Man to Man (2005)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Régis Wargnier

Writers:

William Boyd (writer)
Michel Fessler (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 April 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An epic about anthropologists who hunt and capture pygmies for study back in Europe, in an attempt to illustrate the link between man and ape.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joseph Fiennes	...	Jamie Dodd
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Elena Van Den Ende
Iain Glen	...	Alexander Auchinleck
Hugh Bonneville	...	Fraser McBride
Lomama Boseki	...	Toko
Cécile Bayiha	...	Likola
Flora Montgomery	...	Abigail McBride
Patrick Mofokeng	...	Zachary
Alistair Petrie	...	Beckinsale
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Comte de Verchemont
Mathew Zajac	...	Hector Duncan
William McBain	...	Angus
Robin Smith	...	Douglas
Theo Landey	...	Purvis
Ron Donachie	...	Sir Walter Stephenson

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France | South Africa | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Hungary:14 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Bristo Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

Vertigo

Trivia:

visa d'exploitation en France #97135

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Likola shoots Douglas in the cage trap/fight scene, she is using a model 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver (a.k.a. "The Peacemaker"), an evident mistake since the action is clearly stated to be set in the year 1870.

Quotes:

Elena Van Den Ende: You and I would make a great alliance.
Jamie Dodd: Alliance?

Soundtrack:

Three blind mice

Mildly entertaining movie with humanistic vision

Man To Man tries hard to be a good movie: it has its heart at the right place, it aspires to be epic and it has a message that no doubt everybody will appreciate. But there lies also some of the problems of this picture. It strives so hard to be good and to get its message across that sometimes the viewer must feel unchallenged. So it is only adequate that the images which are used by this picture are simplistic - Man To Man doesn't let the viewer decide what he thinks is right but is hammering its message in his head. Joseph Fiennes exemplifies this in his role: he does his best to look concerned, genuinely moved and all the other emotions you can express with the single one facial expression his repertoire has to offer. Add that the movie is overlong and loses its speed towards the end you would be easily led to the conclusion that Man To Man is not worth watching. But there are enough points to defend it: it is entertaining, has some humorous scenes and the show-stealing Kristin Scott Thomas. Of course you should not compare it to humanistic masterpieces like The Elephant Man (David Lynch) but you'll be leaving the theatre satisfied. It tries to grab your heart (even if your brain thinks that it is too obvious) and succeeds most of the time.