Odyssey of the Pacific (1982) The Emperor of Peru (original title)

Director:

Fernando Arrabal

Writers:

Fernando Arrabal
Roger Lemelin
(more)

Release Date:

1982 (France)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot Keywords:

Dreaming | Bicycle | Dream Sequence | Clown | Bathing A Child

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	The Railway Engineer
Anick	...	Liz
Jonathan Starr	...	Toby
Ky Huot Uk	...	Hoang
Monique Mercure	...	Aunt Elsa
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Uncle Alex
Guy Hoffmann	...	Mayor (as Guy Hoffman)
Valda Dalton	...	Flora
Jean-Pierre Saulnier	...	Fireman
Marie-Josée Morin	...	Immigration Officer
Maurice Podbrey	...	Policeman
Vlasta Vrana	...	Policeman
John Stanzel	...	Jonathan
Michel Barrette	...	Polly
Michel Bartolini	...	Phil
Georges Taborky	...	Hoang's Father
Kim Ny Ith	...	Hoang's Mother
Thach Chanh	...	Blind Man
Jean-Pierre Ronfard	...	Attorney
Annilie Schmidt	...	Super Woman
André Mélançon	...	Pirate

Directed by
Fernando Arrabal

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fernando Arrabal
Diane Bardinet		subtitles
Roger Lemelin

Produced by
Romaine Legargeant	....	producer
Claude Léger	....	producer

Original Music by
Edith Butler

Cinematography by
Ken Legargeant

Film Editing by
John Broughton
Fabien D. Tordjmann

Production Management
Suzanne Roy	....	production manager

Art Department
Luc Bouthillier	....	swing gang
Rejean Brochu	....	construction supervisor
Alain Giguère	....	scenic painter

Sound Department
Claude Hazanavicius	....	sound recordist
Nadine Muse	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Jacques Godbout	....	special effects

Production Companies

• Babylone Films
• Ciné Pacific
• Films A2

Distributors

• Les Films René Malo (Canada)
• U.G.C. Worldwide Distribution

Also Known As:

"The Emperor of Peru" - France (original title)
"Treasure Train" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

France | Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Certification:

France:U

Company:

Babylone Films

i'm glad some people are appreciating this film

"Emperor of Peru" is a children's film, which might put off a lot of people (especially adults who don't have children). But never fear, it's a Canadian children's film, which makes all the difference in the world. Apparently, Disney hasn't been as influential in Canada as it has been in the good, old US of A. American family films tend towards blandness, but in Canada a healthy European influence is still felt, and makers of children's' pictures are willing to take chances. Another person who reviewed "Emperor" on this site called it "surrealistic." It might be better described as "imagistic" or "fantastic." (It certainly is "fantasy;" it isn't "realistic" in the conventional sense at all.) Two children deal with the arrival of a foster brother, a Cambodian refugee. All three of them discover a hermetic retired railway engineer (Mickey Rooney) living in the woods. Then the children find an abandoned locomotive and, with the help of the engineer, bring it back to working order. (Or do they? The locomotive in actual operation, represented by stock footage, may be merely a fantasy on the part of the children.) The ambiguity about the last point is the key to the film's style. "Emperor" exists in its own kind of toyshop alternative reality. Fernando Arrabal only had a small budget with which to work, but he turns this to his advantage by choosing to REPRESENT the film's "reality" instead of portraying it realistically. At times toys and cheap paper mache props are made to stand in for real objects. At other times, shots of real objects are made to represent toys. (In the opening sequence, for example, we are shown stock footage of what appear to be actual railway trains. Later on we learn that what we are seeing is supposed to be only a TOY train set.) I can't really use words to describe just how whimsical and delightful all of this is. (Think of a live action "Gumby" episode.) So i guess you'll just have to see "Emperor of Peru" for yourself. Images sometimes speak louder than words........