That Man from Rio (1964)

Beautiful, moving film.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

An amusing film that has parachutes, alligators , women , killers and many more things .Look what they call a quiet in Brazil ! . An hectic action , spoof comedy which was a big hit at the boxoffice . It was one of the first and one of the best spoofs of the James Bond and Euro-spy films . It deals with a young soldier, discharged for a week , Jean Paul Belmondo with a temporary permission , who is pitched from crisis to crisis , as he sets out in pursuit of the thieves who kidnapped his sweetheart , Francoise Dorleac , Catherine Deneuve's sister, and they previously robbed a valuable figure at the Paris museum . When she is captured , he sacrifices his life to rescue her , all before his week break ends . So of course Jean Paul does some international adventuring in order to save her , as he must travel Rio, Brasilia and the Amazon heartland . Meantime , there is also kidnapped a famed professor , Jean Servais . As Belmondo faces off a suspicious enemy , Adolfo Celi , and his cohorts. Then , dangerous happenings ensue and things go awry . A fun as well as extravangant adventure full of action , farce , tongue in cheek , and a lot of thrills . A successful French film that was 4th highest grossing film of the year 1964 . Sympathetic acting by the adventurous Jean Paul Belmondo as a soldier who comes to rescue his lover who has just been abducted and coercily brought to Rio Janeiro , that's why her father led an expedition and the kidnappers think she knows how to find a treasure . Belmondo is finely accompanied by the gorgeous Francoise Dorleac -who unfortunately , a bit later on , she died by car accident- , along with two notorious secondaries , Jean Servais and Adolfo Celi. It was heavily influenced by the comic books , by the famous Belgian cartoonist Herge ; in fact , there are certain visuals and images as the museum robbing and the Amazon sculptures that are all clearly inspired by Georges Remi's work .It contains an agreeable and atmospheric musical score by the prestigious Georges Deleure , as well as an evocative cinematography , shot in Brazil locations as Rio De Janeiro , Amazons and Brasilia with its monumental buildings , newly built by Le Corbusier . This engaging adventure spoof well produced by Alexander Mnouchkine and was professionally directed by Philippe DeBroca , though , nowadays , it results to be some dated . He directed some good films , most of them comedies , action and adventures , such as Cartouche , The king of hearts , Oldest profession , Le Cavaleur , Jupiter's thigh , The green house , Louisiana . And his fetish actor was Jean Paul Belmondo . His best film was "Le Magnifique" about a novelist , Belmondo , who mixes fantasy with reality when he chases women, Jacqueline Bisset , and solves cases.

This French-Italian co-production was a big hit around the world during its initial release, and influenced a number of movies over the next few years. Seen today, some viewers might wonder why there was so much fuss about it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad movie. Jean-Paul Belmondo makes a fairly engaging hero with what he's given, performing comedy and action with a lot of enthusiasm (including performing his own stunts.) Belmondo's spark helps to make a lot of the comedy amusing and the action exciting. The Brazilian backdrop is colorful as well. I just wish there had been more work on the script when it came to the characters and the story. Belmondo's character is engaging, but kind of thin - we know hardly a thing about him before he is thrust into saving his girlfriend. The relationship he has with his girlfriend is quite unconvincing - she is kind of aloof and selfish, and it's hard to see what each sees in the other. Storywise, there are a number of slow spots here and there where little to nothing is happening. And the climax, though not awful, seems to be lacking significant punch; I was expecting something bigger and wilder. Those who have an interest in 1960s European genre cinema will probably enjoy this best. Since I'm one of those people, I did find the movie worth my time. Other people, however, I would give a word of caution. This is a movie that really is a matter of taste.

