The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Rolf de Heer

Writers:

Claude Cohen (French dialogue)
Luis Sepúlveda (novel)

Release Date:

7 March 2001 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

In the jungle, the one who survives is the one that moves

Plot:

A man is forced to confront a dangerous female jaguar and his own past through the sacrificial killing of the beast he has grown to love. |

Plot Keywords:

Jaguar | Hunting | Servant | Death Of Wife | Reading

Awards:

2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Antonio Bolivar
Timothy Spall	...	Luis Agalla (Mayor)
Hugo Weaving	...	Rubicondo (Dentist)
Cathy Tyson	...	Josefina
Victor Bottenbley	...	Nushino
Fede Celada	...	Juan
Luis Hostalot	...	Manuel
Guillermo Toledo	...	Onecen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nor-eddin Abboud	...	The Priest
Lionel Barsacq	...	Gold Prospector
Patrick Crepat	...	Gold Prospector
Josse De Pauw	...	The Man Who Bets
Alain Dery	...	Gold Prospector
Behi Djanati Atai	...	Dolores
Alberto Dominguez	...	Salinas
Jerome Ehlers	...	Gringo
Viviane Emigre	...	Zamora
Denis Fouqueray	...	Election Official (as Denys Fouqueray)
Eric Gaudinot	...	Alkaseltzer
Peter Geselle	...	Boat Captain
Christian Giovanetti	...	Gold Prospector
Christian Holer	...	Gringo
Georges Laflotte	...	Gold Prospector
André Lichau	...	Plascencio
Jean-Pierre Soulat	...	Drunk Man
Duncan Thompson	...	Gringo
Jim van der Woude	...	The Patient
Laurent Yawalou	...	Shuar

Also Known As:

El viejo que leía novelas de amor (Spain)
Le vieux qui lisait des romans d'amour (France)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Netherlands | France | Spain | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | France:U | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Guyane, Départements d'Outre-Mer, France

Company:

Fildebroc

Trivia:

The director originally envisaged 'Morgan Freeman' in the lead role of Antonio Bolivar.

Quotes:

Antonio Bolivar: It was a kiss of impassioned intensity, a kiss to remember their lives by.

It will join my list of all time favourites

The strange thing about the reviews and comments that I've read about this movie was that they were all bordering on the negative. It is a wonderful film, so different just because it is about an old man who remembers that he can read and how the only books that he can get are love stories which help him put his world into a new perspective. Not quite alone in the Amazonian jungle for years, we are told a bit of his history in cleverly inserted flashbacks. The roles of the slovenly village Mayor (Timothy Spall), the itinerant dentist (Hugo Weaving)and the beautiful village girl (Cathy Tyson) are all so well played that the viewer is drawn in as part of the the story like a voyeur. When the film had ended I just wished to see more. Being a fan of Richard Dreyfuss was a definite plus but overall this gentle film was very enjoyable and I'd see it again and again.