The Chocolate War (film)

The Chocolate War
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Keith Gordon
Produced by	Saul Zaentz Jonathan D. Krane
Screenplay by	Keith Gordon
Based on	The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Starring	John Glover Ilan Mitchell-Smith Wally Ward Doug Hutchison Jenny Wright Bud Cort
Cinematography	Tom Richmond
Edited by	Jeff Wishengrad
Distributed by	MCEG Sterling (theatrical), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (2007, DVD)
Release dates	November 18, 1988
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$500,000
Box office	$303,624

The Chocolate War is a 1988 American drama film written and directed by Keith Gordon. It is based on Robert Cormier's novel of the same name, about a young man who rebels against the ingrained hierarchy of an elite Catholic school. It was Gordon's directorial debut, and stars John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Wallace Langham and Doug Hutchison. Jonathan D. Krane produced it after seeing Static, a short film Gordon wrote.

Synopsis

The film offers a portrait of the hierarchical structure, both formal and informal, of a Catholic boys' school. New student Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) must submit to the bizarre rituals of his peers and the expectations of the school's administration by selling chocolates as a fundraiser. A secret student society, The Vigils, assigns Jerry the task of refusing to sell chocolates, drawing the ire of the school's interim headmaster, Brother Leon (John Glover). However, after Jerry's assignment is over, he continues to refuse, resulting in torment, bullying, and alienation from his peers.

Cast

• John Glover as Brother Leon
• Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Jerry Renault
• Doug Hutchison as Obie Jameson
• Wallace Langham as Archie Costello
• Corey Gunnestad as Roland "Goober" Goubert
• Brent Fraser as Emile Janza
• Robert Davenport as Brian Cochran
• Jenny Wright as Lisa
• Bud Cort as Brother Jacques
• Adam Baldwin as Bill Carter
• Ethan Sandler as David Caroni

Production

• Doug Hutchison, who portrayed 18-year-old Obie Jameson, was 27 when this movie was filming.
• The film had a paltry music budget of about $15,000. Most of the artists featured on the soundtrack allowed the filmmakers to use their songs inexpensively. David Bowie, however, asked for $100,000 to utilize his song "Heroes" during the final scene and credits, so Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill" was substituted.

Differences from the novel

While the film generally adheres to the plot of the novel, the ending of the film contains significant changes that diverge from the novel's plot and themes. These changes have commonly been seen as negative, and have been strongly criticized for compromising the messages of the novel and attempting to force a more uplifting "Hollywood ending" to the story.

• In the novel, Jerry Renault must box Emile Janza, the school bully. In the film, Janza's place is taken by Archie after he draws a black marble, as opposed to the book, where he draws two white marbles.
• Jerry wins the boxing match in the film, pummeling Archie and winning the praise of his classmates, much to his own chagrin, as he has now played into the Vigils' manipulations. In the novel, Jerry is beaten to semi-consciousness by Janza, and taken to the hospital, having lost the war.
• Archie maintains his control of the Vigils in the novel, whereas in the film, he is physically beaten by Jerry and ultimately replaced by Obie, who, as Assigner, creates less thoughtful, more simplistic assignments.

Reception

On a $500,000 budget, The Chocolate War grossed a mere $303,624, and is considered a box office flop.

The film received positive reviews from critics, and currently has a score of 82 on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews with an average rating of 6.9/10."

DVD release

The film was released on DVD on April 17, 2007. The special features consist of:

• Audio commentary by director Keith Gordon
• Interview with director Keith Gordon

External links

• The Chocolate War at IMDb
• The Chocolate War at Box Office Mojo
• The Chocolate War at Rotten Tomatoes