Where the River Runs Black

It was about a year or so after the release of this movie before I was able to see it. It's amazing how the human spirit can survive, no matter where this body of our's lives. The scenery was beautiful and the story line was wonderfully done.

The two brothers that played "Lazaro" (Alessandro And Marcelo Rabelo) do a remarkable job playing "Lazaro" at two different ages. I can see why they casting director chose both of them. Remarkably, they favor each other very much.

This movie, if I remember correctly, originally aired on HBO.

A friend of mine taped it for me and sent it to me as a gift because he had an idea I would like it.

Boy, was that an understatement.

The movie reminded me of a Tarzan movie called "Tarzan And The Jungle Boy", where they find a boy who crashed in the jingle and spent years there before he was found.

The two brothers who play Lazaro, Alessandro Rabelo and Marcelo Rabelo, look so much alike that it's no wonder they chose them to play the same character at different ages. They both give a stunning performance as the adoreable jungle boy.

I was fourteen years of age when I first saw this film. For me, the experience was magical. I didn't know what this film had that created an aura of mysteriousness and intrigue, but I remember seeing it again a few years later and looking everywhere to purchase a copy.

The young boy, Lazarus, has an affinity with the dolphins of the Amazon jungle and it is wonderfully captured in the screenplay. As young actors go, this boy is wonderful as Lazarus. His expressions are true to life and the scenes where he is brought from the wild to adapt to civilisation are naturally brought out. The scene where he is mischievous with his orphan friend under the water tap captures the magical experience of childhood.

The scene where his father rows quietly along the river makes you feel as if you're in the boat with him.

I think you need to watch this film two or three times to fully appreciate the story it is telling.

I haven't seen this movie for years, but it has always "haunted" me, and I have never been able to forget it. I have frequently looked for it on DVD, hoping to see it pop up in stores or on Amazon, but it is apparently only available online as used VHS. I don't own it in any form, so I am wondering what the latest news is as to a future release on DVD.

Since I was very young, I have been a fan of jungle movies. Many of them have had shallow and silly plots, but this movie is about the human spirit's ability to survive. It is a beautiful story, and is visually stunning. It's right up there with "The Emerald Forest" which came out the same year.

It starts with a touch of awesome music and a priest making his way to give his confession to another priest. The story is his confession. He tells how he feels he has sinned against God, by allowing an event to take place. Lazaro is a young boy, raised dolphins in the jungle, after his mother is raped and killed (before his very eyes), by wicked men! The priest (Charles Durning) befriends Lazaro and tries to make the boy civilized. But Lazaro is vengeful toward the men who killed his mother, and has the opportunity to strike back!