User reviews

THE EMERALD FOREST sees John Boorman returning to the dark heart of the world's wildernesses in this story about native tribes living in the Amazon. Powers Boothe plays an engineer whose son is kidnapped by one such tribe, leading him on a ten-year search for answers.

The film works on a double level. First, it stands as a completely adequate action-adventure, with all manner of violent shoot-outs, especially a climactic showdown that brings back memories of hard-hitting '70s greats like ROLLING THUNDER. There's suspense a-plenty, along with strong turns from both Boothe and the director's son.

The film's storyline also allows Boorman to explore themes that are clearly close to his heart, namely the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest by greedy developers and loggers, who turn out to be the real villains of the piece. Yes, it sounds like it could be preachy but it never is, thanks to Boorman's skill at handling the material with subtlety and grace.

THE EMERALD FOREST is virtually unknown today - I caught it tucked away in a late-night showing - but it doesn't deserve to be; DELIVERANCE is the better known effort but this comes close at frequent intervals.

Ecological thriller that has in highlighting the destruction of the South American rain woods ; being based upon a real story and filmmaker John Boorman cast his own son , Charley Boorman , in the starring character . Bill Markham(Powers Boothe) moves his family to Brazil where has a job as an engineer in construction a dam project . After the son (Charley Boorman) of engineer is abducted by an aboriginal tribe on the edge of the rain forest, the engineer and his wife (Meg Foster) spend the next 10 years searching for him . Ultimately Markham is captured by a cannibal and bloodthirsty tribe and ironically rescued by "Tomme," who only has dim memories of his biological dad . The teenager spends the next years living under jungle law and integrating an alternative lifestyle . Finally , the father discovering a happily adjusted boy who may not want to go back to so-called civilization . Although Bill wants desperately to have his son accompany him back to civilization, "Tomme's" loyalties now belong to "The Invisible People." The rain forest of the Amazon are disappearing at the rate of 5000 acres day . Four million Indians once lives there , 120.000 remain.

An ecological adventure with mystical touches that was ahead of its time in denounce about forest destruction . This exciting film contains thrills , emotion , adventure and action scenes of infighting between violent rival tribes that generate a lot of entertainment . Inspired by an uncredited story about a Peruvian whose son disappeared under similar circumstances . According to director John Boorman's book 'Money Into Light', his initial choice for the part of Tomme was C. Thomas Howell. When he was unavailable, John decided to use his own son Charley for the part. He plays a boy grabbed by tribesmen whose community is facing disappearance because of the building of a massive dam designed and built by his daddy . Glamorous and lush cinematography by Philippe Rousselot who photographs wonderfully the Amazon jungle , obviously filmed under difficult conditions on location .

This engrossing and enjoyable film with interesting screenplay by Rosco Pallenberg was well directed by John Boorman . He's a good professional filmmaking from the 6os , though sparsely scattered and giving various classics . John started as an assistant direction and his friendship with Lee Marvin allowed him to work in Hollywood as ¨Point Blank¨ (1967) and ¨Hell in the Pacific¨ (1968) from where he returned to the UK and directed ¨Leo¨ (1970) , a rare Sci-Fi titled ¨Zardoz¨ (1974) or the ¨failure Exorcist II¨ (1977). His films are without exception among the most exciting visually in the modern cinema . He became famous for Excalibur (1981), the best of them , ¨Emerald forest¨ (1985) with a ecologist denounce included and his autobiographic story ¨Hope and Glory¨ (1987) and which brought him another Academy Award Nomination after ¨Deliverance¨ . Rating ¨Emerald forest¨: Better than average . Wholesome watching .

This movie supposedly sends an environmental message, and that's certainly true, but if you look closely it's really a fig leaf (like one of those little flaps on a string that constitute the sole bit of clothing worn by the villagers) for an updated Tarzan movie.

