Customer Reviews

Duma (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This exquisite little love story about a boy and a cheetah was poorly advertised when it was in theaters. It came and went and was overlooked by audiences. It deserves rediscovery on DVD. It is that rare thing, a true family film that is not insulting to kids or adults.

There is a fierce beauty to many of the scenes and close ups of the cheetah's face convey a kind of intelligence and dignity rarely seen on the screen or anywhere, for that matter.

The story is simple and remains true to the spirirt of the book. The screenplay adaptation is lean. But it is the extraordinary look of the movie that lingers in the mind. It casts a spell. As does the regal grace of the cheetah.

This simple story has no profound revelations, but it is not a waste of time and, without going into detail, I found the acting, locations, cinematography, music, and especially the directing to be of the highest order.

I highly recommend this wonderful little gem of a film.

Alex Michaeletos, a South African, was selected over many other boys as Xan, despite casting calls around the world, because he had a pet cheetah himself, and went up to the animal he would be co-starring with and introduced himself by ruffling the cheetah's fur. Most potential Xans were too scared of the beast to approach it. It is this comfort level between Alex/Xan and Duma that makes the film believable, and Alex's slight Afrikaans accent just heightens the realism.

The fictional plot is a bit contrived, but the film takes you in unexpectedly interesting directions through amazing landscapes. Carroll Ballard directed Never Cry Wolf as well as Fly Away Home and deserved better with Duma. Warner should have released the film in more places than Chicago and New York. Test marketing in the Southwest was not very successful. Why not the Midwest?

There is nothing in the film to date it. I expect Duma to be enjoyed by families for years to come.

My son "made" us see this movie, and we're so glad we did! Although there are some parallels to Fly Away Home (orphaned critters) and the Black Stallion (marooned far away from civilization), the story is completely different--somewhat predictable, but nevertheless pleasant to watch. Probably no Oscars for acting here, but definitely worth our time.

I had heard that this movie was only released in Chicago theaters because the film industry felt that this movie would "not be very popular", they felt it would not be attractive to any age group...hmmmmmmmmm...Well, I am 23 years old and I thought this movie was excellent all the way around...better yet the cheetah was REAL, it wasn't a distorted looking computer animated cheetah, it was all real, shot on scene in South Africa...this film was truly authentic and amazingly beautiful, one of the BEST family films ever made!!!! I am disappointed that this film was never given a real chance at the box office, I feel it would have truly captivated children and adults alike...It deserved more attention than it got...GREAT film!!!!!

Wow! I am terribly disappointed that I was unable to see this movie on the big screen. It wasn't available here on the west coast and so I had to wait till it came out on DVD in order to see it. This is a wonderful story about a boy and a cheetah (obviously) and I would certainly recommend it to anyone but especially if you are an animal lover. I found it to be quite touching and a must see. The acting on the animals and humans part is exceptional and although I find that I sleep right through most "exciting" movies, I was riveted to the screen throughout every moment of this film.

I and my nine-year-old nephew saw this film today and it is a beautiful, intense film. I do not think its job was to teach us about race relations in South Africa, or anything political. It is a movie about family love and love of wildness. I did not place any larger burdens on it and I was totally enthralled by the movie, as was my nephew. Some parts were pretty intense and scary for a child, but for the most part he seemed to get a lot out of the movie and said he loved it. I loved it too. Cheetah's really need our help if they are to survive - the Cheetah Conservation Fund is the primary group working to save the Cheetah - their web site is a good place to learn more: http://www.cheetah.org/.

Because this Film does not have sex, violence, vulgar languge is probably why this was not released to the public.
When I was on a flight to China I saw this movie 3 times after I returned home I brought my family to see it in Washington DC about 200 miles away (the closest showing).
After the movie the whole audience stud up and cheered?
The theater was packed with familes just like mine?

this movie didnt really get any publicity, and the director was kind of on his last nerve. there were even debates on whether or not to put it out on dvd. they only put in out in chiago, and i feel like im one out of the myabe 100 people who saw it.
but this movie was breath-taking. everything about it was glorious and moving. i loved every minute of it. i really hope it picks up, or i just hope more people see it. it was so moving and certainly wasnt only a movie for children. it further shows the bond of human and animal in a beautiful atomesphere that anyone can enjoy.

I just saw this movie with my 11-year-old son who watched it with rapt attention. I agree it has many parallels to "Fly Away Home." But it will be a refreshing break for parents who endure the wasteland of children's movies and wonder what there is out there to engage and inspire our children rather than bludgeoning them with hyped-up animation, improbable superheros, and vulgar comedies. Don't miss it if it ever comes to a theater near you. We need to support movies that have some agenda other than fast-food tie-ins.

Duma is a cheetah and if you are Swahili, you know that duma means cheetah in that language. No matter what your language, this is a movie worth buying and watching.

A young boy and his father are returning home when they come upon a cheetah cub in the roadway. Lost and abandoned, they take the little fellow to their home where it proceeds to grow from a handful to a bed full. It was agreed when the cub was acquired that he would have to return to the wild at some time in the future. The boy's father becomes ill as that time approaches and dies before they can make it happen.

Soon thereafter his mother announces they will have to lease their farm and move to the city. Duma makes the trip as well but the city is no place for the big cat as we are shown in a humorous and sometimes harrowing escapade when he comes visiting the boy's school.

The movie has a few jumps of location thereafter without much, if any, explanation of how it was accomplished, but no matter, just accept it and move on.

The rest of the story is about the trek to get Duma to the area he came from and it is quite a trek indeed.

This is a gem of a story with magnificent photography which the entire family can enjoy and should, preferably together. Whoever was responsible for marketing this film when it was released should be horsewhipped, but you can still buy the DVD for the family for less than it would have cost to take everyone to the movies and you can watch it more than once. You will probably want to.