| At Play in the Fields of the Lord | |
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 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Hector Babenco |
| Produced by | Executive Producer: David Nichols Producer: Saul Zaentz |
| Written by | Hector Babenco Jean-Claude Carrière Vincent Patrick Story: Peter Matthiessen |
| Starring | Tom Berenger Aidan Quinn Kathy Bates Daryl Hannah John Lithgow Tom Waits |
| Music by | Zbigniew Preisner |
| Cinematography | Lauro Escorel |
| Editing by | William M. Anderson Armen Minasian |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 6, 1991 |
| Running time | 189 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) is a drama film directed by Hector Babenco adapted from the 1965 novel of the same name by American author Peter Matthiessen. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Jean-Claude Carrière. It stars Tom Berenger, Aidan Quinn, Kathy Bates, Daryl Hannah, John Lithgow and Tom Waits.[1] The films tells of Americans Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger) and Wolf (Tom Waits) who, when their plane runs out of gas, are stranded in Mae de Deus an outpost in the deep Brazilian Amazon River basin.
Contents |
Plot
The movie examines what we owe to others when we set out to act in their best interests. Born-again Christian evangelists (missionary) Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) and his wife Andy Huben (Darryl Hannah); and Martin Quarier (Aidan Quinn) and his wife Hazel (Kathy Bates) want to spread the Christian gospel to the primitive Niaruna indigenous natives. A catholic priest wants to re-establish a mission to the Niarunas (his predecessor was killed by them). The local police chief wants the Niarunas to move their village so they won't be killed by gold miners moving into the area and cause trouble for him with the provincial government. Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger), a half-Native American Cheyenne, aligns himself with the Niarunas. From this moment on, both are in trouble. The local police chief cuts a deal with Moon: if he and his fellow mercenary bomb the Niaruna village and drive them away, they will be given gasoline for their airplane and allowed to leave. However, things suddenly change when Moon decides to help the Niaruna in a very different way.
Background
Producer Saul Zaentz first tried to make this film in 1965. Yet, he discovered that MGM owned the rights to Peter Matthiessen's novel. Zaentz kept trying to buy them every time there was a top executive change at MGM until 1989 when the new studio heads Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd, Jr. decided that MGM would not make the film. Zaentz paid $1.4 million for the rights to the novel.[2] Filming locations
The picture was filmed in Belém do Pará, Pará, Brazil.
Cast
- Tom Berenger as Lewis Moon
- John Lithgow as Leslie Huben
- Daryl Hannah as Andy Huben
- Aidan Quinn as Martin Quarrier
- Tom Waits as Wolf
- Kathy Bates as Hazel Quarrier
- Stênio Garcia as Boronai
- Nelson Xavier as Father Xantes
- José Dumont as Commandante Guzman
- Niilo Kivirinta as Billy Quarrier
Critical reception
Vincent Canby, film critic for The New York Times. had mixed feelings about the film but did like the acting and the screenplay, and wrote, "At Play in the Fields of the Lord doesn't play smoothly, but it often plays well...Mr. Lithgow and Miss Hannah, who grows more secure as an actress with every film, are fine in complex roles that are exceptionally well written...Though the film features a spectacular penultimate sequence, it seems not to know how to end. It sort of drifts away, perhaps trying to soften its own well-earned pessimism."[3] Critic Roger Ebert had read the novel and believed the film is true to its themes. Ebert says that producer Saul Zaentz has a history of producing "unfilmable" source material. In an article that basically reviews the plot, he wrote, "Watching it, we are looking at a morality play about a world in which sincere people create unwitting mischief so that evil people can have their way. The movie essentially argues that all peoples have a right to worship their own gods without interference, but it goes further to observe that if your god lives in the land and the trees, then if we destroy your land, we kill your god. These messages are buried in the very fabric of the film, in the way it was shot, in its use of locations, and we are not told them, we absorb them."[4]
Awards
Wins
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: LAFCA Award; Best Music, Zbigniew Preisner; 1991.
Nominations
- Golden Globe: Golden Globe; Best Original Score - Motion Picture, Zbigniew Preisner; 2002.
Footnotes
- ^ At Play in the Fields of the Lord at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ IMDb. Ibid.
- ^ Canby, Vincent. The New York Times, film review, "Saving the Savages, but Losing Themselves," December 6, 1991.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, December 6, 1991.
External links
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord at the Internet Movie Database.
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord at All Movie Guide.
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord at Rotten Tomatoes.
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