Land of the Blind (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Robert Edwards

Writer (WGA):

Robert Edwards (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A soldier recounts his relationship with a famous political prisoner attempting to overthrow their country's authoritarian government.

Cast

Ralph Fiennes	...	Joe
Donald Sutherland	...	Thorne
Tom Hollander	...	Maximilian II
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	First Lady
Marc Warren	...	Pool
Ron Cook	...	Doc
Robert Daws	...	Jones
Laura Fraser	...	Madeleine
Jonathan Hyde	...	Smith
Camilla Rutherford	...	Tania
Don Warrington	...	First Sergeant
Miranda Raison	...	Daisy
Nigel Whitmey	...	Anchorman
Leigh Zimmerman	...	Anchorwoman
Mackenzie Crook	...	Editor

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.

Runtime:

USA:110 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Italy:T | UK:15

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Avnet/Kerner Productions

Trivia:

Thorne tells Joe a line about their forefathers "burning their ships at the shore" when they first arrived. This is a reference to Cortes, the Spaniard conquistador who conquered Mexico. Cortes did, in fact, burn his ships to show his men they had no other choice but to join him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anchorwoman: So many fond memories of Maximilian the First on the tenth anniversary of our glorious leader's death.
Anchorman: Many of course doubted that his son and heir, Maximilian II, could live up to the example of his charismatic father. But the man affectionately called Junior has valiantly continued against the pesky rebellion, led by the playwright turned terrorist, John Thorne.
Anchorwoman: Once derided as the playboy Prince more interested in the movie business, the President-for-life announced today that he would not rest until he has rid the country of these criminals whom he called, quote, "Really bad guys". In a gesture of goodwill to the commemorate his father's memory, the President today also commuted the sentences of several men condemned to the gallows today, sending them to the guillotine instead.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (1968)

Soundtrack:

Nellie The Elephant

A must see film

It is a rare event when a feature film with two name stars, Fiennes and Sutherland in this case, can so eloquently capture the political atmosphere wafting across the world today. Robert Edward's 'Land of The Blind' does this and much more in the political thriller/drama/ comedy that manages to create an original film based on themes that have unfortunately not gone out of style.

While never overtly alluding to a specific regime, the film creates a world that is at once absurd and chilling. One moment you are watching a David Lynch take on a Banana Republic, and the next you are thrown into 1950's Kremlin a la, "The Manchurian Candidate". This suspension of time and place allows the viewer to take in the chilling effect of totalitarianism, while witnessing the insane behavior of its participants. The film's engrossing aesthetics run the gamut from Fellini to "Brazil" to "1984", all expertly directed by Edwards and edited by Pearlstein.

'Land of The Blind' has the guts to take the viewer on a journey that few filmmakers would dare these days, and having the acting to back it up takes the film straight to the winners circle. Make room George Clooney, thank goodness another talented filmmaker has emerged with courage and vision.

On a side note, I had the good opportunity to see this film in London at the Human Rights Watch Festival, and the sold out crowd went absolutely nuts for the picture. This film should do great as long the distributor realizes what kind of a gem they have.

GO SEE THIS FILM!