The Emerald Forest (1985)
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Synopsis: Director John Boorman explores the tension between primitive and developed societies in this film starring Powers Boothe as engineer Bill Markham. While working on a dam on the Amazon in Brazil, Bill's son, Tommy (William Rodriquez), disappears while wandering in the forest, presumably... Director John Boorman explores the tension between primitive and developed societies in this film starring Powers Boothe as engineer Bill Markham. While working on a dam on the Amazon in Brazil, Bill's son, Tommy (William Rodriquez), disappears while wandering in the forest, presumably kidnapped by Indians. A decade elapses, and the father continues to comb the jungle in search of the missing child, while shepherding the dam to completion. During one such search, Bill is wounded after a showdown with the Fierce People, an Indian tribe led by Jacareh (Claudio Moreno), and is rescued by a blond Indian teenager he recognizes as his son (Charley Boorman). But his joy is dimmed by the engineer's growing awareness that his son is now acculturated to a life as part of his tribe, the Invisible People, and as the husband of his wife, Kachiri (Dira Pass). For him, everything beyond the jungle is now "ghost land." During the absence of the tribe's men, the Fierce People stage a raid on their village, kidnapping their young women, including Kachiri, to sell as go-go dancers and prostitutes for the dam workers. A worthy and intriguing attempt to dramatize the depredations of a supposedly civilized race on the Amazon rainforest, the film is well acted by all, including Boorman's son, Charley, and is graced by Philippe Rousselot's magnificent photography of the Amazon jungle. [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Charley Boorman, Dira Pass
DVD Info
Release:
Feb 6, 2001
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
- Single Side - Single Layer
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Trailer
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Conveys the ancient wisdom of the primitives who relish dream time and have found a way to dignify the different stages of life with meaningful rituals
Just as he did with the British countryside in EXCALIBUR, Boorman gives the deep jungles of South America an almost dreamlike, magical quality
An engrossing and insightful adventure flick - that actually has something to say.
even if Boorman can be faulted on a narrative level, his cinematic eye almost matches his mythic aspirations


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