The Emerald Forest

In this 1985 adventure film, director John Boorman explores the intersection of civilized and primitive cultures, as well as the roles of myth and ritual, and the notion of supernatural power in nature. Based on a true story, The Emerald Forest stars Powers Boothe as Bill Markham, an American engineer building a dam in the Amazon basin, whose 7-year-old son, Tommy, is “rescued” by a rainforest tribe and raised as one of their own. After searching for 10 years, Markham finds the boy (played as a young man by Charley Boorman, the director's son) fully assimilated and resistant to leaving, and he comes to understand the damage that Western civilization has done to the jungle habitat. Shot on location in Brazil and filled with lush primal imagery (ravishingly photographed by Philippe Rousselot), the narrative is equal parts vision quest, revisionist Western, and environmental statement. Boorman idealizes indigenous tribal life as being in total harmony with nature (although a rival clan displays more savagery), as father and son bond in epic experiences, shared rituals, and mystical moments. Remastered for DVD and its Blu-ray debut, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)