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It is an action adventure tale. I said that earlier but in cutting down my description for simplicity, took that out.. It is absolutely action adventure, one of the most economical and effective ones I know,with unique atmosphere.
Amazon doesn't list there being a German DVD; how'd you find it--where? Does it have English subtitles, though? Give me the link--I might like to get a copy of it on DVD myself.
The spoken language in the film, by the way, a recreation of an ancient tongue, is beautiful to listen to.
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I included the link in my previous post. Find it. ;)
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Yes, I see, thanks. I'm still curious how you found that site. Most of the listings I found are only in German and I can't read them.
I ordered it. Shipping costs more than the DVD. Oh, well. Worth it. This is a really neat and little known film.
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You're welcome. I've bought from this site before and since I found out that a German DVD exists, I decided to check it. I usually get an order together because the shipping rate is flat. That's a good price for the DVD, though.
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It's a long time since I've seen Ofelas - Pathfinder, but from what I can remember, because it is based on an old legend it pretty much follows the pattern of most "hero tales" as applicable to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars A New Hope but in a far more down to earth manner.
I remember there was a scene where because of the pathfinders skills, he manages to make the invaders take a treachorous route that pretty much decimates their forces. I also remember the amazing scenery, definitely one of the stand out points of the film.
It was one that I thought would be a good introductory film for youngsters to the world of foreign films.
I feel as if I've undersold Ofelas, it is worth seeing not just for the story but also for the difficult way of life of the Saami people.
Cheers Trev.
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I agree with you on all of that: The Pathfinder (Ofelas) is a great film for young people, but also for any age, and it's a portrait of an ancient people full of flavor (again, the language is a special and wonderful recreation and melodious to listen to). Why'd you have to give away the plot though?
I want to go back and repeat my related recommendation of Philip Kaufman's 1974 The White Dawn, about the stranded American whalers in the nineteenth century adopted by Inuit people; and also the book I learned about it from, Michael Sragow's Produced and Abandoned: The Best Films You've Never Seen, which focuses on forgotten but good movies of the Seventies and Eighties. . Some of them you already know, but some don't come up on lists and are worth seeking out. Ideal for the film nut who''s seen everything.
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Re: Pathfinder.
Sorry if I said too much, as I noted it's a good few years since seeing it and it was just a stand-out scene. Oh dear now I've gone and ruined everyones life! :(
Cheers Trev.
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I wouldn't go that far. We'd better pass over this quickly though. Have you heard of or seen The White Dawn? . . . . change the subject.
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No sorry I haven't heard of it, it was almost certainly unreleased in the UK. Did you find it on video or DVD?
And back to Pathfinder - Ofelas, if anyone gets the chance to see it, make the effort especially if you enjoy something a little different.
End of sales pitch.
Cheers Trev.
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Forty Guns (1957)-Samuel Fuller
Well this makes #10 for Samuel Fuller. The film itself is not among his best. Fuller perhaps isn't as home in the old west as he is in the underworld. There are some nice touches, particularly his use of extreme close ups and the always interesting photographic effects. So perhaps style over in this case.
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Philip Kaufman's 1974 The White Dawn-- as I said, I found out about it from Michael Sragow's Produced and Abandoned, which was published before there were DVD's. But it is available on both US and Canadian DVD's and tapes. Some pretty cheap. I don't recommend it carelessly. It's as unusual and interesting as Pathfinder, in a different way. It's an adventure shipwreck tale, but also a study of cross-cultural encounters handled with a subtlety one rarely sees. Worth seeking out.
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Jiang Wen's Devils on the Doorstep (2002)
Béla Tarr's Family Nest (1979)
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Per Fly's The Inheritance (2004)
Wang Xiaoshuai's So Close to Paradise (1999)
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I'm re-watching on tape P.T. Anderson's Magnolia, which I admired extravagantly but haven't seen for several years. Interested in considering it in relation to Crash and Short Cuts. I don't know if it's going to impress me so powerfully this time through, but I haven't made up my mind yet. It's still clearly brilliant and inventive in its baroque way.
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Have seen Sylvie Testud in several things, but didn't know she was Chantal Ackerman's alter ego. She has seemed to me a powerful, intense, if limited actress, good in the nerve-wracking culture-shock drama, Stupeur et tremblements. She's briefly seen in the lousy Aime ton frère. I just looked her up on IMDb and see she's incredibly busy and has done six more films since Demain on déménage. Personally I've always found Ackerman irritating, but that's just me -- except for the lightweight A Counch in New York, which did quite well here for a little while.
