doc91555
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
16 years
Reviews
Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
Great New Zealand Vistas, and daredevil helicopter stunt flying
This is a nice campy little film that the whole family might enjoy IF you can find a copy anywhere. However there are many unrealistic "shoot em up" scenes, which may leave the young to think that gunplay has no consequences. I won't describe the plot as given elsewhere.
There are two great helicopter chase scenes in the film (reminiscent of "the Gauntlet") that really show off some of the backcountry beauty of New Zealand that frankly, you would not be able to see without a helicopter.
There are also many later scenes of "expert maneuvers" in helicopter, such as "quickstop-pedalturn-reverse heading", a "hammerhead pushover" or two, "sidewall dismount", and "confined spaces settling". The pilotage is excellent.
The film also shows some of the wild ruggedness of New Zealand's South Island, where(at the time the film was made at least in 1981) the only paved roads are in larger towns and cities, and the country thoroughfares are primarily just "metal" (gravel roads) though always well maintained. And yes, the peaks really are that jagged. No special effects.
Donald Pleasance, as a happy go lucky over the hill sot, plays his character to perfection. He makes numerous muttering quips similar to the humorous mutterings you hear in the vintage "a.a.p." Popeye cartoons. Unfortunately, many of these mutterings in RFYZ are unintelligible without multiple rewinds and equalizing to hear what is said. A bit frustrating, as there are probably a few lost jokes in there.
George Peppard's accent is a very forced upper class snotty, which conforms to his portrayed character adequately.
Ken Wahl and Lesley Ann Warren's characters play well off of each other to establish a typical independent rugged male vs. coddled entitled wenging female dynamic that would be "toxic" if not for nuances of a smoldering mutual sexual interest. There is one very brief fully clothed and appearing to have been intentionally directed "doggie style" movement between Wahl and Warren masked in a "struggling to escape" context that adds a subliminal mild eroticism to the play, but will go right over the heads of the kiddies. (Though may well spark Mom and Dad's fantasies once the kiddies have gone to sleep . . . .) There are no overt sexual references in the film that the kiddies would understand, however there is a brief "wet slip" scene which does faintly reveal the nature of LAW's upper "endowments".
Shooting violence is significant, including use of assault weapons, but amazingly through the expenditures of hundreds of rounds of ammo, nobody ever gets hurt(hooray for Hollywood), nor is their accompanying gore.
Conversational and expletive profanity (all but the F word and genital synonyms) are typical for middle class language, and would likely only be offensive to "devout" types, though may be inappropriate to guarded "inculcation" of pre-teens.
Overall a fun "adventure" type film that all can enjoy as long as the young'uns are thoroughly coached or cognizant that in real life all the gunplay would really end up with lot's of dead people. And a must see for anyone interested in the wilds of New Zealand that could otherwise not be seen, or any student of rotor-wing aviation. Though all shots are exterior, so accurate control inputs are not shown. Choppers used are Hughes 269, Hughes 500C and Bell 206.
There are two great helicopter chase scenes in the film (reminiscent of "the Gauntlet") that really show off some of the backcountry beauty of New Zealand that frankly, you would not be able to see without a helicopter.
There are also many later scenes of "expert maneuvers" in helicopter, such as "quickstop-pedalturn-reverse heading", a "hammerhead pushover" or two, "sidewall dismount", and "confined spaces settling". The pilotage is excellent.
The film also shows some of the wild ruggedness of New Zealand's South Island, where(at the time the film was made at least in 1981) the only paved roads are in larger towns and cities, and the country thoroughfares are primarily just "metal" (gravel roads) though always well maintained. And yes, the peaks really are that jagged. No special effects.
Donald Pleasance, as a happy go lucky over the hill sot, plays his character to perfection. He makes numerous muttering quips similar to the humorous mutterings you hear in the vintage "a.a.p." Popeye cartoons. Unfortunately, many of these mutterings in RFYZ are unintelligible without multiple rewinds and equalizing to hear what is said. A bit frustrating, as there are probably a few lost jokes in there.
George Peppard's accent is a very forced upper class snotty, which conforms to his portrayed character adequately.
Ken Wahl and Lesley Ann Warren's characters play well off of each other to establish a typical independent rugged male vs. coddled entitled wenging female dynamic that would be "toxic" if not for nuances of a smoldering mutual sexual interest. There is one very brief fully clothed and appearing to have been intentionally directed "doggie style" movement between Wahl and Warren masked in a "struggling to escape" context that adds a subliminal mild eroticism to the play, but will go right over the heads of the kiddies. (Though may well spark Mom and Dad's fantasies once the kiddies have gone to sleep . . . .) There are no overt sexual references in the film that the kiddies would understand, however there is a brief "wet slip" scene which does faintly reveal the nature of LAW's upper "endowments".
Shooting violence is significant, including use of assault weapons, but amazingly through the expenditures of hundreds of rounds of ammo, nobody ever gets hurt(hooray for Hollywood), nor is their accompanying gore.
