|
Duma (Widescreen Edition) (0345468120)
Description
| Product Description |
|
| This African tale follow the rhythms of director Carroll Ballard's earlier films The Black Stallion and Fly Away Home, namely a child is drawn into the mysteries and magic of an animal. Xan (newcomer Alexander Michaletos) is a 12-year-old living in South Africa with his parents (Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, who appeared as a much different couple three years earlier in The Secret Life of Dentists) when they find an abandoned baby cheetah. They bring it up as their own and name it the Swahili word for cheetah, Duma. After some time, the creature is too big to stay domesticated and Dad tells the boy they will have to journey back to Duma's home to set him free. A sickness makes the family pull up stakes and head to the city where Xan and Duma don't fare well. Xan must take Duma on his own to set him free. To tell more would be a crime. As with any Ballard film, the story is subtext, the visuals rule. First-time cinematographer Werner Maritz fills the screen with the desert landscape and is able to capture the magnificent speed of the cheetah. Ballard's films seem to build on their own inertia, creating scenes that seem to be simply happening instead of scripted, although this often suffers in the balance of wonderment versus all-too-lucky occurrences. Based on the children's picture book/memoir How It Was with Dooms by Xan and Carol Cawthra Hopcraft, this is a film worth seeking out, especially for families and kids above 5 years old. --Doug Thomas Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
Reviews
Customer feedback
|
|
Voting |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author: Guest
Alex Michaeletos, a South African, was selected over many other boys as Xan, despite casting calls around the world, because he had a pet cheetah himself, and went up to the animal he would be co-starring with and introduced himself by ruffling the cheetah's fur. Most potential Xans were too scared of the beast to approach it. It is this comfort level between Alex/Xan and Duma that makes the film believable, and Alex's slight Afrikaans accent just heightens the realism.
The fictional plot is a bit contrived, but the film takes you in unexpectedly interesting directions through amazing landscapes. Carroll Ballard directed Never Cry Wolf as well as Fly Away Home and deserved better with Duma. Warner should have released the film in more places than Chicago and New York. Test marketing in the Southwest was not very successful. Why not the Midwest?
There is nothing in the film to date it. I expect Duma to be enjoyed by families for years to come.
|
Author: Guest
Wow! I am terribly disappointed that I was unable to see this movie on the big screen. It wasn't available here on the west coast and so I had to wait till it came out on DVD in order to see it. This is a wonderful story about a boy and a cheetah (obviously) and I would certainly recommend it to anyone but especially if you are an animal lover. I found it to be quite touching and a must see. The acting on the animals and humans part is exceptional and although I find that I sleep right through most "exciting" movies, I was riveted to the screen throughout every moment of this film.
|
Author: Guest
I had heard that this movie was only released in Chicago theaters because the film industry felt that this movie would "not be very popular", they felt it would not be attractive to any age group...hmmmmmmmmm...Well, I am 23 years old and I thought this movie was excellent all the way around...better yet the cheetah was REAL, it wasn't a distorted looking computer animated cheetah, it was all real, shot on scene in South Africa...this film was truly authentic and amazingly beautiful, one of the BEST family films ever made!!!! I am disappointed that this film was never given a real chance at the box office, I feel it would have truly captivated children and adults alike...It deserved more attention than it got...GREAT film!!!!!
|
Author: Guest
This exquisite little love story about a boy and a cheetah was poorly advertised when it was in theaters. It came and went and was overlooked by audiences. It deserves rediscovery on DVD. It is that rare thing, a true family film that is not insulting to kids or adults.
There is a fierce beauty to many of the scenes and close ups of the cheetah's face convey a kind of intelligence and dignity rarely seen on the screen or anywhere, for that matter.
The story is simple and remains true to the spirirt of the book. The screenplay adaptation is lean. But it is the extraordinary look of the movie that lingers in the mind. It casts a spell. As does the regal grace of the cheetah.
This simple story has no profound revelations, but it is not a waste of time and, without going into detail, I found the acting, locations, cinematography, music, and especially the directing to be of the highest order.
I highly recommend this wonderful little gem of a film.
|
Author: Guest
Because this Film does not have sex, violence, vulgar languge is probably why this was not released to the public.
When I was on a flight to China I saw this movie 3 times after I returned home I brought my family to see it in Washington DC about 200 miles away (the closest showing).
After the movie the whole audience stud up and cheered?
The theater was packed with familes just like mine?
|
Send to Friend
Send to friend
|
|
