Beyond Rangoon (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112495/#comment


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Trivia for
Beyond Rangoon (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112495/trivia
Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep and Michelle Pfeiffer were all considered
for the lead role.

Patricia Arquette's role was originally intended for Meg Ryan.

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Directed by John Boorman
Writing credits (WGA) Alex Lasker (written by) & Bill Rubenstein
(written by)

Release Date:25 August 1995 (USA) more view trailer
Genre:Drama more
Tagline:Truth has a witness

Plot Summary: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112495/plotsummary)
Laura is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the murder of
her husband and son, and goes on vacation with her sister to Burma.
After losing her passport at a political rally, she is left on her
own for a few days, during which time she falls in with students
fighting for democracy. She and their leader, U Aung Ko, travel
through Burma, whilst witnessing many bloody acts of repression by
the dictatorship, in an attempt to escape to Thailand. Based on a
true story. Written by James Hastie

(Cast overview, first billed only)
Patricia Arquette ... Laura Bowman
U Aung Ko ... U Aung Ko
Frances McDormand ... Andy Bowman
Spalding Gray ... Jeremy Watt
Tiara Jacquelina ... San San, Hotel Desk Clerk
Kuswadinath Bujang ... Colonel at Hotel
Victor Slezak ... Mr. Scott
Jit Murad ... Sein Htoo
Ye Myint ... Zaw Win
Cho Cho Myint ... Zabai
Johnny Cheah ... Min Han
Haji Mohd Rajoli ... Karen Father
Azmi Hassan ... Older Karen Boy
Ahmad Fithi ... Younger Karen Boy
Adelle Lutz ... Aung San Suu Kyi


MPAA:Rated R for depiction of violent political oppression.
Runtime:100 min
Country:UK / USA
Language:English
Color:Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification:Argentina:16 / Finland:K-16 / Germany:12 (w) /
Portugal:M/12 / Spain:13 / Sweden:15 / UK:12 / USA:R (certificate
#33655) / Iceland:16 (video rating) / Iceland:12 (original rating)
Filming Locations:Perak, Malaysia more

=============

"Beyond Rangoon" Falls Short
By Todd McCarthy
http://www.ibiblio.org/freeburma/beyondrangoon/articles.txt


HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Another of John Boorman's ambitious,
highly physical explorations of a remote foreign culture,
``Beyond Rangoon'' goes only part of the way in elucidating its
topical subject matter and its tormented leading lady.

Engaging on the basis of its unusual Burmese setting and the
extreme jeopardy of its protagonists, film ultimately falls short
due to its conventional Westerner-caught- in-an-exotic-land
format, insufficient analysis of a little-known political
situation and one-dimensional characterizations.

Without strong reviews, this Castle Rock production looms as
a commercial also-ran, although foreign chances look somewhat
better than U.S. prospects.

A visit to another world, akin to several other Boorman
pictures, physically handsome effort was planned with Meg Ryan as
its star.

In the end, Patricia Arquette took on the role of Laura
Bowman, an American doctor trying to escape the devastating
memories of the murder of her husband and young son by getting
literally as far away from the U.S. as possible.

With her sister Andy (Frances McDormand), Laura is in Burma
in 1988 when the peaceful protests against the military
government begin to reach a crescendo.

One night after curfew, Laura is moved when she witnesses
pacifist leader Aung San Suu Kyi (who later won the Nobel Peace
Prize while under house arrest) bravely defy the massed troops by
moving through them to address the crowd.

Soon, however, the army violently cracks down on the
demonstrators, killing scores of them in actions that for the
most part went unreported in the West at the time.

In the first of numerous melodramatic contrivances in Alex
Lasker and Bill Rubenstein's screenplay, Laura manages to lose
her passport and is left behind when her sister and the rest of
her touring party beat a hasty retreat from the country.

Seeking a safe haven away from the capital, she escapes with
ostensible guide U Aung Ko, a former professor and political
dissident who eludes martial law in taking Laura to a rural
monastery populated by idealistic students.

