The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

An under-seen and under-rated gem of a movie, I had the great pleasure of seeing The Old Man Who Read Love Stories when I was but a young boy and it's a film that stuck with me for many years thanks to subtle power, striking imagery and a performance from Richard Dreyfuss that surely must be the most fully formed of his career. I had an even greater pleasure recently where I was able to attend a screening of The Old Man and a Q and A with its legendary Australian director Rolf de Heer that reaffirmed to me what a classic film this is.

The making and release of The Old Man was one fraught with many different challenges both in a crew sense and also a release sense. Sitting on the shelf unjustly for more than 3 years The Old Man once available to the public was a film that divided the critics and audiences alike but for those willing to be swept up in the tale of journeyman Antonio Bolivar it was an absolute joy to be a part of. The Old Man is in no way a typical point A to point B movie and the structure of the films flashbacks (going hand in hand with our lead's fractured life and memories) are in no way done in the usual movie-making fashion. These elements of originality and decision making by director De Heer are just some of the reasons though that make the film just a diamond in the rough.

The Old Man Who Read Love Stories - post As mentioned in the opening paragraph Richard Dreyfuss has never been better than he is here. In a role that was originally intended for Sir Ian McKellan and down the line Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley, Dreyfuss is captivating and heartbreaking as our wounded soul. It's a character that is filled to the brim with hidden mysteries that slowly begin to unravel as the movie progresses and although the town folk he deals with (including the "slimy toad" mayor played by the ever creepy Timothy Spall and the roguish dentist played by Hugo Weaving) treat him perhaps as a man that knows little, he is in fact a man that has loved, lost and lived like the best of them. The journey Antonio takes to track a vengeful jaguar is a journey that is not only a physical trek but an emotional trek and one where the film's softly spoken power comes from as Antonio internally deals with his past triumphs and past losses.

Filmed beautifully, scored thoughtfully and acted wonderfully by its cast, The Old Man is a film that is worthy to be tracked down and to be taken away by. With the right marketing and proper treatment one gets the feeling that the film would have been a major player at awards seasons the world over but sometimes a film is more than physical awards and plaudits and the Old Man's true gift is the one it gives to us the watchers and admirers.

5 dentist related bets out of 5

Brooding and provoking movie mainly dealing with a merciless , relentless chase to a jaguar and many other things . An old man called Antonio Bolívar (Richard Dreyfuss , though director originally envisaged Morgan Freeman in the lead role) lives in a small village in the wild jungle . Antonio is a thoughtful veteran who has been living with Jivaro Indians who reduce human heads and has learned a lot of things from them such as hunting by means of blowpipe . Meanwhile , he reads loving novels such as ¨To love and to be loved¨ and ¨Lovers of the forgotten garden¨ and falls in love for a beautiful village girl (Cathy Tyson) , Mayor's girlfriend . There governs a corrupt as well as stiff-upper-lip Mayor (Timothy Spall) in charge of Town Hall Mayoral Office . The grumpy Mayor is a ¨Cacique¨ who coerces the natives to vote to him , giving them liquors and privileges . When a savage jaguar kills people , the Mayor organizes a posse to track down the animal . The motley group is formed by Bolívar , the itinerant dentist Rubicondo (Hugo Weaving) , villagers (Guillermo Toledo , Luis Hostalot) and natives . Antonio is forced to confront a dangerous female jaguar and his own past through the sacrificial killing of the beast he has grown to love. In the jungle, the one who survives is the one that moves.

This jungle adventure yarn is full of interesting dialogs , moving scenes , thrills , and results to be slow-moving but entertaining . The film is pretty well with a nice sense of pace but also some holes in the screenplay . During this exciting tale we share the old man's memories , scenes of a past existence , records and relationships with his deceased wife and the Amazon tribe who healed him . The yarn has a complex narration , including intelligently inserted flashbacks along with some well-paced hunting scenes through of the capture of wildlife by the hunters and being based on a novel by Luis Sepúlveda . Filmmaker Rolf De Heer wrote and shot this exciting as well as thoughtful jungle story and Richard Dreyfuss , Timothy Spall , Hugo Weaving star in it , which should guarantee a high quality excitement and entertainment . Nice support cast , many of them Spanish players such as Luis Hostalot and Guillermo Toledo . All of them , contribute towards compensating for the flaws and gaps in the plot .

Sensitive and lively soundtrack by Fernando Sancho and Graham Tardif . Luxurious and glamorous color photograph by cameraman Denis Lenoir filmed on location in Guyane, Départements d'Outre-Mer, France , though the film was originally going to be filmed in Venezuela, South America. The flick was compellingly produced by Michelle De Boca and the Spanish producer Iñaqui Nuñez, the latter has financed good films such as Poniente , Sabotage , Marujas Asesinas and The ninth gate . The motion picture was well directed by Rolf De Heer . In the early stages of development, the director asked for final cut thinking that he would not get it, but he did . Rolf de Heer was born on May 4, 1951 in Heemskerk, Noord-Holland, Netherlands . He is a director , writer and producer, known for Dingo (1991) , Dance Me to My Song (1998) , Bad Boy Bubby (1993), Alexandra's Project (2003) The tracker (2002) , Ten Canoes (2006) and this one his best movie ¨The Old Man Who Read Love Stories¨ (2001) . Rating : Better than average . Well worth watching .

It is worth noting that Luís Sepulveda (the author of the novel upon which the film was based), upon meeting Rolf De Heer, grabbed him by the shoulders and thanked him for having brought the spirit of his novel alive onscreen. The nuanced performances of Hugo Weaving, Timothy Spall, Cathy Tyson and

Victor Bottenbley are as memorable as that of Richard Dreyfus, whose deeply-felt and brilliant portrayal of the old man of the title ('Antonio Bolivar') must be a late- career defining moment. It could so easily have degenerated into yet another bit of macho chest-thumpin' hunt-in-the-jungle fluff. However, the beautifully evocative cinematography and sensitive direction save it from such triteness. Highlights include the Mr De Heer's intimate close-ups of the characters, giving the audience a window into their personal space; and the scenes of Antonio Bolivar reading his beloved books by lamplight as he relishes each painstakingly spelt-out word and ruminates on the meaning of each hard-won sentence before moving on

to the next. It's the picture of a man for whom the mere act of reading is still a joyous miracle to be savoured. A nice little bit of synchronicity: Victor Bottenbley, the Dutch actor who plays Nushino, was indeed born in Surinam, which he left as a small child. When he

arrived in French Guiana to begin the shoot, he discovered that some of the other actors were of the tribe of his mother's people. A wonderful homecoming indeed. This year saw the first two preview screenings in Australia.

Well maybe it can be said that this movie is sometime slow but not so much. The performances are very good , specially Hugo Weaving and Richard Dreyfuss are excellent and the movie have a poetic sense and fine dialog . The art designer is Gil Parrondo, who have won 2 academy awards with "Patton" and "Nicholas and Alexandra".This is an adaptation of a novel , a complex one. The screenplay is beautiful and the movie really flows, it's not contrived . This is not a cliché film or a conventional movie and does not disappoint . I really like this movie and I think it's one of the best Dreyfuss's performances ever, creating a subtle, intelligent , simple and wise old man.

Watching this movie I tried my best to experience the subtext, only - everything was so spelled out and manipulative, there was nothing for me to do. De Heer obviously doesn't trust an audience when it comes to interpreting characters. Every single one was simply in the film for the sake of highlighting Dreyfuss' character. Nothing more. This is the type of movie where the director's arm leaps out of the screen and clenches your face, telling you where to look, what to feel and how exactly to react. Give us some credit, Rolf!