Conversational and expletive profanity (all but the F word and genital synonyms) are typical for middle class language, and would likely only be offensive to "devout" types, though may be inappropriate to guarded "inculcation" of pre-teens.
Overall a fun "adventure" type film that all can enjoy as long as the young'uns are thoroughly coached or cognizant that in real life all the gunplay would really end up with lot's of dead people. And a must see for anyone interested in the wilds of New Zealand that could otherwise not be seen, or any student of rotor-wing aviation. Though all shots are exterior, so accurate control inputs are not shown. Choppers used are Hughes 269, Hughes 500C and Bell 206.
Alive (1993)
One of Top 10 BEST Stories of Pathos, more sweet than sour
Unlike the gratuitously disgusting and in a sense pornographic film "Hannibal" which caused me to loose respect for A. Hopkins choice of scripts, "Cannibalism" is more of an adjunct than the theme to this one. Tastefully, ethically, and spiritually argued for only a few minutes and invites the viewer to consider what you would do in their shoes. The real story is about a diverse group of personality types interactions while finding themselves in horrific circumstances and forced to make difficult choices in order to survive.
The over all tone is sensitive and moving, with a large but balanced focus on spiritual values. The soundtrack is perfection for the scenes, the end tune will move you to the edge of joyful tears if you are a person of faith. The cinematography in difficult low contrast exterior and low lux interior scenes is literally award winning and to be studied by any Video/Cine aspirant. To the viewer, completely non distracting, unlike other limited budget productions. There is a distracting amount of lack of annunciation in the dialogue which makes some phrases though naturally delivered emotionally, sound mumbled or slurred almost to the point of unintelligibility. Turn up the volume to solve this. There is a liberal sprinkling of humor (sometimes macabre) to counterpose the severity of their plight. As well as a couple of "cliffhanger" incidents not mentioned in the book. Conversational profanity is also liberal. The location set is awesome, and the special effects are superb, though NOT RECOMMENDED if you fear flying. Mostly true to the book other than a few name changes, and misappropriations of events to different persons than those stated in the book. The book is far more detailed on all aspects of the story, and if first read, better illuminates a few scenes where the viewer otherwise is scratching their head wondering "what's that about?" The film makes better sense and continuity immediately after reading the book.
On whole an uplifting heroic film that I enjoy viewing at least once a year. The casting is good with many attractive unknowns and "where are they nows". The acting with only a brief exception or two is excellent. Not for children under "thinking" teens, squeamish, or aerophobics. A true Classic that will encourage "lazy readers" to learn what sitting down with a good book is all about. The book, while more comprehensive is more of a documentary tone. Whereas the film captures the drama well and does not come across as a documentary. A "must have" for the DVD collection, as well as bookshelf.
If you get the DVD version watch the Bonus Material. In the included documentary story ALIVE: 20 YEARS LATER there is a brief moment where the real life Nando comforts the real life Carlitos, in front of the actor portraying Carlitos (Bruce Ramsay). It says everything in an instant about their ordeal and bonding, and how possibly the others also unspokenly felt about Nando, and literally looked to him for courage. No acting there at all. Pure reality. A very touching moment. If you want to see the awesome starkness of the afterwards named "Glacier of Tears" on the flanks of the Tinguiririca Volcano where they actually crashed in the Andes watch the RETURN TO THE ANDES bonus.
All in all: a highly entertaining and masterfully scored and cine'd 2 hour trailer that will induce you to go out and buy the book. That's when the entire story falls into place. Not a criticism of the film really, as it is impossible to squeeze the vast anecdotes, character backgrounds, family search efforts, and after rescue decompression found in the book into just two hours. The film does an excellent job of getting the pathos of the actual "on mountain" experience across.
<><><><><><><><><> POSSIBLE SPOILER FOLLOWS <><><><><><><><><><><><><
Splitting Hairs: FYI on the "Goofs" portion of the film outline page here at IMDb, whoever posted that "goofed" in saying the altimeter reads 2000 feet. Any pilot can confirm that the Altimeter is the gauge in the top left of the last scene showing gauges. It reads 12,500 feet. The short hand points to the 1 for 10,000 ft., the middle length hand points between the 2 and 3 (like a clock moves) for an additional 2,000 ft., and the long hand points to the 5 for 500 ft., add all together for 12,500 feet. The height of the ridge they first impacted on in reality. If you single frame you see that the altimeter actually climbs about 20 feet right before they had impact, as would be expected and is accurately portrayed in the final pitching up of the plane trying to clear the ridge. This is exactly as Nando Parrado has said it happened. The top right gauge is an analog multi-revolution airspeed indicator with a digital Mach meter only found on military aircraft, It is able to be calibrated for local barometric pressure by the knob in its lower left which may lead the unwary to think it was an altimeter. As the actual Fairchild that crashed in the saga was also a military variant, that is real internal continuity, even though there are many other errors between the screenplay and the book.
