The Pearl | 
 enlarge | Director: Jr. Alfredo Zacharias
Actors: Lukas Haas, Jorge Rivero, Richard Harris, Tere Tarin, Paul G. "litefoot" Davis
Studio: Allumination
Category: DVD
Buy New: $24.89
New (4) Used (8) from $11.00
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 13415
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 084296407620
EAN: 0084296407620
ASIN: B0009PW4CI
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: June 7, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Great visuals, but disappointing adaptation June 10, 2008
Robert A. Bowers (Chicago, Illinois United States)
Like many of the other reviewers, I am an English teacher and was very pleased to find this adaptation to use with my 9th grade class. I have used the 1947 version but old black and white films tend to be heavy going for young audiences. This version is nowhere near as satisfying as I would like, but to break down the likes and dislikes:
It offers great visuals for the town, the village and the trek through the wilderness. It also offers good visuals for pearl diving.
The pond fight with the tracker is changed from the book but builds suspense nicely.
Most of the actors, expecially Tarin, Harris, and Rivero are very good in my opinion. Unlike some other reviewers, I like the added love scenes for Kino and Juana. They are a young couple and in love. It's nice for that to be seen, although I could do without the heavy breathing scene!
On the negative side:
While Lucas Haas is acceptable as Kino, I find it very, very difficult to believe they couldn't have found a Latino actor better suited to the part.I show this movie to a young class of largely hispanic background; they know the difference! This is no longer the 1950's where you just smear brown makeup on white actors to make them "ethnic".
I very much dislike the whole idea of the happy ending, as others have pointed out. Steinbeck clearly states repeatedly in the text that Kino and his kind are discriminated against,oppressed, and cheated from cradle to grave. That message is far from totally outdated even 60 years later. Frankly, I view the throwing away of the pearl as Kino's surrender to a system he now thinks it is not possible to escape rather than as any kind of victory of the common man. To lose that idea loses a great deal of the novel's strength in my opinion.
I also am not crazy about identifying all the villiany so clearly with the character of the doctor. I certainly am not convinced the doctor in the book would have the energy or the brains to be so wicked. I do understand it is a way to build up the role for a name actor like Harris so I can accept it. However, it certainly defeats the purpose of having the envy of the nameless, faceless surrounding community become one of Kino's main sources of conflict.
So, all that said, I continue to show this film, but certainly not until after the book is read and as a means of discussion about the points I believe Steinbeck meant to make.
The Pearl January 8, 2008
Roger J. Wong (Seattle, WA)
This movie is based on the book by John Steinbeck. This DVD follows the book pretty closely, and I use it after I read the book with my 8th grade students. If you are watching the movie for pleasure, it's not that great!
 Don't Bother January 7, 2008
Shamally Molly
When I saw that The Pearl had been made into a movie I was hopeful that it would follow the beautifully-written story. Unfortunately, using "based on" in the credits means that Hollywood decided to stray from the original. I work with ESL students and believed that seeing the story in movie form might make it easier for them to understand but I had to do too much censoring to make it acceptable for my 8th graders.
The cinematography was very good but the characters did not fit the physical appearance of the people in John Steinbeck's timeless story. The actress who played Juana was the most authentic character in the film.
If you need something to watch to make you fall asleep at night, try this film.
Teachers Beware November 16, 2007
California Sky (Nor-Cal)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you plan on using this to accompany the reading, it is terrible and does not follow Steinbeck's novella. Frankly, it's just a weird movie. If you want to assign a critical analysis of film adaptations, then it's a prime candidate for a writing prompt. But other than that, it's a waste of time.
Horribly Miscast November 9, 2007
June Kingsley (New Jersey)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The acting was so wooden and the casting so incorrect, it was difficult to watch. Richard Harris is good, but that's about it. The overblown musical score and cgi special effects, make it all too fake. Lukas Haas was not a good choice as the native pearl diver. His emaciated frame and dumbo-esque ears do not fit the bill for the role. He is like a gawky pre-teen scarecrow compared to his voluptuous film wife. There is no chemistry between them--now that I understand that there was no casting director, the effect this film had on me makes sense.
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