Must see movie - Rescue Dawn
I just found out about “Rescue Dawn” today. It is on top of my list of summer movies to see. Since I was in Laos in January, I missed the film’s premier at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (24, January 2007). Now I have to wait till the 23rd of August to see “Rescue Dawn”.
Here is a description from MGM Studios Inc.
In the annals of history’s great escapes there is no other story like that of Dieter Dengler, the only American to ever break out of a POW camp in the impenetrable Laotian jungle. After months plotting his getaway from a harrowing prison and a death-defying journey through some of the world’s fiercest wilderness, Dengler appeared at his first press conference looking like a dashing movie star and showing neither sentimentality nor bitterness - simply an indomitable will to survive that allowed him to triumph against impossible odds.
Now, from legendary director Werner Herzog (”Grizzly Man,” “Fitzcarraldo”) and starring acclaimed actor Christian Bale (”Batman Begins,” “The Prestige”) comes the incredible true story of a man who, from the depths of total darkness, blazed his own willful path to freedom. A blistering action-adventure and a stark epic of survival, RESCUE DAWN reveals how Dieter Dengler relied on the most primal qualities of evasion, endurance, tenacity and courage to find his way home.
I saw a documentary on Dieter Dengler. Great storytelling, Dengler is a great person - full of hope and optimism. When you think you have it bad, just think about how much Dieter had to dealt with. And he lives to tell the tales.
[...] salat: I saw a documentary on Dieter Dengler. Great storytelling, Dengler is a great person - full of hope and… [...]
I saw the movie and it is a good movie but does not necessarily narrate anything essential about Laos.
Most impressive were the bombardments images at the beginning of the movie. This gives you a small insight of what the Lao people, mostly farmers, must have gone through with all these nasty fire&flame bombs.
In the end, this movie is all about what Dieter and his companions went through, which was tough, but I assure you this is nothing compared to the suffering Lao farmers went through during this war.
As you know, Laos became a dumpster for US bombies that they could not drop on Vietnam. Laos is still feeling the consequences of this in the form of many UXO's.
Dieter Dengler himself probably understood the suffering of the people in
the ground after his plane went down. Of the seven who'd escape, he was the
only one who lived to tell the story, surprisingly, without hatred or anger.
Some would seek revenge or seek justice, but Dengler kept
saying how fortunate he is to be free again.
I haven't seen Rescue Dawn. But from the sneak preview, I
don't think this new young actor has got Dengler's German accent right. And the typical
Hollywood style of filming sometimes doesn't get that jungle tragedy
and tropical feeling right.
I look forward to seeing the movie but I hope this isn't another Chuck
Norris Vietnam rescue movie. The set looks too clean and planned. It's not really the same as the
one in his documentary. Search Youtube for "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" 10
minutes doc.