Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
Director:
Carroll Ballard
Cast:
Alex Michaeletos……….Xan
Campbell Scott……….Peter
Hope Davis……….Kristin
Eamonn Walker……….Ripkuna
The Movie
Good family fare has a hard time finding its way into theatres mainly because of the bottom-feeding, cliché ridden garbage that passes for family fun at the cinema nowadays. So a film like Duma, no matter how good it is, will never see the amount of screens that a remake of The Shaggy Dog will. Duma, which appeared on less than 50 screens during its entire theatrical run. And it’s a shame, really, as it was one of the over-looked gems of 2005.
Duma refers to the name of a cheetah Xan (Alex Michaeletos) and his father Peter (Campbell Scott) find in the Australian desert. Raising it until it gets fully grown, the Cheetah gets to the point where it needs to be released into the wild. With the death of his father forcing him to grow up well beyond his years, he decides to take his family pet back to the wild from which he came. It’s a heart-wrenching film that works well because its theme is universal.
Xan and “Duma” have a great relationship that goes beyond the normal animal-human interaction. The cheetah is more like a dog than it is a wild animal, and the relationship between Xan and “Duma” is something anyone who has ever had a pet can sympathize with. The film’s story is about letting go of that bond when one has to, as the death of his father makes him grow up faster than he normally would. The boy and his animal have a definitive bond that’s easily seen. The film’s underlying current is about Xan growing up and being the sort of man his father had shown him to be, and his vehicle to it is the creature in his ward. The cheetah also seems to learn and grow as the film progresses forward, becoming the beast it is supposed to become.
It’s also shot and scored wonderfully as well. There’s a lot to be scene in the film due to the setting, and Carroll Ballard takes full advantage of it. The scenery can overwhelm the film on occasion but Ballard knows exactly the type of story to tell and keeps the film on point tremendously. Ballard also uses the film’s natural environment tremendously in terms of how the film is scored as well as the scenery’s natural sounds. Ballard brings the jungle to life in a fascinating way, allowing all the sights and sounds to create an intense feel to the proceedings.
Score : 9 / 10
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format, Duma looks great. This is a film of terrific landscapes and scenery that comes alive radically on the small screen.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format, the film captures the jungle sounds and dialogue wonderfully. The chirping of crickets and the sounds of the Australian desert are separated well, allowing one to almost feel like you’re in the scenery with the characters.
The Extras
Two Extended Scenes are included, but aren’t truly rendered as they have the time marks that would be eliminated in post production. Not really adding anything of note, they are two extended conversation between Xan and Ripkuna.
Theatrical Trailer
Score : 1.5 / 10
