A Far Off Place

Rating:
Summary: Picture Perfect
Review: "R.Witherspoon, That says it all ! I'am her biggest fan !

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful film that has everything!
Review: A Far Off Place is a real dazzler of a film. It succeeds in entertainting on every level. The acting is superb. A great debut for Reese Whitherspoon. It's the kind of movie you wish you saw more of because it entertains and makes you think their are still good people in the world who care for each other. the cimomentography is great. this is a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Story of Courage, Hope and Love
Review: A Far Off Place is the sequel to the bestseller by Laurens Van der Post, 'A Story Like The Wind'. Hunters Drift is a farm in Matabeleland (today part of Zimbabwe)

It is the home of Pierre Paul Joubert known affectionately by all who live there as 'Ouwa', where European, Matabele and Bushmen live in harmony with each other , and with the great flora and fauna of Africa.
This is before the forces of destruction and death, Marxist terrorists, massacre the whole population of Hunter's Drift , as they carve a path of blood through Southern Africa.
The only survivors are Ouwa's teenage son, Francois, Nonnie, the young daughter of a colonial governor and his Portuguese wife, both murdered by the terrorists and Francois' beloved hunting dog, Hintza. They are joined by a young Bushman, Xhabbo, and his wife, Nuin Tarra.

The four young people and brave dog , must pass through bush and desert , to safety , while pursued by the cold-blooded killers.

'A Far Off Place' is a heartwarming story of love hope and courage, and of survival against overwhelming odds. It is about the fine balance between all living creatures.
Not least it highlights the death and suffering caused so many times by those forces of evil that hide behind the slogans of revolution and 'Liberation'.

Rating:
Summary: Forget the film; read the books
Review: A travesty. In translating the story onto film, the producers have erased the political themes and have made the African background meaningless. A great coming-of-age story is reduced to a silly survival journey. Sure the animal photography is good, but you can get all that and more in "The African Queen," which at least does not trash the story.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: A wonderful continuation of A Story Like the Wind, this book not only succeeds again in its description of Africa, it also explores the mental, ethical and religious aspects of the plot in a thought provoking last chapter. A must read, but only after the first one!

Rating:
Summary: A shining star
Review: After seeing the movie years ago I finally came across book. I loved the movie, but the book even more. It was articulate, passionate, and though provoking. Van der Post expresses the emotions and actions of the characters so vividly it is as if you are there witnessing them. I read this before "A Story of the Wind" and did not have a problem understanding (although the movie background did help). A must read for all ages.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: All I can say is wow. I've always been a fan of Reese Witherspoon, and this just makes it stronger. The beautiful setting and great plot make this movie a winner. Appropriate for adults!!!

Rating:
Summary: Everything you could want in a book, and more.
Review: Breifly, A Far Off Place is probably one of the greatest works of modern adventure literature. It combines all of the classic elements of the Adventure. It is an exciting book, and it also contains many lessons that, if we as a society took the time to learn, would be much better off. Fantastic book. Highly reccomended.

Rating:
Summary: Warning! Spoiler: The irony of the Disney world view
Review: Disney does it again! They manage to turn two beautiful, compelling books into a story of squabbling American adolescents. I find it supremely ironic that Disney felt it necessary to turn a murderous troop of Marxist guerrillas into a murderous, greedy mining agent - this from one of the most devouring, money-hungry corporations in the history of capitalism! Did they perhaps believe that depicting a troop of black soldiers ruthlessly slaughtering the boy's family wouldn't be as politically correct (or as comprehensible to a pre-teen or early teen audience) as showing a greedy white mining agent ruthlessly slaughtering the boy's family? Of course, Francois Joubert simply has to be transformed into the obnoxious Harry Winslow (to make the movie more appealing to an American audience). And must every story involving young people of opposite sexes be turned into a "Girls are stupid! - Boys are stupider! - I love you! - I love you too!" tale of teenage battle of the sexes turned to love? It's been many years since I read the novels, but I don't remember that particular twist to the story, perhaps because Van der Post wasn't necessarily writing for the 11-14-year-old American market. If you're at all disenchanted with the world as Mickey sees (and sanitizes) it, skip the movie and read the books ("A Story Like the Wind" and "A Far Off Place").

Rating:
Summary: Loved this survivalist African story!
Review: Hands down, this is one of my favorite stories ever. If you love survival and adventure stories, you'll love this movie!!!