That said, this movie is tremendous entertainment. It is exciting almost all the way through. And when it's slow, there are lots of cute teenage girls in the altogether to gaze at. In fact, there's a demographically striking abundance of teenage girls in this particular tribe.

Favorite scene: During the courtship ritual, Tomme is given a club and is supposed "knock out" his girl in front of the villagers and then carry her off into the forest. She cowers. He hesitates, waves the club around. She glares at him and whispers, "Do it right!" So he hits her and she makes a show of being "knocked out." The whole courtship ritual is beautifully staged. I cannot attest to its authenticity, but it's perfectly clear as he "defends" her from menacing dudes, refuses to be carried off by the other girls, etc. The sheer enthusiasm portrayed is remarkable.

Powers Boothe, playing a dam engineer, makes a dashing Trader Horn-type. He has a great scene when he wakes up in the village only to see his son, Tomme, sleeping peaceful and embracing his girl, both practically nude in the next hammock. The expressions that run across his face are priceless.

The Fierce People live up to their name, but I am dubious that people who live in nature can be so infected with violence.

I learned something. You can climb a high-rise by wrapping vines around your feet. Who knew? The dam business at the end was totally righteous, but, really, pretty preposterous.

And how about that shot of the eagle in flight. Taken from about two feet away. Pretty neat.

Terrific Hollywood movie? You bet. Werner Herzog? Not so much.

The Emerald Forest is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of all time. I first saw it many years ago, but rediscovered it recently when it showed up on one of my Dish movie channels. The son of an engineer is kidnapped in the rain forest. The engineer (Powers Booth) discovers him years later, when he is a teenager. By then, the son is part of a tribe which has raised him and molded him into a man. He does not want to leave. However, the boy must find and request the help of his father when a rival tribe kills several male members of his tribe members and kidnaps their women. A great (true) story, wonderful acting, and amazing cinematography make this movie an amazing viewing experience. Think Apocalypto without all of the blood and violence. There is a good amount of female nudity. If you enjoy this movie, I also recommend Rapa Nui for it's great scenery and story.

The American engineer Bill Markham (Powers Boothe) moves with his wife Jean Markham (Meg Foster) and children to Amazonas to work in the construction of a dam. When he brings his son Tommy to the site forest, the boy is abducted by the tribe of the Invisible People and brought to rain forest. Bill spends ten years seeking out Tommy in the forest. When he finally meets Tommy, he is an Indian and does not want to leave his tribe and return to the civilization. But when Tommy's mate Kachiri (Dira Paes) and the women of his tribe are kidnapped by a gang of white slaves to work in a brothel in the forest, Tommy searches Bill in the big city to help his tribe to rescue the female Indians.

"The Emerald Forest" is a fictional ecological adventure by John Boorman. The plot is entertaining and it is laughable to read absurd such as "based on a true story". The Brazilian Indians have been burying their dead for centuries as part of the work of the missionaries. The habit of burning and eating the ashes is before the arrival of the missionaries. The destruction of the forest is a reality provoked by farmers and overseas companies with economical interest in our wood. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Floresta das Esmeraldas" ("The Emerald Forest")

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.

I`m in two minds about THE EMERALD FOREST . Part of me admires it for its hard edged eco message coupled with its violent action packed adventure elements while part of me hates it for its convienent mystical mumbo jumbo when the script requires Tomme and the invisible people to escape from a tight spot . Is it an action adventure or is it a mystical fantasy ? It`s both and it`s neither if you know what I mean .

