Stranded pilot Tom Berenger has been offered a mercenary deal. Set in the Brazilian rain forest, the moral action occurs between outpost town Mae de Deus and a tribal village. Its ideas, while ecologically and culturally correct, come across as stale and pedantic. It could have been told in half the time. The story itself is plodding and overblown. In 187 minutes, how could it not? Most of those moments have to do with fancy aerial camera work. Certainly this adaptation of Peter Matthiessen's 1965 novel has its moments. Yet director Hector Babenco's latest adds up to an artistic zilch. It finishes with fire and smoke and destroyed ideals. It champions the integrity of Amazonian natives against the diabolical agendas of soul-converting missionaries and land-hungry commandantes. It admonishes against cultural usurpation. "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" gives you three hours of lush jungle cinematography, picturesque natives and crackpot missionaries losing their minds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2023
Categories |