The Emerald Forest

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films of the 80's
Review: Set in the rainforests of Brasil, this film is a must see, a dramatic story of the struggle between economic interests versus natural resources and the lifestyles of indigenous tribes.

Rating:
Summary: What goes up,must come down.
Review: The bad news first:A lack of complete emotional content,considering the theme of this film;although Charley Boorman as Tommy,and Powers Boothe as Bill Markham give fine performances,there is a key element missing.Emotion.When Bill loses his son Tommy,he is naturally upset.Ten years pass in which Bill searches in vain.When Bill and Tommy finally unite,under trying circumstances,it's almost as if Tommy as been lost for only a week,not ten years.This continues almost all through the film.Bill acts towards Tommy like he were a friend,not a son that's been missing a decade. The Good news:A lasting interest is what this film's strength is. As soon as Tommy goes missing,and the Amazon scenery appears,then so do the Tribes,different cultures,and some good Cinematography.The Emerald Forest is one those films that i think borders on greatness,but misses,by a narrow margin.Overall,an entertaining film,that seemingly would have benefited from more emotional depth,and more character development,the ending of this film however,is somewhat unexpected,and makes up for the flaws.Overall,honestly,i did enjoy The Emerald Forest,it was a fine idea for a film,but i can't help but think-it could have been so much better.3.5/5. The picture quality on this disc is very good.Shown in original aspect ratio of 2.35:1,The Emerald Forest scenery looks very clear,sharp,clean,blemish free.Only on a few scenes (when the sky was in view,inparticular) did i notice a slight amount of grain and dirt on the print.4/5.The sound quality on this disc is slightly above average.It is crisp,and very clear,picking up fine details,but the speech from the centre channel is a little weak;i did have to raise the volume a fair bit to actually hear the words clearly.Overall,no serious problems.

Rating:
Summary: This is my favorite movie of all time
Review: The beauty and power of the rainforest juxtaposed to the beauty and power of "civilization," on of my favorite themes. Who is the true savage? Powers Boothe plays a construction engineer building a dam in the rainforest that is increasingly changing the structure of the most valuable real estate on earth. Not only is it effecting the plants and animals, creating desert where there was once rich vegetation, but it is affecting the indigenous tribes in horrendous ways. Charley Boorman plays the beautiful young son who is kidnapped by the leader of the "Invisible People." His father and mother (played by the beautiful Meg Foster) spent the next ten years searching for the boy as he is being raised in tribal customs.

Meanwhile, as the living space for the tribes grows increasingly smaller, the "Invisible People," who are basically good hearted, land loving indigenous people who keep to themselves and only want to survive, are increasingly threatened by the "Fierce People," a carnivorous, cannibalistic tribe who are desperately seeking space for themselves.

We watch Tomme grow up, learn from his new "father" who loves him dearly and was perhaps initially attracted to the tyke's golden blond hair and his own need for a son. We watch Tomme go through a ritual rite of passage that sends him on a dangerous quest for the special green rock that allows what are now his people to become "Invisible." It is in this quest that Tomme and his father cross paths again, and a lesson is learned about the cost of the damage civilization has brought to what is truly a beautiful and rich country better off left alone.

For a long time I couldn't find this movie anywhere. Not even at amazon.com. I cherish the copy I did finally find. I am thrilled to see that it is now available on DVD, but would like to see a DVD created with educational "special features" about the rain forest and the fight to preserve it. That's really what this movie is all about. See it now, before it gets away again.

Rating:
Summary: This is my favorite movie of all time
Review: The beauty and power of the rainforest juxtaposed to the beauty and power of "civilization," on of my favorite themes. Who is the true savage? Powers Boothe plays a construction engineer building a dam in the rainforest that is increasingly changing the structure of the most valuable real estate on earth. Not only is it effecting the plants and animals, creating desert where there was once rich vegetation, but it is affecting the indigenous tribes in horrendous ways. Charley Boorman plays the beautiful young son who is kidnapped by the leader of the "Invisible People." His father and mother (played by the beautiful Meg Foster) spent the next ten years searching for the boy as he is being raised in tribal customs.

Meanwhile, as the living space for the tribes grows increasingly smaller, the "Invisible People," who are basically good hearted, land loving indigenous people who keep to themselves and only want to survive, are increasingly threatened by the "Fierce People," a carnivorous, cannibalistic tribe who are desperately seeking space for themselves.

We watch Tomme grow up, learn from his new "father" who loves him dearly and was perhaps initially attracted to the tyke's golden blond hair and his own need for a son. We watch Tomme go through a ritual rite of passage that sends him on a dangerous quest for the special green rock that allows what are now his people to become "Invisible." It is in this quest that Tomme and his father cross paths again, and a lesson is learned about the cost of the damage civilization has brought to what is truly a beautiful and rich country better off left alone.

For a long time I couldn't find this movie anywhere. Not even at amazon.com. I cherish the copy I did finally find. I am thrilled to see that it is now available on DVD, but would like to see a DVD created with educational "special features" about the rain forest and the fight to preserve it. That's really what this movie is all about. See it now, before it gets away again.

Rating:
Summary: Don't throw away your videotape!
Review: The DVD version of this film is bowdlerized. It is an annoying downer, when the widescreen and the picture quality of DVD make the DVD version preferrable in every other way.

The other reviews have adequately covered the film. Yes, it is uneven, and the ending strains credibility. Personally, I didn't care for the drug-use aspect either, but for the combination of adventure and spectacle and human relations, this movie is hard to beat.

Rating:
Summary: A must see!
Review: The movie provides a great insight into the socio=political strains related to the destruction of the rainforests. Both human and environmental tones are expressed in the movie. The emotional strength and pure acting skills exhibited within this movie make it one of the best.

Rating:
Summary: [e-mail]
Review: The quintessential film on environmental ethics. It attacks the common notion of "economic progress" by questioning the absolute belief that increased materialism means increased happiness. This is accomplished beautifully by comparing existing to displaced indigenous people in the Amazon: those "allowed" to remain to those forced off their land, who are forced to live in ugly-side of economic progress: urban slums.

Rating:
Summary: Captured white boy finds home with native tribe
Review: This is an excellent story of the capture and life of a little boy in the Amazon jungle. The tribe that takes him raises him as their own. While fighting other tribes and resisting the encroachment of civilization, he tries to find his real father. Based on a true story, this is an action packed, fast moving, heartwarming, excellent film. Brief, native nudity. Not for children.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I've ever seen
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw this movie as a metaphor for my own life. Physically the child in the movie belongs to one place, but mentally the child belongs to a different place. I loved when the tribe attempted to describe their relationship to whites and the child's white parents from within their worldview. I loved the name that they called themselves. So silent and respectful of the ways of the jungle. The views of the jungle are breathtaking. This movie is on my short list of movies everyone should definitely see.

Rating:
Summary: A good movie
Review: This movie is about a little boy who wandered off into the jungle one day while his father wasn't looking, and ended up being raised by a tribe of people living in the jungle. He later rediscovers his father when he's around 18, and the two of them decide that family is worth more than money or jobs. My personal favorite part is when the boy goes to his father's room in a skyscraper- by climbing up the outside!