Two Brothers (2004)
"Deux frères" (original title)

Two tigers are separated as cubs and taken into captivity, only to be reunited years later as enemies by an explorer (Pearce) who inadvertently forces them to fight each other.

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

Alain Godard (scenario), Jean-Jacques Annaud (scenario),

Stars:

Guy Pearce, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Freddie Highmore

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guy Pearce	...	Aidan McRory
Jean-Claude Dreyfus	...	Administrator Eugene Normandin
Freddie Highmore	...	Raoul Normandin
Oanh Nguyen	...	His Excellency
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu	...	Mrs. Normandin
Moussa Maaskri	...	Saladin
Vincent Scarito	...	Zerbino
Maï Anh Le	...	Naï-Rea
Jaran 'See Tao' Petcharoen	...	The Village Chief (as Jaran Phetjareon 'Sitao')
Stéphanie Lagarde	...	Miss Paulette
Bernard Flavien	...	His Excellency's Majordomo
Annop Varapanya	...	Sergent Van Tranh
David Gant	...	Auctioneer
Teerawat Mulvilai	...	Verlaine (as Teerawat Mulvilai 'Ka-Nge')
Somjin Chimwong	...	Napoleon (as Somjin Chimwong 'Nen')

Storyline

Set not so long ago in a distant land, the film follows the adventures of twin tiger cubs--one shy and gentle, the other bold and fierce--who are born among the temple ruins of an exotic jungle. However, on a fateful day, the brothers are separated by fate. The bold brother is sold off to a circus, where homesickness and living in a cage rob him of his spirit. Meanwhile, the shy cub becomes the beloved companion of the governor's lonely young son, until an accident forces the family to give him away to a man who resolves to break his gentle nature and turn him into a fighter for sport. When they are fully grown the brothers find themselves reunited--but as forced enemies, pitted against each other.

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Plot Keywords:

tiger | circus | jungle | sold to circus | dog | 

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Taglines:

The acclaimed director of "The Bear" invites you to share their unforgettable journey home.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Netherlands] Pathé [France]

Country:

France UK

Language:

English Thai French

Release Date:

25 June 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Two Brothers

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

€59,660,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$300,496 (Japan) (24 September 2004)

Gross:

$2,506,633 (Japan) (8 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé, Pathé Renn Productions, Two Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddie Highmore wasn't allowed near any real tigers so shared his scenes with animatronic versions.

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Goofs

As his Excellency is getting off the elephant, he walks down an Air France Stairway. Air France didn't exist until 1933. The movie takes place in the 1920s.

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Quotes

Aidan McRory: Where did you learn your English?
Naï-Rea: His Excellency asked the Australian priests to open a school here to teach us languages.
Aidan McRory: Well, I'm very impressed. What else did they teach you?
Naï-Rea: To beware of white men.

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Connections

Referenced in Caché (Hidden) (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Plaisir d'amour"
Written by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian, Johann Martini (Jean-Paul Schwarzendorf 'Martini')
Arranged by Nick Cooper
(c) Pathe Film Production and Two Brothers Productions Limited

User Reviews

The Tigers Were The Most Entertaining Parts Of This Movie.

Two Brothers starts with the siblings, Kumal and Sangha, and shows how they are playful and protective of one another. Kumal was the more meek of the two and Sangha would knowingly protect his brother when in trouble. After the older tigers were killed (seems the villagers do not like random tigers hanging out while they are working), Kumal and Sangha are separated. Kumal ends up in a circus like atmosphere where he is trained to jump through flaming hoops and such (which actually comes in handy later in the movie). Sangha ends up, at first, with a family. Raoul (Freddie Highmore) loves Sangha but is forced to give him up, due to Sangha killing the family dog in self-defense. It now had the taste of blood and was no longer safe to be in the company of humans.

As both tigers became adults, they had led a less than extraordinary life, both with cruel owners and both ending up in a cock-fighting environment, where they were forced to fight one another.

To me, the only enjoyable part of this movie were the tigers, themselves. The people only made it boring and wishing for the movie to either end or cut back to the tiger footage. I assume the tigers were trained to do certain things and then pieced together to form a cohesive story for them. Other footage seemed to be just film of the tigers acting naturally, which was important for the movie.

Two Brothers was a great children's movie. Some adults would probably enjoy it as well but it was definitely not made for them. This is not the kind of movie I could watch over and over but was worth seeing at least once.