Land of the Blind (2006)

A soldier recounts his relationship with a famous political prisoner attempting to overthrow their country's authoritarian government.

Director:

Robert Edwards

Writer:

Robert Edwards

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Joe
Donald Sutherland	...	Thorne
Tom Hollander	...	Maximilian II
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	First Lady
Miranda Raison	...	Daisy
Marc Warren	...	Pool
Ron Cook	...	Doc
Robert Daws	...	Jones
Laura Fraser	...	Madeleine
Jonathan Hyde	...	Smith
Camilla Rutherford	...	Tania
Don Warrington	...	First Sergeant
Nigel Whitmey	...	Anchorman
Leigh Zimmerman	...	Anchorwoman
Mackenzie Crook	...	Editor

Storyline

A political drama about terrorism, revolution, and the power of memory. In an unnamed place and time, an idealistic soldier named Joe strikes up an illicit friendship with a political prisoner named Thorne, who eventually recruits him into a bloody coup d'etat. But in the post-revolutionary world, what Thorne asks of Joe leads the two men into bitter conflict, spiraling downward into madness until Joe's co-conspirators conclude that they must erase him from history.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner | revolution | terrorism | government | execution | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official soundtrack site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 2007 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Confesión bajo juramento

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avnet/Kerner Productions, Bauer Martinez Studios, Brooklyn Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Maximilian II's titles is 'Master of all that crawls upon the Earth and swims beneath the Sea'. This was one of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's many titles.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anchorwoman: So many fond memories of Maximilian the First on the tenth anniversary of our glorious leader's death.
Anchorman: Many of course doubted that his son and heir, Maximilian II, could live up to the example of his charismatic father. But the man affectionately called Junior has valiantly continued against the pesky rebellion, led by the playwright turned terrorist, John Thorne.
Anchorwoman: Once derided as the playboy Prince more interested in the movie business, the President-for-life announced today that ...
[...]

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Connections

Features Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)

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Soundtracks

"Beautiful Hat"
Performed by Joe Henry

User Reviews

A must see film

It is a rare event when a feature film with two name stars, Fiennes and Sutherland in this case, can so eloquently capture the political atmosphere wafting across the world today. Robert Edward's 'Land of The Blind' does this and much more in the political thriller/drama/ comedy that manages to create an original film based on themes that have unfortunately not gone out of style.

While never overtly alluding to a specific regime, the film creates a world that is at once absurd and chilling. One moment you are watching a David Lynch take on a Banana Republic, and the next you are thrown into 1950's Kremlin a la, "The Manchurian Candidate". This suspension of time and place allows the viewer to take in the chilling effect of totalitarianism, while witnessing the insane behavior of its participants. The film's engrossing aesthetics run the gamut from Fellini to "Brazil" to "1984", all expertly directed by Edwards and edited by Pearlstein.

'Land of The Blind' has the guts to take the viewer on a journey that few filmmakers would dare these days, and having the acting to back it up takes the film straight to the winners circle. Make room George Clooney, thank goodness another talented filmmaker has emerged with courage and vision.

On a side note, I had the good opportunity to see this film in London at the Human Rights Watch Festival, and the sold out crowd went absolutely nuts for the picture. This film should do great as long the distributor realizes what kind of a gem they have.

GO SEE THIS FILM!