ActionAdventureDrama

The Emerald Forest

- What kind of man would return year after year for ten years to rescue a missing boy from the most savage jungle in the world? His father.

For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.

Release Date : 1985-06-22

Language :EnglishPortuguese

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Christel FilmsEmbassy Pictures

Production Country : United KingdomUnited States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Bill Markham

Original Name : Powers Boothe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tomme

Original Name : Charley Boorman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jean Markham

Original Name : Meg Foster

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Heather

Original Name : Yara Vaneau

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Tommy

Original Name : William Rodriguez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Heather

Original Name : Estee Chandler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kachiri

Original Name : Dira Paes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Uwe Werner

Original Name : Eduardo Conde

Gender : Male

Character Name : Padre Leduc

Original Name : Ariel Coelho

Gender : Male

Character Name : Perreira

Original Name : Peter Marinker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Costa

Original Name : Mario Borges

Gender : Male

Character Name : Trader

Original Name : Átila Iório

Gender : Male

Character Name : Trader's Henchman

Original Name : Gabriel Arcanjo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carlos

Original Name : Gracindo Júnior

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rico

Original Name : Arthur Muhlenberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paulo

Original Name : Chico Terto

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wanadi

Original Name : Ruy Polanah

Gender : Male

Character Name : Uluru

Original Name : Maria Helena Velasco

Gender : Female

Character Name : Caya

Original Name : Tetchie Agbayani

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mapi

Original Name : Paulo Vinícius

Gender : Male

Character Name : Samanpo

Original Name : Aloisio Flores

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monkey

Original Name : Joao Mauricio Carvalho

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kachiri's Cousin

Original Name : Isabel Bicudo

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kachiri's Cousin

Original Name : Patricia Prisco

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pequi

Original Name : Silvana de Faria

Gender : Female

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2023-05-26

**_Good rainforest movie marred by eye-rolling bits and tacked on eco message_** An American engineer (Powers Boothe) takes his family to the Amazon Basin to build a major dam, but his son suddenly disappears and there are rumors that he may have been taken by a tribe called The Invisible People. Ten years pass and he’s still looking. Will he find him? Will the son (Charley Boorman) recognize him? Meg Foster is on hand as the wife/mother. “The Emerald Forest” (1985) is similar to “A Man Called Horse” (1970) story-wise, albeit involving a teen, plus featuring the Amazon setting of “Fitzcarraldo” (1982). It influenced later movies like “Dances With Wolves” (1990) and, as far as ‘look’ goes, “Apocalypto” (2006). Being helmed by John Boorman, it’s a quality production. Unfortunately, this is the least of these movies and therefore justifiably obscure. It’s not just the unnecessary environmental message in the second half but, worse, the laughable implication concerning a rain dance. (Why Sure!) Isn't it ironic how “Natives” in the Americas are now adorned with god-like powers and sage-like stature in cinema? (I put ‘Natives’ in quotations because they’re actually the progeny of settlers from Asia via Beringia). If these Amazonian Indians had that much power, then taking care of the technologically advanced encroachers or enemy tribes would be a piece of cake. Another criticism is the unrealistic portrayal of The Invisible People. It’s way too paradisal with too little emphasis on the mundaneness and hardships inherent to such a life in the deep equatorial forest. For instance, the nubile females appear overly fresh and immaculate for living amidst gross jungle challenges. In other words, they seem like girls who’ve lived a relatively soft life with modern conveniences (I’ve seen the real-life articles/photos in National Geographic and they’re very different). Both “Apocalypto” and “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” (1991) offer a less fantastical portrayal. The story was inspired by a supposedly true event, but the man who lost his son to a mysterious tribe was Peruvian, not American, not to mention he was a lumberjack rather than an engineer. It took sixteen years for him to find his son, who had been totally assimilated into the primitive culture. Responding to these deviations, it was said that the screenplay was based on several real-life stories, not just this one. The film runs 1 hour, 54 minutes, and was shot in Brazil with additional studio stuff done in England. GRADE: C+