The films produced by Pitt's own company have a strong literary and artistic temperament, and this film is no exception. Director James Gray has only directed three films before, but each of them has been nominated for the most important film festivals in Europe. Therefore, I was quite looking forward to this film before watching the movie. At the same time, I felt that although it was said that the filmmaker had deleted more than 30 minutes, it should not affect the quality of the film too much.
But after reading it, I can only say that it's okay, the story is not complicated, and the director's handling is not mysterious. Overall, it is a bit mediocre rather than bland. After Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" was cut and cut by the filmmaker, it was indeed greatly reduced. Later, the director's cut extended version was released, which really changed people's view of the film. But for "The Lost City of Z", even if I can see the full film in the future, I doubt that there will be any essential difference.
Based on a true story from a hundred years ago, the film elevates the spirit of adventure to an idealized level. In order to improve the reputation of the family, the male protagonist resolutely accepted the task of exploring the Amazon jungle in South America and drawing maps. But after returning to China, people did not believe in his new discovery of primitive civilization. In order to prove himself, he went deep into the jungle again, but fell short. Then the adventure was interrupted by a battle. He challenges himself one last time, this time with his grown son. And this time, they never came back...
The story is not complicated, nor is the adventure in it, after all, this is not an "Indiana Jones", and it is not where a director like James Gray focuses. So going to the jungle to explore became the hero's lifelong obsession. To outsiders, he didn't care about his own dangers, and he didn't think about his wife and children at home. Even the cowardly fat man in the film looked at him the same way. But on the other hand, except for the eldest son who was very disgusted with his father's actions during his rebellious period, the rest of the family members, especially his wife, supported 100% and even wanted to take risks with her husband. After the war, the eldest son was also uncharacteristically. Not only did he turn to support his father, but he also went into battle with his father and son. However, the reason for the change in the process is not clear, and of course it may have been deleted.
The middle part of the film is a scene of World War I, and it also mentions the first use of poison gas in the war, and the actor almost lost his mind because of inhalation. At first glance, this war scene with real guns and live ammunition does not seem to have any effect, but when you think about it, war is actually an adventure and addictive. Some people become madmen in the war. The most typical one is " The character played by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, and this madman character just lives at the end of the jungle, waiting for others to discover, or destroy. I don't know if it can be understood this way. The director compared the male protagonist's fascination with jungle adventures with the complex emotions of war, so he was more certain, or sublimated the former, and regarded it as a noble spiritual pursuit.
But if you carefully analyze why the male protagonist is so obsessed with adventure? In addition to proving himself and washing away the family shame, he couldn't seem to find any more reason. He doesn't seem to be looking for treasures, and the communication with the indigenous people is smooth. Of course, the boundaries between each other are quite clear. After all, the male protagonist is not playing "Dancing With Wolves", so he talks to his eldest son to his father. Similar to the transformation, the hero's own inner world is no more familiar to the audience than the natives who speak the local dialect.
The handsome vampire Robert Pattinson in "Twilight" also starred in this film. The shape is subversive enough that people with mild facial blindness should not recognize him. He seems to like Pitt when he was young. To make myself ugly. He plays the assistant of the male protagonist, which is also a classic supporting role in adventure films. The interaction with the male protagonist will often become the biggest driving force for the story, but Pattinson's role in the film is not in the current version. Not a lot, after all this isn't an "Around the World in Eighty Days" type of movie.
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