Amor sin fronteras

This is a 1983 movie but I just saw it last night. It's a movie based in a real life event: the story of a foreign journalist in Laos who is declared "non grata person" by the Communist regime. This is a beautiful story of love and courage. The main character is Michael Landon, one of my favorite actors. The movie is kind of slow but I enjoyed it.

The most extreme dive scene I have ever viewed - buddy breathing with one regulator while crossing the Mekong River. The believable scene is so realistic looking, it appears that this stunt is the first time the actress ever used scuba. The river has very low visibility, they are traversing the bottom, trying to maintain direction by referencing the current, bumping into strange things along the bottom. For all of you who have ever worked in zero visibility waters, recalling those TV commercials of Hawaiian dive vacations, check out this movie for this scene. Oh, and the actress is gorgeous, with a beautiful exotic face of Eurasian extract.

I read John Everingham's story years ago in Reader's Digest, and I remember thinking what a great movie it would make. And it probably would have been had Michael Landon never got his hands on it. As far as I'm concerned, Landon was one of the worst actors on earth, and his artistic license went way over the top, similar to his massacre of the "Little House" book series is proof. The acting, for lack of a better word, is atrocious, the screenplay sloppy, and there are more close-ups of Landon's puss than should be allowed.

This movie reflects Everingham's story as much as "Little House On The Prairie" reflects the books is was "based" on. It's just another vehicle to show off Landons horrendous hair.

From back cover, "Based upon a true story, a foreign journalist returns to Laos to rescue the woman he loves, and was forced to leave behind. He had been in prison and tortured by the Communist regime one year earlier, and was convicted of being a spy. However, he was willing to risk his life to reunite with his one true love..."

I bought this DVD for a buck at the local dollar store, and it was worth it. Made by Westlake, it is very poorly produced. I had to increase my volume about 50% higher than normal. The color was not very sharp either. But if you like Michael Landon (Little Joe from Bonanza), you'll enjoy this flick. It's a real example of what folks will go through, because of love.

There's also a couple good roles by Mr. Edward Woodward (remember him in "The Equalizer") and Elvis Presley's first wife, Priscilla.

This film has a really interesting plot. The acting is pretty good as well. It is a real life story about the height of integrity of a journalist in Laos, and the extent to which he will go for his girlfriend. It is a very uplifting story.

However, the DVD versions of the film (I have seen two DVD versions) are extremely poor. The sound is so terrible, that frequently the listener cannot tell what is being said, and there are no subtitles or closed captioning. There is a constant roaring sound in the background of the soundtrack for the entire film that makes the voices often difficult to understand.

The film has really bad resolution and it is often dark. The lighting and resolution are frequently so poor that one cannot recognize which characters are in the scene.

The producers of the DVDs frequently bill the film as starring Priscilla Presley. If you are a Priscilla Presley fan, don't be fooled by this as she appears on the screen for a total of perhaps 2 minutes and has about three lines. She plays a very minor role in the film. It is strange that the real heroine in this film, Laura Gemser, usually gets much less billing.

The film can usually be purchased for less than $5, which to me is worth it. But be aware that the sound and video quality are EXTREMELY poor. So I give the plot a 9 and the filming a 1 for an average of 5/10.