That Man from Rio (1964)

A Masterpiece!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is one of the most remarkable movies i remember watching as a teenager. The exotic location of Rio and the humorous sporty character Jean Paul Belmondo played fit perfectly together. Although the story lacks a little bit of logic sometimes, every youngster in that period would have done exactly the same for his girlfriend as Belmondo did/played. He wasn't the Schwarzenegger or Stallone type but a figure which could be identified with. The character could be every man in love and thats what makes this movie so special to me.They weren't much movies i saw as a kid which i remember of 30 years later. The Man from Rio is one of them, others are Blow Up (my favorite movie of all time) and "Its a beautiful life", "Way of the dragon","Modern Times", Laurel&Hardy: Blockheads", "Metropolis", "M", "The testament of Dr Mabuse", "Safety Last".I give it a 10 because my memory tells me to do so.

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.

First of all, let me comment on a misconception in some other reviews: the "search for the lost treasure of an exotic civilization" plot predates Spielberg's Indiana Jones, Peck/Sharif's Mackenna's Gold, this Belmondo vehicle and even Franz Lang's 1919 Spiders. The creators of That Man from Rio clearly knew what they were doing when they decided to use this hoary plot and make gentle fun of it.Unfortunately, the execution is not particularly good. Indifferent camera work and a fatal lack of any "dramatic tension" sense make the movie more tedious than entertaining. In addition, Belmondo, who had had his big break four years earlier, isn't as sparkling as he could be just a few years later. You can tell he tries, though.Having said all that, there are a few good things that need to be said about the movie. The viewers are kept guessing whether A or B is The Bad Guy until the final revelation. A few moments during the obligatory bar brawl scene look fresh. There is a minor but amusing twist at the end of the jungle sequence.Mostly watchable -- although you may check your watch a few times -- so let's say 5/10.

I noticed that some viewers didn't give That Man From Rio a "10" rating. Well, there's no accounting for taste. You would have to be clinically depressed not to give this movie the highest rating. Of course, TMFR uses raucous, flamboyant, genuine, heart-thumping stunts by real actors, rather than the always-phony-looking-computer-generated special effects of today's movies. And it has a real plot, so it doesn't need the "F-word" or gratuitous nudity and sex to arouse one's interest. It has a magical innocence and imaginative style, so that you would be comfortable watching this movie with youngsters or your grandmother -- it is enjoyable for all ages. That alone probably accounts for the aforementioned low scores. But TMFR received unanimously rave reviews, and ran "forever," when it was released a. 1964 (a rare thing for a foreign film in the US) and it still stands up today to comparison with any other movie of its genre. I don't think a better road-adventure movie has ever been made and I have been going to movies since about 1945. Certainly no one makes movies of this calibre today. TMFR has everything: it's fresh, exciting, romantic, bright, and original. It's beautifully produced, directed, scored, and photographed. If I lived to be 100 I could not find one negative or "hedging" thing to say about it. It has an exceptionally attractive and able cast -- including the people of Brazil -- and takes viewers on a whirlwind adventure the likes of which will never be seen again because this movie was filmed just at the moment Brazil was becoming "modern." Its natural beauty and energy were not yet spoiled with polluted beaches and tourist-spewing jets. Everything was shot on location -- it's the real thing -- from the streets and museums of sophisticated Paris to the lush, exotic locales of Brazil and back again to Paris. The kaleidoscopic roller coaster of adventure in Brazil takes you from the hotels, beaches, and slums of Rio (which provide the setting for one of the movie's most enchanting interludes), to the emerging capital city of Brasilia (the city was being built on cleared land at the time this movie was filmed, which DeBroca makes brilliant use of). Then there's a surrealistic road trip along a scenic coastal highway (the Pan American?) and a rough-and-tumble trip down the expansive Amazon on a gambling riverboat, replete with wicked women and river-rat outlaws. Not to mention a mad scramble through the jungle-rain forest. TMFR stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a "rakish-but-decent" young soldier on leave who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful red-haired sister of Catherine Deneuve and the dark and dashing Adolfo Celi. The music is melodic and intoxicating. Just writing this makes we want to see TMFR again and I plan to this weekend. I guarantee you too will fall in love with That Man From Rio.