HOWEVER, there is a genuine "Goof" in the opening John Malkovich as older Carlitos narrative. In the pause after he says ". . . how you'll behave", a highlight plays across his face and stops on his nose, then continues, only to whip across again a second later. Maybe they had a bet as to how many takes it would take, and someone was trying to get John to break form. Didn't work, not even the slightest squint or flinch from him there. That's stoic discipline! Why they didn't retake??? Maybe John's cameo was billed by the minute and they couldn't afford another $5,000 to retake. That's Hollywood!!! LOL just kidding John. Luv ya
The over all tone is sensitive and moving, with a large but balanced focus on spiritual values. The soundtrack is perfection for the scenes, the end tune will move you to the edge of joyful tears if you are a person of faith. The cinematography in difficult low contrast exterior and low lux interior scenes is literally award winning and to be studied by any Video/Cine aspirant. To the viewer, completely non distracting, unlike other limited budget productions. There is a distracting amount of lack of annunciation in the dialogue which makes some phrases though naturally delivered emotionally, sound mumbled or slurred almost to the point of unintelligibility. Turn up the volume to solve this. There is a liberal sprinkling of humor (sometimes macabre) to counterpose the severity of their plight. As well as a couple of "cliffhanger" incidents not mentioned in the book. Conversational profanity is also liberal. The location set is awesome, and the special effects are superb, though NOT RECOMMENDED if you fear flying. Mostly true to the book other than a few name changes, and misappropriations of events to different persons than those stated in the book. The book is far more detailed on all aspects of the story, and if first read, better illuminates a few scenes where the viewer otherwise is scratching their head wondering "what's that about?" The film makes better sense and continuity immediately after reading the book.
On whole an uplifting heroic film that I enjoy viewing at least once a year. The casting is good with many attractive unknowns and "where are they nows". The acting with only a brief exception or two is excellent. Not for children under "thinking" teens, squeamish, or aerophobics. A true Classic that will encourage "lazy readers" to learn what sitting down with a good book is all about. The book, while more comprehensive is more of a documentary tone. Whereas the film captures the drama well and does not come across as a documentary. A "must have" for the DVD collection, as well as bookshelf.
If you get the DVD version watch the Bonus Material. In the included documentary story ALIVE: 20 YEARS LATER there is a brief moment where the real life Nando comforts the real life Carlitos, in front of the actor portraying Carlitos (Bruce Ramsay). It says everything in an instant about their ordeal and bonding, and how possibly the others also unspokenly felt about Nando, and literally looked to him for courage. No acting there at all. Pure reality. A very touching moment. If you want to see the awesome starkness of the afterwards named "Glacier of Tears" on the flanks of the Tinguiririca Volcano where they actually crashed in the Andes watch the RETURN TO THE ANDES bonus.
All in all: a highly entertaining and masterfully scored and cine'd 2 hour trailer that will induce you to go out and buy the book. That's when the entire story falls into place. Not a criticism of the film really, as it is impossible to squeeze the vast anecdotes, character backgrounds, family search efforts, and after rescue decompression found in the book into just two hours. The film does an excellent job of getting the pathos of the actual "on mountain" experience across.
<><><><><><><><><> POSSIBLE SPOILER FOLLOWS <><><><><><><><><><><><><
Splitting Hairs: FYI on the "Goofs" portion of the film outline page here at IMDb, whoever posted that "goofed" in saying the altimeter reads 2000 feet. Any pilot can confirm that the Altimeter is the gauge in the top left of the last scene showing gauges. It reads 12,500 feet. The short hand points to the 1 for 10,000 ft., the middle length hand points between the 2 and 3 (like a clock moves) for an additional 2,000 ft., and the long hand points to the 5 for 500 ft., add all together for 12,500 feet. The height of the ridge they first impacted on in reality. If you single frame you see that the altimeter actually climbs about 20 feet right before they had impact, as would be expected and is accurately portrayed in the final pitching up of the plane trying to clear the ridge. This is exactly as Nando Parrado has said it happened. The top right gauge is an analog multi-revolution airspeed indicator with a digital Mach meter only found on military aircraft, It is able to be calibrated for local barometric pressure by the knob in its lower left which may lead the unwary to think it was an altimeter. As the actual Fairchild that crashed in the saga was also a military variant, that is real internal continuity, even though there are many other errors between the screenplay and the book.
HOWEVER, there is a genuine "Goof" in the opening John Malkovich as older Carlitos narrative. In the pause after he says ". . . how you'll behave", a highlight plays across his face and stops on his nose, then continues, only to whip across again a second later. Maybe they had a bet as to how many takes it would take, and someone was trying to get John to break form. Didn't work, not even the slightest squint or flinch from him there. That's stoic discipline! Why they didn't retake??? Maybe John's cameo was billed by the minute and they couldn't afford another $5,000 to retake. That's Hollywood!!! LOL just kidding John. Luv ya