the roots of heaven

FOX MOVIE CHANNEL showed this the other day in widescreen and it will be on again July 5 and 31. It doesn't look like a restored print which is a shame considering the amazing photography but beggars can't be choosers.

I stumbled across the movie by accident and fortunately was able to rewind to the beginning (those DVRs are like having a time machine.) One look at the location and actors involved told me I might find it interesting. When I saw that John Huston had directed this, I immediately thought of Clint Eastwood's WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART even though the movie they were supposed to be making was The African Queen.

I can see where the film might have had a troubled production as the narrative does seem a bit tattered but it feels like a John Huston film, in a similar vein to The Misfits, Night of the Iguana, Under the Volcano. Characters who are at odds with the world, lonely or damaged, in search of something to give meaning to their lives. I think Trevor Howard did an amazing job with it.

One other thing, did anyone else immediately think of Dennis Hopper's character in APOCALYPSE NOW when Eddie Albert shows up as the photographer? I thought there was an interesting similarity there.