The Lottery

"The Lottery" is a short film based on the short story by Shirley Jackson. It was made for Encyclopedia Britannica and was intended for classroom use....most likely in English/Literature classes.

Aside from a bit of dramatic license by adding some local color and some occasional odd camerawork (such as showing feet and some odd framing), the story is a very direct retelling of the story. And, like the story, it is brief and offers nothing at the end other than a nice neighborhood stoning.

The short film is just fine, though considering how short the story is you might just want to read it instead. Regardless, it's a chilling and interesting story.

Excellent adaptation of Shirley Jackson's provocative short story, still has impact. Unsettling depiction of the banality of evil. Like the short story, the film begins casually with the start of the annual ritual lottery and grows more intense as we slowly realize the lottery's purpose. Its main character, Tessie Hutchinson, learns too late the dangers of not speaking up, and of blindly following and supporting tradition. Just ask yourself: What was Tessie Hutchinson doing last June? What goes around comes around. Tradition is symbolized by lucky "Old Man Warner"(77 years in the lottery). Like the short story, the film is shocking because of its matter-of-fact tone: the lottery is depicted as just another mundane yearly event. Spare, powerful, and thought-provoking. When the film ends you'll no doubt be going over it in your mind.

I saw this movie when I was in high school. I didn't even know the name of it until just a few weeks ago when I began to search the web for anything that I thought might be this movie. I began asking friends if they had ever seen a movie about a small town in which a lottery is held, and the winner is, let's just say they are not your typical winner. It is some 30 years ago since I saw this movie. I would like to see it again. I would like to get a copy of it. If any body knows where I can find one please let me know. I would also like to thank my film appreciation teacher for allowing my classmates and I to view this short film. I will always remember that class, and the day I saw The Lottery.

"The Lottery" (1969) is a short film adaptation of Shirley Jackson's short story of the same name. The film does a very good job portraying the short story, depicting a town's controversial lottery. The acting was fine for the 1960's, but the cinematography was sub-par. The camerawork seemed hastily done on a Saturday night, since the camera shakes a lot, detracting from the actual story. The movie also seems to also drag on for far too long. The story could have been the same, but in 10-15 minutes rather than the 18 minutes the film is depicted in. This could be seen as a positive though, since the films awkward length adds to the feeling of tension that the characters are feeling. The acting was not one of the highlights of the film, however, since Tessie Hutchinson, the one who is chosen in the lottery in both stories, is not very well acted, and is not who I expected to see representing her after reading the story. Old Man Warner, the grumpy old man of the actual story, however, was acted perfectly, in my opinion. The film has a certain charm to it, which I really enjoy. The feeling that you are there is very strong, but I would say that the "feeling" of being there is a bit too strong. Overall, while the movie is objectively a bad film, I would say it is not a bad adaptation of Shirley Jackson's short story. It does have it's flaws, but overall, one could surely do worse.

I saw this from a 16mm print about 30 years ago, and still think about it today. This short kind of has the flavor of a "Tales from the Darkside" episode to it, but seems more realistic. I agree with the previous reviewer that commented on the made-for-TV two hour version that came out in the 90's. What were they thinking? Did the folks who made that movie ever see this short? It just didn't have the horror that was present in this classic short. I can still see that woman, crying in terror, saying "it isn't fair, it isn't fair. Heavy duty stuff.

There should most definitely be a DVD of this around somewhere.

Highly recommended!!!