On 2010-02-14 Natalie Dressed, wrote: The reason this great Peter Weir film gets only three stars is the bowdlerized 2000 DVD release. It bears little resemblance to Weir´s original portrait of the multicultural hothouse and political tinderbox that was Sukarno´s Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this version is a butchered old print with a muddy, poorly mixed soundtrack. Such a disappointment.
Like another reviewer here, I remember the original theatrical release of TYOLD. It was an amazing production that has stayed with me through the years; the story line, script, acting, direction, editing and score were all spot on. And I am still in awe of American actress Linda Hunt´s stunning work as the diminative Eurasian photographer Billy Kwan, the fulcrum of the story. I got this DVD because of her Oscar-winning performance and Maurice Jarre´s haunting gamelan music. (Okay, Mel too. He was sooo totally hot then. Not to mention that his love scenes with Sigourney Weaver were as hot and steamy as the tropical climate.)
IMO this 1983 film is still current on many levels. The characters´ mid-60´s references to a still-nascent Viet Nam war; the scenes of grinding poverty and violent political unrest; and the influence of Indonesia´s large conservative Muslim population on events are disturbingly relevant to our own time.
I hope Weir´s original cut of Living Dangerously will be lovingly restored and reissued one day. That event would solidify his standing as one of Australia´s most gifted filmmakers and enhance the filmographies of Hunt and Weaver. It also might refurbish Gibson´s reputation, now tarnished by hubris and addiction. Hello, Criterion?
. And summed up by saying A Fine Film, But The DVD Isn´t. Currently The Year of Living Dangerously has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
The Year of Living Dangerously can also be found in the following searches:
Russell Boyd claimed The story of a fiery romance born on the eve of revolution in Sukarno´s Indonesia.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: PGRelease Date: 8-FEB-2005Media Type: DVD
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