Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (1994)

In 1993, Sam Fuller takes Jim Jarmusch on a trip into Brazil's Mato Grosso, up the River Araguaia to the village of Santa Isabel Do Morro, where 40 years before, Zanuck had sent Fuller to ... See full summary »

Director:

Mika Kaurismäki

Writers:

Mika Kaurismäki, Christa Lang (idea) (as Christa Fuller-Lang)

Stars:

Samuel Fuller, Jim Jarmusch

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Samuel Fuller	...	Self
Jim Jarmusch	...	Self

Storyline

In 1993, Sam Fuller takes Jim Jarmusch on a trip into Brazil's Mato Grosso, up the River Araguaia to the village of Santa Isabel Do Morro, where 40 years before, Zanuck had sent Fuller to scout a location and write a script for a movie based on a tigrero, a jaguar hunter. Sam hopes to find people who remember him, and he takes film he shot in 1954. He's Rip Van Winkle, and, indeed, a great deal changed in the village. There are televisions, watches, and brick houses. But, the same Karajá culture awaits as well. He gathers the villagers to show his old film footage, and people recognize friends and relatives, thanking Fuller for momentarily bringing them back to life.

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Plot Keywords:

river | culture | brazil | journey | 1990s | 

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Taglines:

Jarmusch & Fuller hit the road with Kaurismaki capturing it all.

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Mika Kaurismäki, elokuvaohjaaja (2015)

User Reviews

American independent cinema master Samuel Fuller honored by Mika Kaurismaki and Jim Jarmusch.

It is true that offbeat documentary film "Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made" has its own intrinsic star value featuring maverick American independent cinema artists Samuel Fuller and Jim Jarmusch but the real stars of this charming film within a film tale are "The Karaja",native people from Brazil.In many ways this documentary by Finnish cinema author Mika Kaurismaki is an amazing journey into heart, minds and souls of Karaja people who teach viewers a humble lesson of humanity.We get to learn that even though they are close to human civilization,it is normal for them to maintain their distance from modern people.This is a unique quality which has found many admirers especially people like Samuel Fuller and Jim Jarmusch who make good friends with Karaja people."Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made" is also a film with serious purpose as its protagonists arrive in style to explore new facets in film making.Each of them have their own agendas: Jim Jarmusch with his ubiquitous video camera and Samuel Fuller with his charming cigar.As Mika Kaurismaki has made a film oozing with emotional attachment related to true love for cinema,one has to really feel the sadness with which Samuel Fuller narrates how his unfinished film "Tigrero" with big names of Hollywood cinema John Wayne,Ava Gardner and Tyrone Power could not be made due to malicious attitude of American insurance companies.One has to pay attention to each word uttered by Samuel Fuller,a legendary director whose genius could not be appreciated by many in Hollywood.It is true that Samuel Fuller's widow Christa Lang gave the idea for making "Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made" but Mika Kaurosmakin must be congratulated for making a great film as his approach is humanist in nature as his film is an honest vision of a genius who should have been properly recognized by Hollywood and American film industry.

Details

Country:

Brazil Finland Germany

Language:

Finnish English Portuguese Karajá

Release Date:

25 March 1994 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Tigrero

Filming Locations:

Ilha do Bananal, Tocantins, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marianna Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1