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 ADVENTURE-DRAMA The true story of the indomitable Kuki Gallmann |
 The story begins in Italy where Kuki is leading a comfortable yet monotonous life. After a party she is almost killed in a car accident. While in the hospital healing from broken bones she falls in love with Paolo played by Vincent Perez. Once better she decides to marry Paolo and move to Africa against her mother's advice. Kuki, her son Emanuele and Paolo head off to their ranch in Kenya, Africa to begin a new life and discover adventure and meet the challenges of living in this beautiful, wild country. Even though they are in awe of the incredible beauty and freedom that Kenya's countryside offers they quickly learn that this will not be a fairytale existance. Kuki quickly learns that her husband is not going to be at home that often. He leaves at the drop of a hat to go hunting with friends or to lead a safari. He disappears for days and weeks sometimes returning wounded. Kuki and her son are left to their own devices and quickly learn to adapt. They have learned the language but now must learn to deal with wild elephants who love to eat in her gardens and lions that roam up to their door unhindered. They face devasting storms and worse of all poachers who kill animals on their lands. This is the part that bothers them the most and passionately fight to defend their lands from these killers. Unfortunately as I already said the scenes cut so quick that we do not have time to feel their passion. Kuki emerges as a resilient character, filled with strength and a love for the people and the life of this country. Emanuele quickly forms a friendship with a young native boy. Emanuele also forms a love for snakes. He studies and collects them but he is not allowed to collect poisonous snakes. He is soon sent to a school a great distance from home and the parents can not visit him except during holidays. Emanuele quickly grows and at 17 returns home for his father's funeral and decides to stay even though he has been accepted to a prestigious University, Stanford. He would rather stay and watch over his mother and newly born sister. He is invovled in the most emotional scene in this movie; the only real memorable scene actually. His thirst for knowledge about poisonous snakes will lead to his downfall. Even with what I stated here you can see that this movie would have great potiential for an exciting story. It is too bad that the story shifts so fast from scene to scene. All the potiential excitement is gone too quickly as the director does not give you time to become a part of what happens. Unfortunately, you will find yourselves looking at your watches all too often. It is a shame really because there so much talent on the screen. Eva marie Saint is quite good as Kuki's mother who constantly tries to have her return home after the death of Paolo. By this time Kuki is attached to this land and decides to stay, where is lives to this day. If you go to the KUKI GALLMAN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION page you can see the trees that now grow over the graves of her husband and son. Now if you want to see this movie for the sheer pleasure of viewing scenes in Kenya, here are some scenes... *beautiful scenery and animal footage *you will see what butchered animals look like *you will hear the go away birds *very large pythons *lions killing *an incredible windstorm *tribes trying to survive disease *deaths and births *scenes of wonderous vistas *stalking by a lion *standing up to elephants *even a nude love scene *much, much more Well that's it ecxcept to say that it is too bad that this had to be Kim Basinger's first feature since the Academy Awar(c) winning LA CONFIDENTIAL. |
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RATING CANADA... Rated AA for a brief scene of nudity and traumatic scenes. |
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vjm@metrocity.com