Hold on , it`s an admirable film despite the flaws , in many ways THE EMARALD FOREST is the type of film Steven Seagal would have made if he had any talent , it`s a film that doesn`t talk down to the audience unlike nearly every eco-thriller made and does make the point that when everyone you love and everything you survey is in mortal peril then violence is the only way you can defend yourself . Compare this to the pacifist stance of the modern environmental movement and I think you`ll find it`s not a film that`d be too popular with Greenpeace

"The Emerald Forest" is a beautiful, somewhat touching tale of a child's abduction by aboriginals, and a diligent ten year search for the missing son by his father. The rain forest location photography is stunning, and the story actually believable for awhile. Beyond the half way point however, things deteriorate quickly. A film that started out as possibly based on fact, suddenly shifts gears into the realm of fantasy. Tall buildings are scaled with ease, visions locate people, and Powers Boothe goes into "Rambo" mode. Then, to top things off, comes an ecological message that is supposed to be taken seriously, even after the nonsense that precedes it. - MERK

I actually grew up near the city of Belem, shown in the beginning of the movie, and spent 18 years in the region. I also spent time in many of the Indian tribes in the area, including being "adopted" into one at the age of five.

The movie does a great job of showing many aspects of life in the jungle, including some of the lawlessness. The costumes are fairly authentic, and portrayal of many tribal customs is well done. The manhood ceremony is closely based on authentic ceremonies that happen in most tribes.

Altogether, about as good as you can expect from something that is not intended to be a documentary.

I saw this movie when it was first released. I thought that it was an absurd load of hokum then and it certainly hasn't improved with age. The underlying theme is pretty standard tree-hugger stuff; evil, rapacious white men destroying the Garden of Eden and dispossessing the innocent, noble savages along the way. The film claims to be based on a true story, but I'd take that with very large pinch of salt. If indeed it was based on true events then the producer/director has been a bit careless with the some of the facts. The Amazon basin is an enormously hostile environment, just about every critter, bug and bacterium that likes to eat people lives there. Amongst the native Indian tribes, that still live there, the infant mortality rate is something like about 80% and adults who live much past 40 years are rarities. Needless to say that's not the way the place is portrayed in the film. Certainly not cinema verite.

The Emerald Forest is an excellent jungle adventure which is based on a true story.

A young boy is kidnapped by a tribe in the Amazon known as the Invisible People. His dad (Powers Boothe) then spends 10 years searching for him and eventually succeeds, but only by chance. He decides to stay with the tribe rather than go back to his original family.

Boothe's son when grown up is played by the director's son, Charley Boorman and does a great job playing the part. This movie gives you an idea on what it would be like living in the Amazon. Excellent scenery makes the movie better still. It was shot on location in the Amazon.

I have seen this movie a couple of times and enjoyed very much. Watch it if you get the chance.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

They often say that facts are stranger than fiction and that movies based on true events are far more implausible and far-fetched than anything that could ever spawn from the over-imaginative minds of scriptwriters. This theory is most certainly applicable to John Boorman's "The Emerald Forest". If this movie didn't loud and proudly claim that it was inspired by a true story, literally no one would take it seriously and even now you still can't help being skeptical and assume that very large parts of the script are pure fiction. It's even a bit frustrating how the movie almost uses the true-story element as an excuse to get away with an utmost incoherent narrative and indigestible plot-twists. The movie basically exists of three large chapters. The first one is brilliant and captivatingly dramatic, and probably the main reason why I personally still can't be too harsh in general. Powers Booth – always a criminally underrated actor – is magnificent as a construction site engineer rising up a dam on the edge of the Brazilian rain forest. His 7-year-old son is taken by a primitive tribe of Indians and for the next ten years – and whilst carrying on his work as well – he searches through the forest for a trace. He goes on risky expeditions and seeks contact with dangerous tribes, which leads him deep into the jungle where he's finally reunited with Tommy. The tone and concept of "The Emerald Forest" then suddenly drastically change, as the discovery of the meanwhile adolescent Tommy leads to a rather irksome plot reminiscent to "The Jungle Book" and "A Man Called Horse". The boy integrated with the people, became intimate with nature, learned the language and found a girl, so even though he remembers his father, he's unwilling to return to the so-called civilized world. During the last and most disappointing chapter of the film, father and estranged son even join forces to assure the survival of the tribe and the conservation of the rain forest. I realize John Boorman's rudimentary intention was to spread moral values and to make viewers aware of mankind's continuous destruction of nature, but nonetheless the final half hour feels too fantasy-like. For example, it's rather hypocrite to play the "true story" card but then simultaneously suggest that a gathering of croaking frogs can bring down a gigantic dam. One thing I cannot possibly deny – and don't even want to, for that matter – is that "The Emerald Forest" is a ravishingly beautiful movie to look at. The authentic Brazilian filming locations are breath-taking and especially during the middle-section it feels as if you're watching a collage of postcard images or a National Geographic best-of compilation. The strong opening, the wondrous scenery and Powers Booth's strong performance are definitely what save this film from mediocrity.

