Customer Reviews

Nostromo [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great rendition of the famous Joseph Conrad interpretation of colonial powers struggles in the early 20th century. Superior plot and acted extremely powerful and convincing. Historical routes in British Honduras (modern day Belize) and Guatemala, this story takes on so much and delivers every single drop of blood and drama put into it, in fact, it makes me want to see a sequel or another series based on Costa Aguana and it's inhabitants. There is a beginning, middle, and an end. This is superior entertainment and well worth the money paid for it! For those of you who have read the book, the movie does justice to every word that Joseph Conrad wrote.

The makers of this extravagant and picturesque adaptation of Josef Conrad's expansively-thriven novel had an obviously greater passion for the story and its vast scope than was within their means to portray it adequately on film. Yet, I must say, they do touch the soul of the story.

Conrad's novel, set in the imaginary South American province of Sulaco in the imaginary Republic of Costaguana, encompasses a wide spectrum of humanity. You see this come alive at once in the novel - with promise of turbulence wrought within the tale of Sulaco and its citizens, living and dying within "an inviolable sanctuary from the temptations of a trading world in the solemn hush of the deep Golfo Placido as if within an enormous semi-circular and unroofed temple open to the ocean, with its walls of lofty mountains hung with the mourning draperies of cloud." ~And that's only in the first paragraph of the novel! Within the first 10 minutes of the film, the like portrait is developed and set forth upon......with its silver mine the center of ambition that drives this story onward....and, ah...with that much atmosphere to immerse oneself within!

This film indeed does tell the tale...and with an endearment that is greatly enhanced by the brilliant performances of many of its leading actors: Albert Finney, Colin Firth, Serena Scott Thomas, Joaquim de Almeida, Ruth Gabriel, Paul Brooke, and Brian Dennehy - each of whom, I must say, exude dexterously the multi-prismed souls of their respective characters with heart and with passion.

But there are downfalls - and I must say that they are apparent - for key players in this epic drama give but marginal, disheartened performances. -- Lothaire Bluteau as Martin, Romina Mondello as Giselle, and Claudio Amendola as Nostromo, himself, "Our Man" - who had all the looks of the character I'd imagined while reading the book, but who ultimately lacked the depth of passion innately essential for the role of Nostromo.

However, it cannot be denied that the vast scope of timeless triumph and defeat that was inherent in the classic novel and that shall forever tell of the nature of the human heart - as well as a picturesque landscape and seascape that give allure to my flight-forging vampire soul - has been in this movie portrayed in a fashion I suspect would have made even Josef Conrad somewhat proud~

When Archimedes declared that he could lift the earth with a long enough lever,the extent of his endeavors became readily apparent. Joseph Conrad in "Nostromo" attempted much more using the lever of language.He created his own universe with the finest prose that has ever been written.

The BBC attempted not much less converting this perhaps best ever work of literature into film. I congratulate them first for their enormous courage, their incredible endurance, and for their excellent production. After having tried to read this wonderful literary work most of my life, how wonderful it was to relax and through the medium of film have it revealed.

I could criticize this work, but it would be like critizing the dragon for having too many scales, or the elephant for its ugly
trunk. That this work was even finished deserves immense praise. That it succeeds as great entertainment to modest
moviegoers like me, implies that it deserves some critical acclaim. "Nostromo" as a work of literature will last as long as mankind, and I suspect that this movie will too. I am truly thankful for those bold ones so full of love that they were willing to hand us their lives through their work that we might have a blueprint for tomorrow. Their stories are every bit as interesting as the stories they wrote and rendered into film.

One of the great shames of Cinema history is that David Lean died while working on bringing Nostromo to the big screen. He was the perfect man for the assignment, given his track record for bringing larger than life stories to audiences around the world. This effort, while commendable on several fronts, lacks the vision and scope that Lean would no doubt have brought to the endeavor.

The usual BBC miniseries apparata are at play here: solid cinematography, script, editing, directing, etc. The problem lies directly in the lap of the casting director (and the Producers, who have the final say in such matters). Two more incompetent actors could not have been conjured up for the crucial roles of Martin Decoud and Antonia Avellanos. I've spent a good part of my life involved in theater, and put simply, Lothaire Bluteau and Ruth Gabriel shouldn't be allowed a job in the most nondescript summer stock company in Amazonian Brazil. They are so inept and so miscast that they bring down the foundations of all scenerey, lighting, etc in their radii. They lack all acting skills. Sans elocution. Sans characterization. Sans any emotion faintly resembling human.

