The Emerald Forest (1985)

After the son of engineer Bill Markham is abducted by an aboriginal tribe on the edge of the rain forest, the engineer spends the next 10 years searching for him.

Director:

John Boorman

Writer:

Rospo Pallenberg

Stars:

Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Yara Vaneau

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Powers Boothe	...	Bill Markham
Meg Foster	...	Jean Markham
Yara Vaneau	...	Young Heather
William Rodriguez	...	Young Tommy
Estee Chandler	...	Heather
Charley Boorman	...	Tomme
Dira Paes	...	Kachiri
Eduardo Conde	...	Uwe Werner
Ariel Coelho	...	Padre Leduc
Peter Marinker	...	Perreira
Mario Borges	...	Costa
Átila Iório	...	Trader (as Atilia Iorio)
Gabriel Archanjo	...	Trader's Henchman
Gracindo Júnior	...	Carlos (as Gracindo Junior)
Arthur Muhlenberg	...	Rico

Storyline

Based on a true story, Powers Boothe plays an American dam engineer in Brazil. Boothe's son (played by Charlie Boorman - son of director John Boorman) is kidnapped by a rain forest tribe, and raised as one of their own. Boothe continues to look for him and after many trials and adventures, stumbles upon him.

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Plot Keywords:

downpour | hunt | native american culture | native language | tribe | 

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Taglines:

What kind of man would return year after year for ten years to rescue a missing boy from the most savage jungle in the world? His father.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Hal Erickson at the website 'Allmovie', the film "...is based on a true story, as related by Los Angeles Times correspondent Leonard Greenwood".

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Quotes

Bill Markham: Why did you take my son?
Wanadi: One day, i was hunting at the Edge of The World when Tomme appeared and he smiled; and even though you were a Termite Child, I had not the heart to send you back to The Dead World.
Tomme: Why are they called The Termite People?
Wanadi: They come into The World and chew down all the grandfather trees. Just like termites.

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Connections

Referenced in Nobody from Nowhere (2014)

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Soundtracks

Eagle Break
Composed by Junior Homrich and Brian Gascoigne

User Reviews

Action, Adventure, Drama......who could ask for anything more?

Have you ever seen a movie you thought was great, but couldn't even remember its name a month later? This is one movie you will never forget.

I have heard it said that the true test of a movie, or any art form, is whether it accomplishes what it set out to do. Did it inform you, delight you, anger you, scare you, or make you laugh? Besides presenting a very entertaining and original storyline, this movie wants you to care about the environment. After seeing The Emerald Forest, I immediately called one of the major environmental organizations (I don't want to play favorites, but it's one of these: The Nature Conservancy, WWF, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club...) to set up automatic monthly contributions. I never expected a movie to have so great an impact on me, especially such a long lasting one. You would expect that, after time, my enthusiasm would diminish, especially since I have no interest in ever visiting the Amazon! None whatsoever. However, this movie really changed my perspective on the global environment as a whole.

The central character is Tomme (Charlie Boorman). While watching his father direct the construction of a huge dam, Tomme is quickly and silently taken away by a native Brazilian Indian tribe called the Invisibles. They don't see their actions as kidnapping. When they see the young boy, they figure he would be better off with them, rather than with the "termite people", the name they give to the white men who seem to devour all the trees.

Tomme's father spends the next 10 years trying to find him.

This is definitely a thought-provoking movie, but one that is not too heavy handed. It's one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen, the type of movie you can watch over and over.

Update: Since I had not seen this movie for many years, I decided to see it again last night. I was totally blown away. It was even better than I remembered. Although my original 9-star rating is very high praise, I can't fathom how I could have enjoyed the movie more, so I raised my rating from 9 stars to 10 stars. Director John Boorman also directed Beyond Rangoon, and some other films that are amazingly good.

Charley Boorman's performance is simply brilliant. I can't imagine anyone better in the role of Tomme in The Emerald Forest. I am definitely going to start watching the other movies he has made.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

3 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Emerald Forest

Filming Locations:

Araguaia River, Brazil

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,345,150, 7 July 1985

Gross USA:

$24,468,550

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,468,550

Company Credits

Production Co:

Christel Films, Embassy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1