I noticed that some viewers didn't give That Man From Rio a "10" rating. Well, there's no accounting for taste. You would have to be clinically depressed not to give this movie the highest rating. Of course, TMFR uses raucous, flamboyant, genuine, heart-thumping stunts by real actors, rather than the always-phony-looking-computer-generated special effects of today's movies. And it has a real plot, so it doesn't need the "F-word" or gratuitous nudity and sex to arouse one's interest. It has a magical innocence and imaginative style, so that you would be comfortable watching this movie with youngsters or your grandmother -- it is enjoyable for all ages. That alone probably accounts for the aforementioned low scores. But TMFR received unanimously rave reviews, and ran "forever," when it was released a. 1964 (a rare thing for a foreign film in the US) and it still stands up today to comparison with any other movie of its genre. I don't think a better road-adventure movie has ever been made and I have been going to movies since about 1945. Certainly no one makes movies of this calibre today. TMFR has everything: it's fresh, exciting, romantic, bright, and original. It's beautifully produced, directed, scored, and photographed. If I lived to be 100 I could not find one negative or "hedging" thing to say about it. It has an exceptionally attractive and able cast -- including the people of Brazil -- and takes viewers on a whirlwind adventure the likes of which will never be seen again because this movie was filmed just at the moment Brazil was becoming "modern." Its natural beauty and energy were not yet spoiled with polluted beaches and tourist-spewing jets. Everything was shot on location -- it's the real thing -- from the streets and museums of sophisticated Paris to the lush, exotic locales of Brazil and back again to Paris. The kaleidoscopic roller coaster of adventure in Brazil takes you from the hotels, beaches, and slums of Rio (which provide the setting for one of the movie's most enchanting interludes), to the emerging capital city of Brasilia (the city was being built on cleared land at the time this movie was filmed, which DeBroca makes brilliant use of). Then there's a surrealistic road trip along a scenic coastal highway (the Pan American?) and a rough-and-tumble trip down the expansive Amazon on a gambling riverboat, replete with wicked women and river-rat outlaws. Not to mention a mad scramble through the jungle-rain forest. TMFR stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a "rakish-but-decent" young soldier on leave who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful red-haired sister of Catherine Deneuve and the dark and dashing Adolfo Celi. The music is melodic and intoxicating. Just writing this makes we want to see TMFR again and I plan to this weekend. I guarantee you too will fall in love with That Man From Rio.
Review of That Man from Rio
