Big River Man (2009)

Martin Strel attempts to cover 3,375 miles of the Amazon River, the longest continuous swim in history.

Director:

John Maringouin

Stars:

Matthew Mohlke, Borut Strel, Martin Strel

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Matthew Mohlke	...	Himself
Borut Strel
Martin Strel	...	Himself

Storyline

To be titled "Big River Man", the film will follow Strel as he attempts to cover 3,375 miles in what is being billed as the world's longest swim. Strel, who hails from Slovenia, previously completed record swims in the Danube, Mississippi and Yangzte rivers and holds several Guiness World Records.

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Plot Keywords:

river | slovenia | amazon river | environmentalism | global warming | 

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Taglines:

The film documenting Martin Strel's historic swim down the Amazon

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Suurten jokien mies

Filming Locations:

Amazon River, Amazon Rainforest, Amazonas, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Self Pictures, Earthworks Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 100 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

A title card says, "Day 66 / Easter Sunday / April 7, 2007". April 7, 2007 was a Saturday.

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Connections

References Frankenstein (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Introduzione: Notte e giorno faticar"
(from "Don Giovanni")
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by The Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
Courtesy of Naxos by arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Apocalypse Strel

This is one of the most bizarre documentaries I've ever seen. Its not a well made film by any means. It looks rather amateur and it is edited and executed like they've just cracked the box open on Final Cut Pro. But the strange thing about this doco is that it's entirely compelling. It chronicles one middle-aged man's determination to swim the length of the Amazon river... a fete never attempted. Its a river full of countless dangers; piranha, anacondas, alligators, parasites, whirlpools and Amazonian natives to name just some. The film begins in a very hokey manner which basically has it's subject, Martin Strel, prancing around like a drunken imbecile. I found this irritating as if they're declaring to the world "We're from Slovenia, aren't we weird?"... but once the marathon swim begins, the movie is captivating. As days begin to meld into each other the story begins to resemble something from Apocalypse Now as Strel slowly slips into madness and delirium. A lot of the editing is forced and unnecessary but the overall journey is well worth watching. As the end credits began to roll it was strange to see Olivia Newton-John's name pop up as a producer. I am guessing she came on board after the fact to help fund it's distribution. Whatever... its a really peculiar movie!