The Emerald Forest
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Estee Chandler, Meg Foster, Powers Boothe, William Rodriguez, Yara VaneauBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Emerald Forest
Movie Review: Awkward Masterpiece of Deep Ecology
Summary: 5 Stars
To reveal to our "civilized" world our human roots in nature is an ambitious goal for any film. To do so using the story of hidden tribes in the Amazon, with cultures incomprehensible to "modern" humans, is remarkably ambitious. This film brings a deep ecology sensibility that is desperately needed - but just as desperately avoided in our complacent, self-loathing, materialistic culture.
"The Emerald Forest" is awkward at times. I'm not sure of the order in which the scenes were shot, but the director manages to lead us in the right direction. The acting appears to evolve(or is it our awareness that evolves?), as the viewer is lured into the contracting jungle culture of these tribes, and away from the dead world of constant construction, assimilation and expansion. What is most amazing, in a way, is the gentleness with which Boorman treats contemporary culture. This is the key to providing his ecological message the wings of flight that make our jaws drop in the midst of breattaking scenery and well-presented tribal culture and ritual.
Boorman lets the subject of his preaching be slowly revealed through the story and characters rather than bludgeoning us with immensely evil, calculating villains. As it is in reality, the insanity lies in our collective indifference, our willingness to accept a pathetic world of materialism and technology in the hopes that our connection with each other, our bodies and nature will not be missed. Incremental trade-offs leading to "higher standards of living" have left us dispossessed of our souls, seeking solace in hedonism and "pie in the sky" religions that cultivate the greed and abomination they purport so piously to eliminate.
Yet, in this process, key elements of the movie involve psychedelic drugs and nudity, albeit natural and normal in the cultures Boorman portrays. Can we be lured back into the jungle with titillation? Obviously, the life is harsh and dangers abound. Yet, this film isn't about a bunch of teenagers getting high. It is about an adult ritual of expanded consciousness and vision that is meant not to narrow consciousness as alcohol use does, but to expand it, to bring perspective and connection in the quest of vision and leadership.
Likewise, this film portrays nudity in the context of normal life and does not eroticize it. It is refreshingly ironic that, when liberated from enforced prostitution in a heavily armed brothel, the women instinctively remove the scanty clothing and adornments that have been used to make them "attractive." If clothing is a metaphor, what else does our culture uses to conceal our humanity? If hallucinogens are a metaphor, what else does our culture use to deaden our sensibilities so that we seek sexual conquest and materialistic acquisition instead of trusting, healthy relationships with the people and world around us?
Boorman's "The Emerald Forest" is an odd, but remarkable achievement that has stood the test of time quite well thus far. In 2009, this 1985 film seems even more wise than when it was created.
Summary of The Emerald Forest
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