian, to deflower their headmaster's daughter before the summer ends. If he succeeds, the prize is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession.