Movies |
Movies
Travel movies which I had the pleasure to watch. Sometimes it is not a purely travel film, but may relate to some of the country situation, which indirectly may affect our attitudes and knowledge of the area.
I described only those movies which I recommend as a good ones.
In order of the latest watched one:
Title: Tracks
Release year and production: 2013, Australia
Director: John Curran
Type: Travel story based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Robyn Davidson autobiography book, which was published under the same title. In the '70s Alice Springs was the end of the world, a place of lawlessness and drunkenness, racism, prejudice and stereotypes. For several years the author lived in that world until she managed learned to work with camels. When the mission has been reached, she moved to fulfill her dream - walk with the animals to the Indian Ocean. The incredible expedition, struggle against bed luck, loneliness, the desert, and finally with the news media. I do not know whether I would have the courage to go into the desert without good maps, GPS, satellite phone, to rely only on myself. I admire her.
Title: 127 hours
Release year and production: 2010, USA-UK
Director: Danny Boyle
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Aron Ralston autobiography book, which was published under the title "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". This is one of the most dramatic history of survival in the outdoor world. The main character went on a weekend solo trip to explore Canyonlands NP, Utah. Unfortunately, the accident occurred and a falling piece of rock crushed his wrist, so he became trapped. He was fighting and trying new ideas, but nothing really worked. Dehydrated, hungry and almost with hypothermia he made desperate decision on day 5 (after he lost all hope for rescue, as he didn’t let know anyone where he was going) - he cut off his arm with pocket knife. It was the only way to survive.
Title: Latitude Zero
Release year and production: 2001, Switzerland
Director: Didier Lafond
Type: Documentary shooting during the real expedition
Language: French and sometimes English
The extraordinary journey around the earth. During this expedition Mike Horn walked, sailed boat or canoe, rode the bike and climbed the high peaks. Alone for 17 months, crossing three oceans and three continents along the equator. He had to face the jungle, wild animals, bandits, diseases, etc. More about Mike Horn here.
Title: Arktos, The Inner Journey of Mike Horn
Release year and production: 2005, Switzerland
Director: Raphael Blanc
Type: Documentary shooting during the real expedition
This movie is a great addition to Mike's book "Conquering the Impossible." Mike Horn sailed and walked alone without motorized transportation along the Arctic Circle. Covering over 19,000 km, mostly of northern Canada and Siberia, it took him over two years, including two harsh Arctic winters with extreme low temperatures and lack of sunlight. Every few months the film crew visited him, in effect we can see a small piece of this mega expedition. More about Mike Horn here.
Title: the way back
Release year and production: 2010, USA
Director: Peter Weir
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Slawomir Rawicz book, which was published under the title "The Long walk". Unfortunately, we need to be careful with these real events, as Rawicz story has been questioned. However, the escape from the Siberian Gulag occurred. The film shows a group of escaping prisoners walking through Siberian tundra, Mongolian and Chinese deserts and Himalayas. We are fortunate that the current trips to the mountains or deserts are for adventure, not the fighting for freedom and the real survival. Many refugees from Siberia have never seen the home.
Title: Crossing The Ditch
Release year and production: 2010, Australia
Type: Documentary combines footage of real expedition and people interviews
Justin Jones and James Castrission were the first people in the history who have crossed the Tasman Sea by kayak from Australia to New Zealand. Young and brave, but it wasn't easy. It took them much longer then expected.
Title: The Last King of Scotland
Release year and production: 2006, UK
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Giles Foden book, which was published under the same title. Idi Amin dictatorship in Uganda 70’s. The young Scottish doctor is a fiction person here, but not many others. He is fascinated by the country's president, Idi. With time, however, he discovers that the world around him is not until such a beautiful. But it is too late, there is no escape way.
Title: Blood Diamond
Release year and production: 2006, USA
Director: Edward Zwick
Type: Fiction, Drama
The civil war in Sierra Leone (1996-1999). Slaves are used for precious diamonds extraction. Procedure covers financial funds for rebels and warlords activities. It is a thriller with a dose of Hollywood exaggerated shooting and explosions, but beyond that you enter into the tense atmosphere of world dominated by money, for many people very deathful game.
Title: Into the Wild
Release year and production: 2007, USA
Director: Sean Penn
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Jon Krakauer book, which was published under the same title. The main character Chris McCandless despises of material world. Giving his money away, he starts hitchhiking journey. After nearly two years he reaches Alaska, to hide himself in the wilderness. He had gone a bit too far ... although according to others he lived by his dreams.
Title: Sharkwater
Release year and production: 2007, Canada
Director: Rob Stewart
Type: Documentary
Type of the documentary movie after which I feel sad. Rob shows the sharks as good, intelligent and shy animals. In addition they don't hunt humans. Unless by mistake, but it doesn't happen often. Movie talks about shark hunting industry, and the only reason is to cut their fins and put alive animals back to the ocean. Those sharks will die from starvation. The procedure is done only for Chinese people that they can eat "gourmet" soup made from shark fin. I don't respect both - the shark murderers, which unfortunately have support of corrupt Central America governments, and the soup consumers.
Title: Hotel Rwanda
Release year and production: 2004, USA-UK-Italy-SA
Director: Terry George
Type: Drama based on the true story
Rwanda 1994. The period of bloody fights between two main ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. The main character Paul Rusesabagin, the hotel owner, has a wife, friends and neighbors from the other tribe. He does a lot to save their innocent lives, as well lives of totally strange people.
