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Where the River Runs Black

Play trailer Poster for Where the River Runs Black PG 1986 1h 37m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
The young son of a missionary and a native Amazonian woman, Lazaro (Alessandro Rabelo) grows up deep within the jungle, raised by his mother after his father dies. When ruthless white men who are searching for gold kill Lazaro's mother, the boy is forced to survive on his own, finding friendship and protection with the dolphins that live in the nearby river. Father O'Reilly (Charles Durning) eventually encounters Lazaro and brings him back to civilization, but his transition is far from easy.
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Where the River Runs Black

Critics Reviews

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Walter Goodman New York Times Except for Mr. Durning, who is not called on to exert hmself, the acting is as elementary as the screenplay. May 21, 2003 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Here is a fable with the most unlikely ingredients, and yet, like all fables, it will work if we allow it to. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Paul Attanasio Washington Post The movie sags beneath a phony lyricism -- slow-motion shots of water droplets, close-ups of Rabelo's innocent moon face, and post-card-pretty nature photography. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 13, 2005 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice Concerns the clash between Indian and white cultures, the low tolerance of organized religion, and the bonds which can be established between dolphins and human beings Rated: 3/5 Aug 26, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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jon c The river runs black but it's where a boy became a legend Newcomer Alessandro Rabelo is Lazaro, the son of a man and woman who met in the jungle of the Amazon But soon after his father dies and ruthless white men kill his mother while searching for gold Now Lazaro is forced to fend for himself in the wilderness of the jungle His only companions are the dolphins that reside in the water A priest named O' Reilly who tells this story via flashback in church offers to take the boy back to civilization But Lazaro will have difficulty fitting in being so used to his natural habitat and upbringing as a native He stays in an orphanage run by nuns with strict discipline but he would rather be wild and carefree without any rules caging him But it's more of a shock learning the man who shot his mother is also a famous politician and Lazaro still feels the rage and pain of it all Yet he makes a friend in Segundo who has a fair share of mistrust of authority O' Reilly is a wonderful surrogate father to this boy who teaches him about forgiveness if there is any This actually sounds like the Tarzan story if you pay attention I love the exotic setting, the music by James Horner giving it a melancholy feeling, and the performance by Rabelo is extremely well-executed He's a pilgrim in a foreign land but still in touch with his jungle side Lazaro becomes an orphan but also a tale of myth and magic as wise as the river itself swimming with the dolphins A story that says you can't take the boy of out of the jungle entirely, a person's real home is where he is loved This is a fable I really like that mixes clashing of the Indian culture and whites, the low tolerance of organized religion, and the unexpected bonds of humans and animals Excellent pacing, wonderful locales, and a charming performance by this young child actor Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Where the River Runs Black

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Where the River Runs Black

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Movie Info

Synopsis The young son of a missionary and a native Amazonian woman, Lazaro (Alessandro Rabelo) grows up deep within the jungle, raised by his mother after his father dies. When ruthless white men who are searching for gold kill Lazaro's mother, the boy is forced to survive on his own, finding friendship and protection with the dolphins that live in the nearby river. Father O'Reilly (Charles Durning) eventually encounters Lazaro and brings him back to civilization, but his transition is far from easy.
Director
Christopher Cain
Producer
Joe Roth, Harry J. Ufland
Screenwriter
Neal Jimenez
Production Co
CBS Entertainment Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$582.0K
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround
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