The Coral Island the civilising effect of Christianity, 19th-century British imperialism in the South Pacific, and the importance of hierarchy and leadership. It was the inspiration for William Golding's dystopian novel "Lord of the Flies" (1954), which inverted the morality of "The Coral Island"; in Ballantyne's story the children encounter evil, but in "Lord of the Flies" evil is within them. In the early 20th century, the novel was considered a classic for primary school children in the UK, and in the United States it was a staple of high-school suggested reading lists. Modern critics consider the book's worldview to be dated and
Lord of the Flies (1963 film) a script of "Lord of the Flies" from Nigel Kneale, but Ealing Studios closed in 1959 before it could be produced. The novel was adapted into a movie for a second time in 1990; the 1963 film is generally considered more faithful to the novel than the 1990 adaptation. A group of British schoolboys are evacuated from England following the outbreak of an unidentified war. Their airliner is shot down by briefly-glimpsed fighter planes and ditches near a remote island. The main character, Ralph, is seen walking through a tropical forest. He meets an intelligent and chubby boy, who reveals