Certainly the best of Boorman. After seeing again Deliverance, which was thrilling when it was first released, and Excalibur, poetical, Wagnerian but a little bit out of date (regarding the shining 70's fake armors), Emerald Forest deepens philosophy and ethnology. Very profound and touching, very good acting, excellent photography, technically superb, there's nothing to really complain about. It hasn't aged at all and probably won't. I gave it a 10 because I do not see anything to improve. In our sad new era of ethnological destruction, where there's no place anymore for the Aborigene or any other tribal culture, this movie gives a little hope, a little reverie of seeing things turning in the right direction thanks to ancient magic. How vain but how beautiful!

Well, this film is beautifully photographed. There are a couple of other Amazon rain forest films that come to mind, "Medicine Man" and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord". Both are better. This one isn't terrible, it is just so simplistic as to become preachy. It also has mile-wide plot holes. The Indian tribe adopted the main character's son. I don't know much about Amazon tribes, but in North America, in frontier times, the tribes there would occasionally adopt captives. Of course, at other times, they would torture them to death, whether man, woman, or child. Oddly, the tribe's women were all shapely and pretty. Didn't see any that were old, fat, or ugly. I appreciate the aesthetics of this, but the realism takes a hit. Powers Boothe was singularly in need of a charisma transplant, or the movie in general needed some star power. It is okay, but that's all.

This movie makes some odd choices. On the one hand it's a good looking and also clearly professionally made movie with lots of talent involved but it just makes some wrong choices in its storytelling.

The movie obviously starts of as a dramatic 'based on true' events movie but soon as the movie starts to progresses it starts taking some obvious 'Hollywood' turns, with its emotions and action and the story becomes more unlikely and clichéd. Of course nothing wrong with this, since it definitely makes the movie an entertaining and bit of adventurous one. But in this case the approach doesn't really work out, since it also obviously is a movie that wants to be taken seriously and has a clear message in it. You know, the kind of message to 'save the rain forest'. It also uses lots of technology vs. nature elements. I'll admit that this movie is a better attempt than all Steven Seagal attempts combined but no, that doesn't mean that this movie is a perfect or truly successful attempt on its own. The movie seems to lack the proper emotions to see this as a completely effective one, though the right intentions are definitely there. I mean for instance, the characters within this movie see each other again for the first time in 10 years but yet they seem hardly affected by it all.

The natives scenes also aren't always among the best or most interesting one's out of the movie. Sure the nature environments are beautiful looking but it slows the movie a bit down in the middle, which also is in big contrast with the serious and dramatic first part of the movie and the action filled final part. The entire movie doesn't always feel like one whole. The parts of it are all too disjointed.

It nevertheless it is a rather good- and also entertaining enough movie to watch, despite its obvious flaws and bad choices in the storytelling. And hey, it's got Powers Booth!

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

After the excellent "Excalibur" this was a big step down for director Boorman. This could have been an intelligent and moving film about a man who finds his missing son after 10 years adopted by a native tribe in the amazon. But the stuff about the tribe being mystical and in touch with nature is layed on a little too thick. This "noble savage" cliche just substitutes one stereotype for another. And the climactic scene in the brothel was ill-concieved, not to mention the silly Deus Ex Machina ending involving the dam, making the Rain ending in "Dune" seem plausible by comparison. It seems tacked on and lessens the ecological message Boorman was driving home.