Miracles Still Happen

While the 'special effects' and technical attributes of this movie may in fact be laughable to some, I have never been able to erase the images this movie etched on my young and impressionable mind when I first saw it at around 8 years of age. The story of this girl's survival and of the trials she endured have stayed with me all these years, and I have thought back on more than one occasion about how the girl made it out of situations far beyond anything I have seen.

The fact that this is a true story, and the fact that I was only a child when I first saw this may be the reason behind my high rating of this movie. Each time this movie aired on television in the 70s and 80s I would be riveted to the television, drinking in each scene with an interest I cannot explain. I suppose watching this for the first time as an adult (and with a jaded view of the world) it may not be as enjoyable to some. I actually went out of my way to obtain a copy so I could show this movie to my son.

This, like many other movies, is not for everyone. If you are impressed by remarkable human survival stories, are partial to Peru/Macchu Picchu and/or the Amazon, then I believe you might enjoy this movie as much as I have been enjoying it for the past 30 years.

**This story has some grossness, some religiocentric child making assumptions and some nostalgia.**

When I was a kid in the 1970s/early 80s my local tv station (channel 55 on the dial) ran a 55 hour Christmas movie marathon.

ANYWAY...I watched all 55 hours of it one year because I had the flu. And there was some movie on at like 3am on Christmas morning (!!!) about this teenage girl who survived a plane crash in the jungle and had to hobble her wounded self through the jungle to get back to civilization. I guess they thought the miracle of her survival was Christmassy. Anyway through all the horrors of her struggling through the jungle the one I remember to this day is the scene where she's popping botfly larvae out of her festering wounds. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

And that's why I always associate botfly larvae with Christmas. True story.

If anyone knows where to obtain an English copy of this movie, please contact me at my3sonsjkk@yahoo.com. I have been searching for this great movie for years. I used to watch this every year with my grandfather. They aired it every year around the holiday's. This movie has stuck with me. I wish I could buy it somewhere, as I never got tired of watching it, year after year. The struggles this girl faced in her survival through the amazon...your heart just goes out to her. Definitely one of the best movies I ever watched. I would recommend for anyone and everyone to see this movie if you can get a hold of a copy. You will not be disappointed.

I first saw this movie back in the 1980's and now in 2006 this movie still is one of the best movies I have ever seen! I would recommend anyone to look at this movie. You will not be sorry. It is well acted out, so real and never a dull moment. The acting is superb and the location makes the movie seem like you are there. From the beginning right up to the end, this movie is the type that makes you lose your attention. The actress does an excellent job of portraying the girl who survived this horrific plane crash in the Amazon and it shows how she managed to survive in the Amazon all alone. It is unbelievable that anyone could survive under such conditions. This is why this movie is so appealing. The fact that this is a true story makes the movie even more interesting and to think that a young girl could survive from this ordeal is overwhelming. I find this movie one that I can watch over and over again and one that I never get tired of. This is indeed quite a compliment as I have hundreds of movies! I would say this is probably my favorite movie and the best I have ever seen!

Its crazy to me because the only seen I saw before my parents changed the channel, was when she was pulling' the wiggler's out of her leg. Like many others it was seared in my brain for so long. I couldn't have been more than 6 when I saw that. It stuck good enough for me to start looking for it. Finally, at 31, not only have I found a title for this film but I find out I'm not the only one with this story of relentless curiosity. Very creepy. Now I have to find a copy of this movie so I can bury this once and for all. During my search I found a few online videos from the film and documentaries about Julaine Koepcke. Not quite enough to ease my curiosity. It seems I'm going to have to do a little more digging if I want to get my hands on this movie.