Life under the 'Moral Majority'

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The Handmaid's Tale, a movie directed by Volker Schlondorff, screenplay by Harold Pinter.

Four years after its publication, Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's been made into a movie.

Set in the not-so-distant future, Atwood intelligently and effectively takes the political rhetoric of the anti-choice movement and translates it to its logical conclusion. The Republic of Gilead, (formerly the United States) comes about through a coup d'état by the right wing. The President of the United States is assassinated, and the Constitution Margaret Tale, has is banned.

For various reasons, the birthrate and fertility rate of women are very low in this new society. Fertile women are relegated to the role of handmaidens, ensconced in the ruling MOVIE REVIEW elite's homes. Offred (Kate) is a patronymic, composed of the possessive preposition and the first name of the man in question-of Fred.

The wives of the ruling elite who cannot conceive have handmaidens who, during the most fertile time of the month, must engage in a ritualized rape with the commander in conceive are either sent to the colonies to clean up radioactive waste or become servants if they are past the age of having children.

Brief mention is made regarding the rest of society. Blacks and other "undesirables" are sent to the colonies or massacred. In Atwood's future society, a woman's sole worth is measured by her ability to conceive children.

Not always effective Atwood's novel doesn't always effectively translate onto the screen due to the subjective narrative of the novel. Viewers who haven't read the novel may have questions concerning the characters' motivations— questions which are answered in her novel.

Despite the artistic limitations imposed upon him by the form of the novel, British playwright Harold Pinter, (Betrayal, The Birthday Party) does a good job of translating internal thoughts of the protagonist,