The Emerald Forest (1985)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Boorman

Writer:

Rospo Pallenberg (writer)

Release Date:

3 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The Adventure Movie of the Year.

Plot:

After the son of engineer Bill Markham is abducted by an aboriginal tribe on the edge of the rain forest, the engineer spends the next 10 years searching for him.

Plot Keywords:

Rain Forest | Rain | Dam | Brazil | Amazon

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Powers Boothe	...	Bill Markham
Meg Foster	...	Jean Markham
Yara Vaneau	...	Young Heather
William Rodriguez	...	Young Tommy
Estee Chandler	...	Heather Markham
Charley Boorman	...	Tomme
Dira Paes	...	Kachiri
Eduardo Conde	...	Werner
Ariel Coelho	...	Padre Leduc
Peter Marinker	...	Perreira
Mario Borges	...	Costa
Átila Iório	...	Trader
Gabriel Archanjo	...	Trader's Henchman
Gracindo Júnior	...	Carlos
Arthur Muhlenberg	...	Rico

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2000) | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | UK:12 (re-rating) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Araguaia River, Brazil

Company:

Christel Films

Trivia:

Charley Boorman, who plays Powers Boothe's son Tommy, is the actual son of director John Boorman.

Quotes:

Wanadi: When a dream becomes flesh, trouble is not far behind.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Time of the Apes (#4.6)" (1991)

Ravishing photography, preposterous script…

They often say that facts are stranger than fiction and that movies based on true events are far more implausible and far-fetched than anything that could ever spawn from the over-imaginative minds of scriptwriters. This theory is most certainly applicable to John Boorman's "The Emerald Forest". If this movie didn't loud and proudly claim that it was inspired by a true story, literally no one would take it seriously and even now you still can't help being skeptical and assume that very large parts of the script are pure fiction. It's even a bit frustrating how the movie almost uses the true-story element as an excuse to get away with an utmost incoherent narrative and indigestible plot-twists. The movie basically exists of three large chapters. The first one is brilliant and captivatingly dramatic, and probably the main reason why I personally still can't be too harsh in general. Powers Booth – always a criminally underrated actor – is magnificent as a construction site engineer rising up a dam on the edge of the Brazilian rain forest. His 7-year-old son is taken by a primitive tribe of Indians and for the next ten years – and whilst carrying on his work as well – he searches through the forest for a trace. He goes on risky expeditions and seeks contact with dangerous tribes, which leads him deep into the jungle where he's finally reunited with Tommy. The tone and concept of "The Emerald Forest" then suddenly drastically change, as the discovery of the meanwhile adolescent Tommy leads to a rather irksome plot reminiscent to "The Jungle Book" and "A Man Called Horse". The boy integrated with the people, became intimate with nature, learned the language and found a girl, so even though he remembers his father, he's unwilling to return to the so-called civilized world. During the last and most disappointing chapter of the film, father and estranged son even join forces to assure the survival of the tribe and the conservation of the rain forest. I realize John Boorman's rudimentary intention was to spread moral values and to make viewers aware of mankind's continuous destruction of nature, but nonetheless the final half hour feels too fantasy-like. For example, it's rather hypocrite to play the "true story" card but then simultaneously suggest that a gathering of croaking frogs can bring down a gigantic dam. One thing I cannot possibly deny – and don't even want to, for that matter – is that "The Emerald Forest" is a ravishingly beautiful movie to look at. The authentic Brazilian filming locations are breath-taking and especially during the middle-section it feels as if you're watching a collage of postcard images or a National Geographic best-of compilation. The strong opening, the wondrous scenery and Powers Booth's strong performance are definitely what save this film from mediocrity.