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Amazon(1990 film)

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Amazon
Film poster
Directed byMika Kaurismäki
Written by
  • Richard Reitinger
  • Mika Kaurismäki
  • John Reaves (additional writing)
Starring
CinematographyTimo Salminen
Edited byMichael Chandler
Music byNaná Vasconcelos
Production
companies
  • Villealfa Filmproduction Oy
  • Skylight Cinema Foto Art
  • Capital Cinema Productions
  • Noema
  • Rainforest Action Network
Distributed by
  • Finnkino (Finland)
  • Cabriolet Films (USA, theatrical)
  • La Société des Films Sirius(France)
  • Live Home Video (USA, home video)
  • Mainostelevisio (Finland, TV)
  • Avid Home Video (USA, home video)
  • Yleisradio (Finland, (TV)
  • Future Film (Finland, home video)
  • Penta Visión (Uruguay)
  • VMP (Germany)
Release date
  • September 1990(1990-09)(TIFF)
Running time
96 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Finland
  • Brazil
  • France
  • Germany
Languages
  • English
  • Portuguese
  • Finnish

Amazonis a 1990 drama that was directed by the Finnish film directorMika Kaurismäki,who co-wrote the script with Richard Reitinger, with John Reaves contributing additional writing. The movie premiered at theToronto Festival of Festivalsin September 1990.

While shooting the movie Kaurismäki tried to minimize its and the crew's effect on the environment by choosing equipment that would have the least impact the shooting location, the surrounding areas, and its inhabitants.[1]

Synopsis

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The film centers upon a Finnish businessman named Kari and his two daughters. The trio has gone toBrazil,where he decides to investigate the possibility of starting a gold mining operation in the nearbyrainforest,urged on by Dan, an Americanexpatriateinterested in entering a business arrangement with Kari. He's warned against this by a local woman, Paola, who tells him that mining would have disastrous repercussions on the jungle and its inhabitants. The two begin to fall in love and Kari starts to doubt his plans. However, before he can truly act on these concerns with his prospective business partner, Kari and Dan are involved in an airplane accident that kills Dan and leave Kari terribly wounded. He's nursed back to health by a rainforest tribe, after which he returns to his daughters and Paola.

Cast

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Reception

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Amazon'scritical reception has been mixed.[2]In his review inThe New York Times,film criticVincent Canbywrote thatAmazon"is not the most exciting movie ever made, but it doesn't push. It is laid back. The flora and fauna are interesting and the cast is attractive."[3]Varietywas mixed, stating "Visually film is always stimulating but storytelling is wildly uneven, and director Mika Kaurismaki has an uncertain command of pic's tone. Acting is okay."[4]

Pietari Kääpä commented upon the movie in his 2012 bookDirectory of World Cinema: Finland,calling it an "environmentally aware film" while also stating "InAmazon,we are made privy to a clear environmentalist argument about the need to preserve the Amazonian rainforest. But, simultaneously, it maintains many of these problematic binaries, such as humanity's exploitative relationship with nature. "[5]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^Kääpä, Pietari (2011-01-01).The Cinema of Mika Kaurismäki: Transvergent Cinescapes, Emergent Identities.Intellect Books. pp. 159–160.ISBN978-1-84150-409-4.
  2. ^"Amazon (review)".TV Guide.Retrieved2016-07-26.
  3. ^Canby, Vincent (February 28, 1992)."Finns' Plea for Amazon".The New York Times.Retrieved2016-07-26.
  4. ^"Review: 'Amazon'".Variety.1992-01-01.Retrieved2016-07-26.
  5. ^Kääpä, Pietari (2012-01-01).Directory of World Cinema: Finland.Intellect Books. p. 238.ISBN978-1-84150-617-3.
  6. ^"Awards (1990–1999)".Jussi Awards.Retrieved26 July2016.
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