Too bad, because they really do blot out what could have been an absorbing miniseries. Even though Albert Finney is basically reprieving his Geoffrey Firman part in UNDER THE VOLCANO, he is still fun to watch. Claudio Amendola (notice you've never heard of these people?) is a passable Nostromo, though the part demanded a more dimensional, star quality actor. Joachim de Almeida chews the scenery as the nefarious Colonel Sotillo. Colin Firth does a commendable job as Charles Gould, though Serena Scott Thomas as Mrs Gould is another wrong person in a wrong role. A young Julie Christie is what is called for. Serena doesn't have the chops.

It looks indeed like the budget for this series was spent on location work and cinematography. If they'd done the thing on a soundstage in Warwick and spent a bit more on hiring a quality cast, it might have ended up as a worthy representation of Conrad's masterpiece. As it stands, I would imagine that David Lean is rolling over in his grave, every time this less than spectacular attempt is viewed.

BEK

Lovers of fine drama, high adventure, literary fans or those who've always wanted to try Joseph Conrad... this has something for all of them. Faithful to the book but accessible to anyone, this is six hours well spent however you look at it.

I saw this movie on TV a few years back and was anxious to get a copy of it. Sorry it was not on DVD. Have not had a chance to see it yet.

While not great, this movie certainly warrants a look before one tackles what is universally considered a difficult-to-read novel. At least you can get the basic contours of what's going on before wading into Conrad's stiff and tasking prose. This is a boon, certainly. Following the book more or less closely, as it does, it will clear a lot of otherwise murky things up for you.

As for the acting, there is a mixed bag here. The actors playing Charles Gould, Nostromo, and the Doctor, for example, all do a fine job. But their efforts are consistently scuttled by terrible acting on the part of certain others (two particular examples spring to mind: the horrendous actress who does Dona Antonia, and the elsewhere excellent Canadian actor who plays Decoud).

The BBC took a lot of trouble to make this, and it shows. Evidently the whole thing was shot on location in South America. While this is certainly better than filming the whole thing in some soundstage outside London, the odd thing is that they really don't seem to have used all that atmosphere -- it really doesn't add much to the movie, strange to say.

I should point out that if you haven't read the novel or aren't interested in doing so, and you just want a good movie to watch . . . well, I probably would avoid this. On its own merits it's not such an interesting and watchable story.

...it caught my attention. As I continued to watch it I was drawn further into it. It is a long movie, I think about 4 hours but the ending was really surprising. Its a must see movie.

This is an excellent film, I hope that a sequel is made. Ennio Morricone's score compliment this film in all aspects.

NOSTROMO is the BBC production of Joseph Conrad's novel of the same title. Set in the second half of the 1800s in the fictional South American backwater of Costaguana, the country's only resource is a silver mine owned and operated by a British entrepreneur. The indigenous people are exploited, naturally.

As the film opens, a local demagogue mounts a popular insurgence against the hated foreigners, during which spasm the mine owner is slaughtered. The storyline quickly moves forward a couple of decades when the owner's son, Charles Gould (Colin Firth), arrives with his wife Emilia (Serena Scott Thomas) to reopen the abandoned mine, make a fortune for the investors, and bring relative prosperity to the local labor pool. Charles is a benevolent exploiter. Gould must accomplish all this in the face of self-serving politicians, greedy army officers turned self-serving politicians, opportunistic banditos, another rebellion, and the disloyalty of a trusted native worker, Nostromo (Claudio Amendola), elevated by Gould to a high level of responsibility. Business as usual in a Third World armpit.

The beauty of the shoot's locations doesn't mitigate the fact that the film is five hours of tedium made possible by a succession of on-screen characters that inspired nothing but yawns.

Somber taciturnity, which was integral to Colin Furth's role as Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995), renders Charles just a monumental bore. At least Emilia shows some spirit, but she ultimately has no effect on the outcome of anything.

Nostromo, who's apparently so important to the story that the book and film are given his name, is such an uncharismatic, minor player in the first two reels that by the time he becomes the Great Tragic Figure in the last I didn't care in the slightest.

Dr. Monyghan (Albert Finney), the Has-Been physician that lives in a personally more glorious past, and the venomous snake Colonel Sotillo (Joaquim de Almeida), are marginally interesting for the their first few minutes of respective screen time, then become tiresome because they offer no surprises.

The good friend that loaned me NOSTROMO is aware of my opinion, and called it a "rant". Now that I've put it in writing and made it public, perhaps I'll become a Horrid Person. The bottom line is that any nascent kernel of interest I may have had to read the original Conrad novel was smothered by the torpid pace of this TV miniseries evidently padded with ho-hums to fill a predetermined time slot.

So, that rant went well, don't you think?