Title: The Story of the Weeping Camel
Release year and production: 2003, Mongolia-Germany
Director: Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni
Type: Documentary
The film shows the real life of modern Mongolian nomads. The plot is about a young two-humped camel rejected by his mother, but for me the most important was the beauty of Mongolian step and daily lives of its inhabitants.
Title: The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta)
Release year and production: 2004, Argentina-Chile-Peru-France
Director: Walter Salles
Type: Drama based on the true story
The movie was made based on the diaries written by Ernest Che Guevara and his friend Alberto Granada. In 1952 they set off by motorcycle from Buenos Aires to see South America. Ernest, then a young medicine student, was watching social class inequalities and gradually was changing and firming his world vision. The movie, however, does not include Che Guevara's guerrilla time, but focuses on his youth during the crazy journey.
Title: The Spanish Apartment (L'Auberge espagnole)
Release year and production: 2002, France-Spain
Director: Cedric Klapisch
Type: Fiction
I like this movie because of the very different kind of adventure, which I also can identify with. The young Frenchman comes to Barcelona for student exchange program. He must find share accommodation, job, adapt to new living conditions. This is a movie about the interaction of young people from different countries, who by fate were under one roof. Adventure in different sense.
Title: Alone Across Australia
Release year and production: 2005, Australia
Type: Documentary combines footage of real expedition with some re-enactment performed by Jon
This is a movie based upon Jon Muir book, which was published under the same title. Book tells about lonely traverse across Australia. The originality of Jon Muir expedition is not just about to cross the continent, but also the form of doing that - the trip was completely unsupported, without any resupplies on the way. He carried a rifle and a fishing rod, he gathered plants, cooked what he has found or hunted, he made salty water drinkable. As if this is not enough for you, he did not use any electronic navigation systems (GPS), carried only a compass and maps. On the walk from Port Augusta on the Southern Ocean coast to the village of Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria he took a dog with him (dog had been poisoned at the end of the trip). He pulled two wheel cart with all equipment, total of 122 kg weight. He was starting this adventure four times, as weather and equipment conditions have stopped his previous journeys. It wasn’t successful until the fourth attempt. He made this 2.500 km march within 128 days (four months).
Title: Touching the Void
Release year and production: 2003, UK
Type: Documentary combines footage of real people interviews with a re-enactment performed by actors
This is a movie based upon Joe Simpson book, which was published under the same title. The classic mountaineering story when during the descent one of guys broke his leg. He miraculously survived. A fantastic survival tale, psychology, struggle for life.
Title: Y tu mama tambien
Release year and production: 2001, Mexico
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Type: Fiction, Drama
The road story with love intrigues, but presented interestingly. We can observe remote Mexico, landscapes, society and politics. In many countries, this film was censored because of the sexual scenes.
Title: Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure
Release year and production: 2001, UK
Type: 3D documentary movie based on the true story
Ernest Shackleton wanted to cross Antarctica. In 1915, his ship got stuck in the ice. His 28 expedition members waited nearly a year to release the ship from the ice. Unfortunately, the ship sank. The team made the trip by lifeboats to the mainland. In act of desperation, the captain set off sailing on the open ocean in search of rescue. A few months later he was back - all crew survived. Unfortunately, this three-dimensional movie was shot for slightly younger audience, but the greatness of this expedition leaves a deep impression.
Title: Rabbit -proof fence
Release year and production: 2002, Australia
Director: Phillip Noyce
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Doris Pilkington's book, which was published under the title "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence". It's showing the tragic politic of the Australian Government - consisted of taking away Aboriginal children with brighter skin from the real parents. Children were relocated to special schools where they were taught how to serve "whites". It's called "The stolen generation" and practised until 70's! The movie tells the story of three little Aboriginal girls escaping from such a school. The girls remember that their village is situated near the rabit fence, so they didn't have have much problem with the navigation of their 2400 km walk. The film ends by showing Molly - an authentic person (one of the girls) already in the elderly. The film doesn't show, however, when Molly as already as a woman, her child was taken away from her. Then Molly started again - captured her own 3-year old daughter and moved on foot through the desert for the second time in her life. The incredible soundtrack is by Peter Gabriel.
Title: Alive
Release year and production: 1993, USA
Director: Frank Marshall
Type: Drama based on the true story
This is a movie based upon Piers Paul Read’s book, which was published under the title "Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors". Rugby team flies from Uruguay to Chile. The plane crashes in the Andes. Nobody knows about the accident, there is terribly cold, they are hungry, with no mountain experience. For over two months from 45 people only 16 survived, but to do this, they had to push themselves to cannibalism.
Title: Thelma & Louise
Release year and production: 1991, USA
Director: Ridley Scott
Type: Fiction, Drama
The road story with a criminal intrigue. Two female friends are driving along the beautiful regions of the United States. Unfortunately they killed a man who wanted rape one of them. But who would believed them? Certainly not the police. They are running away. US movies usually lose all its charm by the unrealistic happy ending. But not always ...
Production: BBC Movies
Type: Documentary
British BBC is the world leader for nature documentary movies. Usually they are about animals, but not only. Sometimes they are taking us to see everyday life of the tribe, or showing power of nature. Reliable source of information supported by shots of the highest quality and technology.