Where the River Runs Black (1986)

An orphaned boy who was raised in the Amazon jungle is brought back to civilization by a priest who knows his father.

Director:

Christopher Cain

Writers:

Neal Jimenez, David Kendall (novel)

Stars:

Charles Durning, Alessandro Rabelo, Ajay Naidu

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Durning	...	Father O'Reilly
Alessandro Rabelo	...	Lazaro
Ajay Naidu	...	Segundo
Divana Brandão	...	Eagle Woman
Peter Horton	...	Father Mahoney
Castulo Guerra	...	Orlando Santos
Conchata Ferrell	...	Mother Marta
Dana Delany	...	Sister Ana
Chico Díaz	...	Raimundo (as Chico Diaz)
Marcelo Rabelo	...	Lazaro - 4 Years Old
Ariel Coelho	...	Francisco
Paulo Sergio Oliveira	...	Jose
Mario Borges	...	Brother Carlos
François Thijm	...	Luis
Geraldo Salles	...	Priest in Confessional

Storyline

Father O'Reilly, an older priest, tells the story of Father Mahoney, Eagle Woman, and their son Lazaro. It's magic realism in the Amazon. Mahoney is a radical priest who ventures upstream where the river runs black. He encounters the beautiful and enchanting Eagle Woman, who can change from a dolphin to a woman. A few years later, their child Lazaro witnesses inter-loping gold prospectors commit a brutal and traumatizing murder. He goes to the city in Father O'Reilly's care, and there he sees the murderer, who's a politician. Lazaro seeks revenge, which puts him in further danger. He runs back into the jungle, where the dolphins may be his best hope for help.

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Plot Keywords:

dolphin | jungle | river | brazil | priest | 

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Taglines:

Deep in the Amazon, a woman more beautiful than a vision gave birth to a child of mystery... and a legend began.

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Touch and Go/'Night, Mother/Blue Velvet/Where the River Runs Black (1986)

User Reviews

Beautifully shot movie

I have this movie taped from HBO since it was aired in 1987. It is one of my favorite movies. It is beautifully shot in the amazon, the sounds of the jungle add a lot to it also. I really like the story line it has great characters. You really do not see movies made like this except once in 10 years it seems.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lazaro

Filming Locations:

Brazil

Box Office

Gross USA:

$676,166

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$676,166

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Entertainment Production, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Digitrac Digital Audio System

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1