The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Rolf de Heer

Writers:

Claude Cohen (French dialogue)
Luis Sepúlveda (novel)

Release Date:

7 March 2001 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

In the jungle, the one who survives is the one that moves

Plot:

A man is forced to confront a dangerous female jaguar and his own past through the sacrificial killing of the beast he has grown to love. |

Plot Keywords:

Jaguar | Hunting | Servant | Death Of Wife | Reading

Awards:

2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Antonio Bolivar
Timothy Spall	...	Luis Agalla (Mayor)
Hugo Weaving	...	Rubicondo (Dentist)
Cathy Tyson	...	Josefina
Victor Bottenbley	...	Nushino
Fede Celada	...	Juan
Luis Hostalot	...	Manuel
Guillermo Toledo	...	Onecen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nor-eddin Abboud	...	The Priest
Lionel Barsacq	...	Gold Prospector
Patrick Crepat	...	Gold Prospector
Josse De Pauw	...	The Man Who Bets
Alain Dery	...	Gold Prospector
Behi Djanati Atai	...	Dolores
Alberto Dominguez	...	Salinas
Jerome Ehlers	...	Gringo
Viviane Emigre	...	Zamora
Denis Fouqueray	...	Election Official (as Denys Fouqueray)
Eric Gaudinot	...	Alkaseltzer
Peter Geselle	...	Boat Captain
Christian Giovanetti	...	Gold Prospector
Christian Holer	...	Gringo
Georges Laflotte	...	Gold Prospector
André Lichau	...	Plascencio
Jean-Pierre Soulat	...	Drunk Man
Duncan Thompson	...	Gringo
Jim van der Woude	...	The Patient
Laurent Yawalou	...	Shuar

Also Known As:

El viejo que leía novelas de amor (Spain)
Le vieux qui lisait des romans d'amour (France)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Netherlands | France | Spain | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | France:U | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Guyane, Départements d'Outre-Mer, France

Company:

Fildebroc

Trivia:

The director originally envisaged 'Morgan Freeman' in the lead role of Antonio Bolivar.

Quotes:

Antonio Bolivar: It was a kiss of impassioned intensity, a kiss to remember their lives by.

An extraordinary film, brought lovingly to life by both director and actors

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.