Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (1994)

In 1993, Sam Fuller takes Jim Jarmusch on a trip into Brazil's Mato Grosso, up the River Araguaia to the village of Santa Isabel Do Morro, where 40 years before, Zanuck had sent Fuller to ... See full summary »

Director:

Mika Kaurismäki

Writers:

Mika Kaurismäki, Christa Lang (idea)

Stars:

Samuel Fuller, Jim Jarmusch

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Samuel Fuller	...	Himself
Jim Jarmusch	...	Himself

Storyline

In 1993, Sam Fuller takes Jim Jarmusch on a trip into Brazil's Mato Grosso, up the River Araguaia to the village of Santa Isabel Do Morro, where 40 years before, Zanuck had sent Fuller to scout a location and write a script for a movie based on a tigrero, a jaguar hunter. Sam hopes to find people who remember him, and he takes film he shot in 1954. He's Rip Van Winkle, and, indeed, a great deal changed in the village. There are televisions, watches, and brick houses. But, the same Karajá culture awaits as well. He gathers the villagers to show his old film footage, and people recognize friends and relatives, thanking Fuller for momentarily bringing them back to life.

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Plot Keywords:

river | brazil | culture | unfinished film | amazon | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Details

Country:

Brazil Finland Germany

Language:

English Portuguese Karajá

Release Date:

25 March 1994 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Tigrero

Filming Locations:

Ilha do Bananal, Tocantins, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marianna Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Shock Corridor (1963)

User Reviews

Interesting documentary, though perhaps of limited appeal

An interesting documentary by Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismaki (brother of the more famous Aki). Filmed in the mid 1990s, it has Jim Jarmusch accompanying the legendary Samuel Fuller (who was in his early eighties by this time) to the Amazon forest to revisit the place where in the mid 1950s he planned to make a film. A film that, as the title says, was unfortunately never made. Fuller tells the story of the failed production. Tigrero, by the way, means a hunter of jaguars (which are called tigers in many parts of South America). Fuller says that John Wayne was going to play the role of the hunter in the movie, and Ava Gardner was set to co-star. It seems hard to believe that top Hollywood stars would be filming in a place that was back then (and still is) extremely remote, without any sort of modern facility. In fact, Fuller tells that one of the reasons the movie was never made was the difficulty of insuring the stars in such a potentially dangerous shooting. In many of the proposed settings for the film, the Kayapo Indians live, and it is interesting to get a glimpse of their lives. The movie is interesting, though perhaps of limited appeal (though you don't have to be a fan of Fuller or Jarmusch to enjoy this).