Customer Reviews

The Burning Season - The Chico Mendes Story [VHS]

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Originally airing on HBO, "The Burning Season" stars the late Raul Julia as Chico Mendes, the founder of Brazil's ecological movement to preserve and save the Amazon rainforest from the destruction by herders, miners, and other companies wanting to exploit the region's rich natural supplies.

Mendes, who led a movement from the small frontier town of Acre, became an international celebrity after he went on Brazilian television to fight the destruction of the Amazonian Rainforest. With the ban on Argentine beef, Brazilian farmers saw the Amazon as being an emerging area to raise cattle in order to meet the world demand for beef. Miners, who were moving onto Indian lands to mine for gold, copper, and other minerals were also effecting the rainforest's ecology.

Mendes, who was a "seringuiero," or "rubber-tapper," relied on the Amazon's vast supply of rubber trees in order to make a living. Seeing that his source of income was in peril with the elimination of trees in order to make room for miners and farmers, Mendes began a national movement to awaken the consciousness of the world about the obvious dangers that lurked nearby if the rainforest was cleared. However, his life will take a tragic turn when he was only starting to gain international awareness and support for his movement.

Puerto-Rican born actor Raul Julia, gives on of the final performances of his gifted life as Chico Mendes. Brazilian actress Sonia Braga also lends her talents to this important film that was filmed in Mexico's Yucatan region. Both actors, as well as the film's realism add depth and realism to a film that should be watched by all, especially when recent news indicate that the world's sea levels are rising due to global warming.

This is a must-see film for everyone. Chico Mendes' mission to educate the world of the immense importance that Brazil's rainforest is to world's climate control should not die in vain. This important, ethical film will awaken your awareness of what the Amazon's destruction and development will have on the world's population

The Burning Season is a wonderful film about the life and struggles of Chico Mendez. Chico (played by Raul Julia) fought his entire life to save the Amazon from ranchers and miners that wanted to cut it down. He lived a very peaceful life in Brazil as a seringueiro or rubber tapper until the cattle ranchers and miners took over his land and destroyed it. Mendez was a pioneer for the start of many efforts to save the rain forests. Unfortunately, his efforts were cut short when the son of a cattle rancher shot and killed him at his home. The movie does a great job of making viewers aware of what is happening in Brazil and how much destruction of the Amazon rain forests actually takes place.

Raul Julia sympathetically portrays a modern icon of the environmental movement in a wonderful propoganda film. The film delves headfirst into issues of social and environmental justice and ethics. The viewer cannot come away without stirred emotions and be haunted by the images.

The film The Burning Season is a wonderful movie. It represents the trials and tribulations of the rubber tappers. The movie focuses on the courageous acts of Chico Mendes. He stood up for what he believed in and prevented a highway from being built in the amazon. However, the cattle ranchers had a big influence in wanting the rain forests to be destroyed. They would do anything to stop the protests even if it meant killing Chico Mendes. I felt that the director did a good job presenting the history of Brazil and the struggle of the rain forests. On the other hand I feel that the fact that this movie was made in " holly wood" so to speak, it hurt the film. I think that Chico Mendes was portrayed as being perfect in the film. People, whether they are from Brazil or the United States that want to help save the rain forests will feel they can't can't because they cannot meet the standards of Chico Mendes. So therefore I hope people see past this message that only perfect people can do great things. The truth is everyone can help and take part in saving the rainforests!

The Chico Mendes story is the real life version of the story the movie Avatar tells. The fine performance of Raul Julia did not attract the audience that the glitzy pyrotechnics of Avatar did and yet it is the more compelling movie.

In both movies, a native people is on the verge of being wiped out by an avaricious group of foreigners seeking to plunder their homeland. In the case of Avatar, for rare minerals. In the real life story of The Burning Season, by destroying the rain forest to graze cattle.

Leftist critics panned Avatar for a plot line in which a savior comes from the very people responsible for the plundering. Well, Chico Mendes in Burning Season was a leader of the indigenous people being plundered, and yet Burning Season did not reach nearly as large an audience as Avatar did.

If fine acting and genuine heroics appeal to you, Burning Season is a "don't miss" movie.

Not great production, not new concept theme but it show the power of one like GANDHI . And fill my non violent mind but strongest way. Not just only wild forest conservation but for all .

My only reason for seeing this film was because Luis Guzman is in it.
Raul Julia plays "Chico Mendes", a true story of a man who tried to save his people in the Amazon Rainforest. A story that needed to be told, but this film is overlong and slow-moving.
I do believe the rainforests should be saved and destroying them should be stopped.
Instead of decreasing them, the forests should be expanded.
The rainforests are beneficial to our weather and to th humans and wildlife there. Flowers in the rainforests have been used for medical research and medicine that can not be found anywhere else.
What would happen if land was just roads, concrete, buildings and desert. I think if a patch of unhistoric desert is bare, just plant trees there. It would look nicer than a vacant lot. It is trees that tranform our air into what we can breathe. I think trees and water play an importence in bringing forth rain as well. If you have ever lived in a drought area, you would know what I mean.
During filming of this tv-movie, Raul Julia got food poisoning from sushi. He was air lifted to a hospital. He had lost weight and was weakened by his condition. That same year, he filmed Street Fighter (Widescreen Extreme Edition)(1994) and then his last film, Down Came a Blackbird [VHS] (1995-tv).
In October 1994, after attending an opera, he had stomach pains. Later that night, he suffered a stroke. He went into a coma and fours days later died from a brain hemorrhage.
If you like Raul Julia, see him in The Morning After (1986).