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The Year of Living Dangerously |  | Director: Peter Weir
Actors: Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Michael Murphy, Bill Kerr
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.96
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Rating:  74 reviews
Sales Rank: 10746
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.7 x 0.6
MPN: D65068D
ISBN: 0790744287
UPC: 012569506824
EAN: 9780790744285
ASIN: B00004RFGO
Theatrical Release Date: January 21, 1983
Release Date: June 6, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The story of a fiery romance born on the eve of revolution in Sukarno's Indonesia.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 8-FEB-2005
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video
Australian director Peter Weir had made several excellent films before The Year of Living Dangerously was released to critical acclaim in 1983, but it was this moody tale of romance and political upheaval that bought Weir and star Mel Gibson their tickets to Hollywood. (Weir's next film was the 1985 Harrison Ford hit Witness.) Set in Indonesia in 1965, the film focuses on a group of Caucasian journalists and photographers who are in Jakarta to cover the political upheavals that are threatening to collapse the unstable government of President Sukarno. Gibson plays an Australian correspondent named Guy Hamilton who's determined to get the best story, and he's given invaluable assistance from Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt), a half-Indonesian, half-Australian photojournalist who knows the culture inside and out. Billy introduces Guy to Jill (Sigourney Weaver) and their romance develops in an atmosphere of political unrest and constant personal danger. This journalistic adventure is compelling in itself (and Hunt's gender-switching performance won her a much-deserved Oscar), but it's Weir's creation of a rich, authentically exotic locale that gives the movie its alluring and subtly mysterious atmosphere. A tale of tragedy and survival, it's also a story about fascinating people at a turbulent juncture of history, and the empathy they feel for each other and the culture that surrounds them. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 74
 A Fine Film, But The DVD Isn't February 14, 2010
Natalie Dressed
The reason this great Peter Weir film gets only three stars is the bowdlerized 2000 DVD release. It bears little resemblance to Weir's original portrait of the multicultural hothouse and political tinderbox that was Sukarno's Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this version is a butchered old print with a muddy, poorly mixed soundtrack. Such a disappointment.
Like another reviewer here, I remember the original theatrical release of TYOLD. It was an amazing production that has stayed with me through the years; the story line, script, acting, direction, editing and score were all spot on. And I am still in awe of American actress Linda Hunt's stunning work as the diminative Eurasian photographer Billy Kwan, the fulcrum of the story. I got this DVD because of her Oscar-winning performance and Maurice Jarre's haunting gamelan music. (Okay, Mel too. He was sooo totally hot then. Not to mention that his love scenes with Sigourney Weaver were as hot and steamy as the tropical climate.)
IMO this 1983 film is still current on many levels. The characters' mid-60's references to a still-nascent Viet Nam war; the scenes of grinding poverty and violent political unrest; and the influence of Indonesia's large conservative Muslim population on events are disturbingly relevant to our own time.
I hope Weir's original cut of Living Dangerously will be lovingly restored and reissued one day. That event would solidify his standing as one of Australia's most gifted filmmakers and enhance the filmographies of Hunt and Weaver. It also might refurbish Gibson's reputation, now tarnished by hubris and addiction. Hello, Criterion?
 year of living dangerously review January 29, 2010
Edmund W. Peaslee Jr. (PLANO,TX, USA)
This is a love story of an Australian journalist told against the backdrop of the last days of the Sukarno regime in Indonesia. It was especially meaningful to me, having been there at that time. Great performances by Mel Gibson and Linda Hunt.
A compelling, realistic political drama. December 14, 2009
Mr. Eddie (New York, NY)
Although it's a potentially overwrought story that is being told here -- that of a smoldering post-colonial communist country on the verge of collapse -- Peter Weir's film succeeds where so many others fail by never letting the message overwhelm his characters. In particular, Linda Hunt portrays a fascinating proto-totalitarian revolutionary which has to be one of the more unique political creatures I've seen in a film. All in, The Year of Living Dangerously is superbly directed, succeeding in portraying a very compelling story of Southeast Asia in the 1960s. And for Americans who still want to understand a bit more about Vietnam, the "domino theory" and all the rest, I highly recommend it.
The love story is only mediocre I must say, and I am just not a very big fan of Sigourney Weaver's plain vanilla acting. But it all seems fitting within the context of the narrative.
I suppose I particularly enjoyed this film because I took a trip to Thailand a couple of years ago and was quite surprised by the extreme filth and squalor of so much that I saw, juxtaposed against an incredibly lush country and tremendous history of religion and culture. The Year of Living Dangerously is the best political film I have seen about this region, and even though Indonesia is substantially different than Thailand, the issues and themes of this film are quite similar and rang true.
Maybe it's just not that dangerous... December 1, 2009
Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've been toying with the idea of watching this film for over a year now. It's been sitting on my DVR for about that long, and everyone I know was raving Linda Hunt here, telling me that it was the best supporting turn of the 80's (not quite, but really, really, really close) and so I recorded it and then forgot about it, got preoccupied and watched countess other films before finally sitting down a few weeks ago to watch this with the wife. The film, for me, is a bit of a miss, but there is no denying that Hunt and the powerful point she makes with her character and riveting performance is not to be missed.
I'd watch this movie again, even though as a whole it disappoints me, just to see her.
The film takes place in Indonesia during the political upheavals of the mid-60's. Centering on a group of Caucasian journalists, `The Year of Living Dangerously' attempts to give us an outsider's viewpoint of an insider's knowledge. The cast of characters (everyone is mysterious, even our protagonist) include an Australian correspondent named Guy who makes a good impression on a photojournalist with good connections named Billy who happens to match Guy up with a beautiful insider named Jill, who is only days from returning home.
The film does a decent job of showcasing the horrible conditions of Indonesia, not just physically but emotionally, with everyone's loyalties being torn by political unrest. For me though, the film tends to lose focus when it tries too hard to incorporate a sense of romantic entanglement between Guy and Jill, and when you incorporate Billy's ambiguous attachment to the pair (is he in love with one, both or neither of them) it becomes rather distracting. At times the film also can drag a bit, especially when the conversations turn wordy and the dialog gets quiet. Parts of the film can be riveting and completely engrossing, but others really take away from the film as a whole.
The performances all work well, but no one steps up to the plate quite like Linda Hunt here. Her gender bending performance (yes, she plays a man) is astonishing, completely transformative, but regardless of that `gimmick', she really invests huge amounts of commitment and emotional connection to this character. In fact, this film is summed up in the understanding of Billy Kwan, his cause, his political feelings, emotional arrest and his final (dramatic) decisions. Mel Gibson is decent and Sigourney Weaver works her usual magic, but the standout by a country mile is Hunt.
Yeah, I recommend this one. See it for Hunt, and yes, there is enough here to legitimize your time and attention. I just wish that it would have had a tighter grasp on the real meat of the story instead of playing to commercial desires and throwing in that sloppy love story.
Wonderful! April 2, 2009
R. Rogers
This movie is outstanding. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take a journey.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 74
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