On E List of Movie Reviews
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The Emerald Forest (1985)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
5/25
5/25:
Making an ecological statement, The Emerald Forest is the South American version of
A Cry in the Dark.
Instead of a dingo, it's the Invisible People who took the kid. The incident happened because the builders
were tearing down the Amazon rainforest. Cause and effect...it makes perfect sense. At least, Bill Markham
has come to accept what has happened and agrees that Tommy belongs in the native culture since he has been
immersed there for ten years, leaving behind his old life.
John Boorman takes his Deliverance experience to another level by
shooting the entire film in Brazil, and the result is outstanding cinematography by Philippe Rousselot that's
on the same level as The Mission. Among the interesting features
are the rituals whether they're for manhood, mating, and death and the explanations when specific animals
perform an action. Ditto for the naïve encounters with modern objects.
Powers Boothe is a perfect choice as the father. Coming into the film, I had reservations about Charley Boorman
mainly because of nepotism. His role was meant for C. Thomas Howell, but he wasn't available at the time.
Afterwards, I think Charley Boorman did fine but occasionally reeked of poor acting. Whenever the supposedly
natives speak, it's clear they're using English; instead, their lines are dubbed with a foreign language.
As for the story, did it really happen? The answer is not exactly, but it's quite believable based on what
we know about white kids kidnapped by Indians in the United States during the 19th century and not
wanting to return to civilization years later after discovery. The only part that might be skeptical
is Tommy failing to remember how things work anymore.
All in all, don't be misled by the poster or the DVD cover of The Emerald Forest; it's a very well-made
film.