Some of my fondest of memories as a child was sitting in the library and immersing myself into the Ligne Claire reality of George Remi's "The Adventures Of Tintin". They had such a timeless quality and vision about them, just like the period in which they were set. The colors were so vibrant and illustrations were clearly defined. Herge's Illustrations themselves defined a new standard of a comic 'universal language' that spoke more words than any bubble text that was added on. You knew who the bad guys, the good guys and the stereotypes were. You knew when characters were nervous, angry, happy, confident, stupid, clumsy and surprised. You even knew when they were sweating! The attention to emotion and narration was brilliant. While reading his albums (24 in total) I felt like I was in a movie. The characters were all strange, mysterious, suspicious and one dimensional except for the protagonist (Tintin) and the world was as simple as black and white/good and evil. The stories were always bizarre but world weary and highly adventurous at the same time. I couldn't stop reading them. Not once was I aware I was reading a comic book. The pace builds momentum and doesn't stop. Herge's greatest gift was his ability to effortlessly make a transition in mood and tone. His illustrations evoke shades of Film-Noir when they're serious, 'Charlie Chaplin' absurdity when they're comical and a 'Sherlock Holmes/Arsene Lupin' mystery inspired approach in their narrative. It is the combination of these three key genres that made Tintin and all the films, books and comics it inspired so special. One of the earliest of these was perhaps the greatest of these, "L'Homme de Rio" ("That Man From Rio"), a Jean Paul Belmondo vehicle hugely influenced by Herge's "The Broken Ear" with subtle footnotes to "The Calculus Affair", "The Seven Crystal Balls" and "The Secret Of The Unicorn".When I came upon "That Man From Rio", I was searching the world over for adventure films. Actually, my obsession all began with Indiana Jones. I wanted to find films that inspired the trilogy. I knew that Indy was a homage – a kudos to all the adventure serials, film-noirs, pulp fiction novels and adventure comics of the 1930s, 40s and 50s (one of them was obviously Tintin). I came upon many. It is said that "The Secret Of The Incas" starring Charlton Heston was Indy's blueprint, but although the film did possess all that which inspired the look and character of Indy, it didn't quite inspire the feel and ambiance of it. Indiana Jones had that vintage high adventure atmosphere to it that I instantly recognized in Herge's bibliography – the same charm, comedy, mystery, suspense, pace and thirst for adventure. These were all qualities that ignited the child in all of us. But surely, due to Tintin's international acclaim and success (a franchise that sold over 200 million copies and translated into 60 languages) there must have been at least one film that captured it's narrative style between its very conception in the late 30s and the creation of Indiana Jones in the 80s. For 50 years in between there must have been somebody who loved Tintin as much as I and decided to do something about it. I came to the harrowing conclusion that nobody in America, up until the likes of Steven Spielberg had ever made a movie in the footsteps of Herge. Either it didn't reach a wide enough audience in America or Hollywood was too embroiled in the Cold War to be concerned with a good old fashioned adventure. So I looked to France and Belgium, where for almost 70 years (and at least 4 generations) later Tintin has stood the test of time and is as popular, inspiring and loved TODAY as it ever was. I was reminded of something I always knew – that the French have always been the romantics and the lovers of adventure and mystery. The novels by Jules Verne, Maurice Leblanc and Alexander Dumas, The diaries, documentaries and books by marine explorer Jacques Costeau, The suspense master works of Henri Georges Clouzot AND The enduring comic book creations of E.P. Jacobs, Albert Uderzo and Herge have fascinated generations of nations all around the world to this very day. It is in this way that I found out about this beautiful film called "That Man From Rio". I don't want to even spoil an action scene let alone a plot point, because everything about this film is kinetic energy. It never stops. The action is larger than life. The story is larger than life. The romance is every man's fantasy. To even whisper it's similarity to Tintin would be blasphemous, but you will recognize them as the film takes you for a ride and it will put a smile on your face. 'Jean Paul Belmondo' is and was (especially in his prime) France's most enduring and popular actor and it doesn't surprise me why. His ability for comedy and action has inspired actors such as Jackie Chan in their careers. He's always jumping, running, falling, riding, racing, shooting, punching, kicking, yelling, laughing and clinging for his life and no film better utilizes his gift than this one. The scenario he is put in will remind you of Hitchcock's North By Northwest as he travels the world in pursuit of a girl he loves dearly. From start to finish you are on a roller-coaster, hearing the sounds and seeing the sights. It's fantastic and truly a perfectly crafted vintage adventure film. If there was a mediator between Herge's Tintin and Spielberg's Indiana Jones, look no further than Philippe de Broca's "That Man From Rio". Its fluid ability to manipulate its audience with suspense, drama, comedy and action is brilliant. You will never see anything coming! If you are similar to me in that you love your adventure film, find this film right now and watch it.

I just love this movie. I don't really know why, maybe it's a nostalgia for an era and time that, like a good Whisky gets better with age. This movie captures the time of the Aero Willys, the VW bug, the DKW's and the Caravelles that is long gone but still lives in the memories of many. The movie and it's plot are OK, but the real Emerald buried in the plain rock are the backrounds in this movie, a Brazil full of hopes and dreams, at a time where everything seemed possible. Pink Jalopies with rumble seats (known as mother in law seats in Brazil), thieves, weathy villians, futuristic architecture, and everything but the kitchen sink blend to make this a fun romp.