The Handmaid's Tale [DVD]

This review was written by my wife: This is one of my all time favorite movies. I think that the plot was well described by other posters, but I have to say that I find this movie so interesting, thought provoking and moving. I own it and have watched it at least 10 times.As entertainment, it's completely captivating from start to finish. The characters are well developed and you really feel strongly for Natasha Richardson's character. I see where someone else didn't like the acting, but I find it very believable. The story has a sci-fi twist, but it actually seems like something that could really take place. As in every good sci-fi, the culture and look of this world is very well defined so that the movie is believable. It's just simply fascinating on so many levels to watch this story play out.I haven't read the book, and I can understand that the movie doesn't necessarily stay true to it. However it's still a fantastic movie. It's a major cautionary tale about what could happen if people full of hate, racism and religious ideas that twist the bible for their own purposes were to gain control of this country.I highly recommend this movie to sci-fi fans, drama fans and to those who are interested in the message of this movie.Please note that this movie does have scenes where sex acts are taking place that are not consentual. Although body parts are not revealed, it's explicit and clear about what's happening.

I first seen this movie years and years and years ago and just found it on Amazon so I ordered it, couldn't believe I found it but I actually love this movie as well as the handmaid tale series

This is such a great movie, when it first came out in the 90's I didn't quite understand it; but I was young. When I watched it again I was frightened. It's scary to think how much power a government can have. This movie makes you think, especially women. This movie has a great story, and the cast is suburb. The movie is an independent film, but wow what a shocker. This year a remake of The Handmaid's Tale is on Hulu and it even looks better. I just hope it will eventually come out on basic cable. I bought the VHS, because the DVD prices outrageous. I would recommend this film to anyone, but I believe women would enjoy it better. To think a futurist government could do this, is appalling and scary

I read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood back around the time this movie came out. It’s a scary and troubling piece of literature that seems like the scenario could potentially come to pass. The book is a bit eerier than the film but then the film only has two hours to tell the story. I thought this film was a decent (not great) rendering of the book but in order to appreciate the bigger picture, you must read the book and not just see the film. In 2017, The Handmaid’s Tale will be a Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss as Offred (the Natasha Richardson role). That might prove to be rather interesting as Margaret Atwood is actually one of the show’s producers. But I digress.I actually liked this film even with its few campy scenes (Elizabeth McGovern stealing Aunt Lydia’s uniform in order to escape, tying her to a flushing toilet, for one). Elizabeth McGovern was actually excellent in this.This story takes place in the “recent future” in the U.S., or at least a part of it that has been taken over by rebels and renamed The Republic of Gilead. It does fit into the dystopian genre in which some environmental horrors have taken place, leaving most of the women sterilized and unable to bear children. The women are divided into groups and hauled away in cattle cars based upon their ability to bear children. The ones who are fertile must procreate for their country. The others are divvied up to perform other functions – mostly Marthas (maids) and Aunts (the military-type instructors who teach and monitor the Handmaids), but the majority of the infertile women go to labor camps (“the colonies”) never to be seen again. A select few are saved for prostitution purposes (of course). Many of the men are also unable to father children, but it’s a man’s world and because men matter, they all have a function, mainly military.Natasha Richardson’s character was a librarian before the revolution. When she and her husband try to cross the border of Gilead with their young daughter, they are captured. He is killed, she is sent off to become a Handmaid (named Offred) and the child is taken away to who knows where (we find out later).The rest of the story revolves around Offred’s schooling, placement with a high-level commander (Robert Duvall) and his wife, Serena Joy (Faye Dunaway), and her mediocrely portrayed heartbreak over not knowing the fate of her daughter. Add to the mix Aiden Quinn as the Commander’s security chief (token hottie).I shouldn’t give too much more away about the plot. Suffice it to say, Offred gets mixed up in the revolution and “escapes.”I think the most frightening aspect about this is the control men exert over women through male dominance and the use of a skewed Christian doctrine rewritten to benefit men. Women are labeled, categorized and organized. They are not permitted to read, they cannot go out, wear cosmetics or even use moisturizing lotion (Offred steals pats of butter from the dinner tray to use on her dry skin until the Commander gifts her real moisturizing cream). Women – even high-ranking women like Serena Joy – wear uniforms so that they are identifiable within the categories. The wives wear royal blue ensembles, the Handmaids wear red jumpers, the Aunts brown suits and pearls, the Marthas wear maids' clothing. The men, other than military, wear whatever they want. In essence, women are nothing more than objects. At a certain level, you could even categorize the wives as objects, though I don’t think they are programmed to see themselves that way.The film does not capture the fear Offred and the other Handmaid’s actually experienced. The movie’s Offred seems to be going with the flow, seemingly unconcerned at her impending doom (death) at not being able to get pregnant by her infertile Commander. There are a few scenes where she almost seems to be enjoying herself, playing games with the Commander in his secret den, commenting to Martha about what a beautiful day it seems to be, joking with Aiden Quinn about their liaison to help get her pregnant. You didn’t get that sense about Offred in the book because she lived in a constant state of emotional terror in a world where there was nothing to look forward to each day – just an empty, lonely existence as a tool for the Commander’s purposes.I still enjoyed the film and I’m glad I purchased it when I did because it’s virtually impossible to get now. But I am looking forward to the new series that might end up telling the story more accurately to the book’s account. I will also be rereading the book before the series begins.Recommend.

Even though this is a work of fiction. One must think out of the box as to what could happen in a blink of an eye. It was not long ago of my mother's generation that she was not allowed to have a bank account in her name or a credit card.

I'm just plain excited this film finally made it to a streaming format. Ever since the Hulu series came out, I've wanted to watch this move and have been out of luck finding it anywhere, library included. The second I saw this become available I bought it and watched it. I do really like this adaptation. I think it's a lot closer to the book than the Hulu series.I'm half and half over how I feel about excluding the epilogue, as the TV series did the same. In a way, that part was campy as hell, but I like that this film showed us a bit of the after. I also liked seeing the explosions and rebellion towards the end, something we have yet to see in the Hulu series. I like that the movie uses red veils rather than the white caps, because that's accurate. I also loved the birth celebration seen much much better than the Hulu series. I like that there isn't much focus on characters outside of offred. Sorry Janenine, but you annoyed me in the Hulu series.

They didn't even try