The Handmaid's Tale (film)

The Handmaid's Tale
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Volker Schlöndorff
Screenplay by	Harold Pinter
Based on	The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Produced by	Daniel Wilson
Starring	Natasha Richardson Faye Dunaway Aidan Quinn Elizabeth McGovern Victoria Tennant Robert Duvall
Cinematography	Igor Luther
Edited by	David Ray
Music by	Ryuichi Sakamoto
Distributed by	Cinecom Pictures
Release dates	February 15, 1990 (1990-02-15) (West Germany) March 9, 1990 (1990-03-09) (U.S.)
Running time	109 minutes
Countries	United States West Germany
Language	English
Box office	$4,960,385[1]

The Handmaid's Tale is a 1990 dystopian film adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, the film stars Natasha Richardson (Offred), Faye Dunaway (Serena Joy), Robert Duvall (The Commander), Aidan Quinn (Nick), and Elizabeth McGovern (Moira).^[2] The screenplay was written by playwright Harold Pinter.^[2] The original music score was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The film was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.^[3] It is the first filmed adaptation of the novel, succeeded by the Hulu television series which began streaming in 2017.

The film adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale faced numerous challenges in its development, with screenwriter Harold Pinter expressing dissatisfaction with the final product due to significant alterations from his original script. Pinter had contributed only part of the screenplay and ultimately gave the director and author carte blanche to make changes. He tried to have his name removed from the credits but was unsuccessful.

The film's reception was mixed, with an approval rating of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics expressing uncertainty about the movie's message and themes.