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Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [DVD]

Thanapat Saisaymar , Jenjira Pongpas , Apichatpong Weerasethakul    Suitable for 12 years and over   DVD
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Actors: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong
  • Directors: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
  • Format: PAL
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: New Wave Films
  • DVD Release Date: 28 Mar 2011
  • Run Time: 114 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B004CMPQLK
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 23,571 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Product Description

Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave the birthplace of his first life.

Product Description

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Bengali ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave - the birthplace of his first life... SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, ...Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives ( Loong Boonmee raleuk chat ) ( Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat (Oncle Boonmee) )

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 54 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A delicate study of death, and Thailand 10 Feb 2011
By Rowena Hoseason TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
`Uncle Boonmee' is a curious collage of art cinema which demonstrates the distance between mainstream Hollywood movies and the everyday culture of the Far East. We first saw it at an arts centre and it was obviously unrewarding for a significant segment of the audience who exited stage left after half an hour. The pacing is languid in the extreme while much of the meaning is obliquely obscure. Yet overall the experience of watching `Uncle Boonmee' was a positive one - it may be mysterious and wilfully weird, but it was also intriguing and delicately involving.

Part of the reason for our confusion is that this is the final part of a series of short films and video installations from northern Thailand, near the border with communist Laos. These examine the history of the area in the 1960s when a Communist uprising in Thailand was aggressively suppressed by the Thai authorities. So it's hardly surprising that many of the underlying themes to `Uncle Boonmee' will leave the casual viewer somewhat bewildered.
However, the film's main theme of impending death and possibly being reunited with loved ones in the hereafter is universal and needed no translation or explanation. Boonmee is a successful hill farmer, dying of kidney failure. In his final days his missing family return to nurse him - or perhaps to guide him on his final journey. The appearance of the spirit of his dead wife at the dinner table is handled with delightful matter-of-factness. `You must be hungry' says his dead wife's living sister... and after a shocked moment, the group settles back down to eat. It's as if the boundary between life and death becomes permeable as one of us approaches it, and Boonmee's love for his wife has tethered her spirit to the mortal coil. In the scenes between Boonmee and his wife the film achieves an immense emotional intensity without ever becoming sentimental in the slightest.

The different stages of `Uncle Boonmee' are filmed in different styles. The opening chapters are very, very slow; a study in the tedium of a long car journey contrasts with a cow's languid progress through a meadow. It's fair to say that nothing much happens, and it takes a long time not happening. Later segments are presented as semi-documentary, or in stills, or like an old-fashioned costume drama. The change in presentation keeps the viewer slightly confused and adds to the film's disjointed feel. Also, much of it is presented in near-darkness, which is either atmospheric gloom or a dratted nuisance (but it does mean that the sub-titles are easy to read).
However, the subtle lighting makes the arrival and departure of the spirits all the more meaningful, and you start to believe that there may be a personality lurking in the foliage of every frame... and red glowing eyes will follow you home.

I suspect that some of the scenes aren't intended to make any kind of literal sense, so gave up worrying about what went on between the princess and the catfish. The ending is deliberately odd, too. But the emotional essence of the story is captured in some moments of every day honesty - the sharing of honey, fresh from the hive; the gentle dedication of Boonmee's assistants as they tend to his medical needs. And in the background lurks the political conflict between the Thai and the Lao, played out in rural fields between workers and farmers.
Not an easy film to love, and one which provides more questions than answers. But worth experiencing.

8/10
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Painfully slow but occasionally beautiful 14 Aug 2012
By Cartimand TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Blu-ray
If nothing else, Uncle Boonmee graphically illustrates the cultural differences between East and West.

Set in a society where spirits and reincarnation are accepted realities, Uncle Boonmee tells the tale of a terminally ill man preparing for death by interacting and making his peace with the spirit world. It is one of the most ponderous and meditative films I've ever seen, with lots of almost static shots and long silent pauses. In fact, I was on the verge of pressing the fast-forward button on a few occasions, when the next scenario opened into something quite profound and beautiful. In particular, the princess and the catfish section and Boonmee leading the others to the depths of a primordial cave, where blind albino fish swim in a tiny pool and where he believed he was first born, were memorable and haunting. Several other scenes though I simply did not get. Amongst the wtf moments were the static shots of the militia with the man in the unconvincing gorilla suit and the seemingly pointless scene of the young monk taking a shower.

Furthermore, I didn't really get any satisfying sense of closure by the ending, which just kinda peters out. Extras on the Blu-ray include an interview with the director, which sheds some (but not much) light on his motivation and intentions behind this movie.

So there we have it; an occasionally beautiful and profound film, but which may be simply too alien and impenetrable for most Western viewers. If you're open minded though, Boonmee is certainly worth a look and I have no regrets in spending a couple of hours in its sometimes mesmerising but sometimes baffling and frustrating company.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Eastern Wisdom 12 Jan 2012
Format:Blu-ray
Proceed with caution. 2010's Palme d'Or winner is a mystifying, unfathomable meditation on the twilight period between the conclusion of life and the beginning of death. Without ever quickening its snail's pace, it presents a series of intriguing tableaux in which the eponymous uncle quietly ends his days surrounded by his nearest and dearest. But the idiosyncracies of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's style won't be to everyone's taste. His story features ghosts, taciturn monkey-men and a sex scene between a woman and a catfish. (Yes, you read that right.) It refuses to meet the audience's need for answers and explanations, resolutely staying away from any Occidental notions of how a narrative ought to work. Having said that, I can't deny that I found it quite compelling... but don't ask me to explain what it's about.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Enjoyed this superb film,beautiful and stunning cinematography,i would heartily recommend it to my friends..Very moving and absolutely loved it...9 out of 10..
Published 1 month ago by Graham Henry
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't believe the hype.
Very much 'the emperors new clothes'. High profile reviewers are hamstrung because of a need to promote new world cinema, but this is truly awful, pointless film making. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Louise Ball
1.0 out of 5 stars Bizarre......
I only give this film 1 star...Why? In my opinion. The most Bizarre,boring complicated film I have ever watched. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cardigan Lady
1.0 out of 5 stars Emporer's New Clothes. Hooey.
What an awful mess. Beautiful scenery, amazing cinematography available (not used) and brilliant locations. The director has massive funding opportunities. And what does he do? Read more
Published 10 months ago by catasha
5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, hypnotic, magic realism
I love the way this film switches from the very realistic to the utterly fantastic. The themes of life and death are dealt with in a contemplative way that is both sweet and sad. Read more
Published 14 months ago by memo952
2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
I was really excited about seeing this film, but it was disappointing. There were some interesting ideas in some scenes, but overall it was too superficial. Read more
Published 16 months ago by j white
1.0 out of 5 stars Highly over-rated, don't understand why!
Firstly can I start by saying that we watch world films all the time rather than 'blockbusters' and we're open minded and like the variety, depth, atmostphere, quality acting and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by h
5.0 out of 5 stars "What's wrong with my eyes? They are open but I can't see a thing..."
Wandering buffalo, talking, lustful catfish, ugly princesses, monkey spirits, Buddhist monks. This surely is one of the most colourful films my eyes have ever clamped upon. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. A. J. Quaeck
1.0 out of 5 stars This film is a frightful waste of one's life.
Long shots of the beautiful Thai forest with only animal and bird squeaks on the soundtrack become utterly tedious once it becomes clear that this film is nothing more than a very... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Skylark
2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't get it
Well what can I say, what a strange film. I have to confess I just don't get it. There were parts that were quite good, I really liked the fairy tale style story of the catfish... Read more
Published 18 months ago by KH
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