Ever-encroaching pressure from the repressive regime sets
Laura and U Aung Ko on the run once again, turning the film into
a chase in which the imperiled duo barely manage to stay one step
ahead of the trigger-happy soldiers.

When the professor is injured, Laura is forced to take
charge, hitching a ride on a large bamboo river raft, killing a
man who's preparing to rape her and ultimately getting them back
to Rangoon, where they come under fire during a horrendous
massacre.

In the well-staged climax, Laura, U Aung Ko and their
colleagues are forced, in ``For Whom the Bell Tolls'' fashion, to
dodge bullets as they make mad dashes across a river to an exile
compound in Thailand.

The momentary excitement of the large-scale action sequences
notwithstanding, the film never goes more than halfway in
satisfying on all its levels of concentration -- as psychological
exploration of Laura's inner journey, as expose of a
little-dramatized political situation and as pure adventure
tale.

Even though the particulars of Burmese history and politics
are never explained in detail, the weight of the totalitarian
tyranny depicted makes the rather reckless behavior of a stray
American seem borderline silly and irrelevant.

Once again, the peril of a Yank on the loose in exotic
territory is made to seem of rather more urgent concern than the
fate of any number of anonymous Third Worlders.

Unlike ``The Killing Fields,'' the recent film ``Beyond
Rangoon'' most closely resembles, this one features an American
who is in Asia for essentially arbitrary rather than professional
reasons, one who naively and annoyingly reacts to military
strong-arm tactics with protestations like, ``They can't do
that!''

Matters aren't helped by the casting and central performance
of Arquette, who simply doesn't have the presence and command to
carry such a big picture, as the part requires her to do.

Not the least bit convincing as a doctor, she mostly
registers varying degrees of frantic desperation in reaction to
the chaotic events around her and never develops the dimensions
of intellectual and emotional growth that would have brought
Laura to full life.

Nonpro U Aung Ko, himself an exile from Burma for 20 years,
acquits himself honorably as Laura's knowing, good-humored
companion. Other perfs are strictly surface.

Where the film excels is in its physical re-creation of the
virtually unknown history of a relatively unfamiliar land.
Substituting Malaysian locations for off-limits Burma, Boorman
has staged some convincing set pieces of savage violence against
defenseless citizens, as well as some muscular action in river
and thick jungle settings.

The accomplishment of these sequences, however, goes well
beyond the level of the script or characterizations.

Particular kudos are due production designer Anthony Pratt
for his evocation of a very foreign milieu. The documentary
background of lenser John Seale is used to vivid advantage in
bringing an immediacy to the proceedings, although some of the
visual backgrounds are bleached out at times.

One can only salute Boorman's desire to bring the sorry
recent history of Burma (now Myanmar) to the world's attention,
but he didn't find the most effective way of dramatizing it.

*

BEYOND RANGOON
By John Follain

CANNES, France (Reuter) - British director John Boorman, best
known for his escapist adventure films, Friday entered the Cannes
festival with a highly political film about Burma's crackdown on
democracy protests in 1988.

``Beyond Rangoon'' is dedicated to Nobel Peace prize-winner Aung
San Suu Kyi, who symbolizes the protest movement in the Southeast
Asian country and has lived under house arrest in Burma since 1989.

Boorman, 62, said he had to overcome pressure from Burma's
military government to picture its bloody repression on the silver
screen -- it went largely unseen abroad because foreign television
crews were expelled.

``A film can't change the world but I do think that when people
have had the emotional experience of seeing a movie like this they
will read more about Burma. We plan to show it to as many politicians
as possible,'' he told a news conference.

``You could say this is my first film with a powerful political
content but much more important for me is the courage and the
overcoming of fear shown by the characters,'' said Boorman, who made
``Excalibur'' and ``The Emerald Forest.''

A young American doctor (Patricia Arquette), vacationing in Burma
to try to forget the murder of her husband and child, rallies behind
the protesters and flees with them as troops hunt her down.

Sickened by the repression, she saves an activist and regains the
will to live after crossing rainforests and rapids.

Boorman, who made several clandestine forays into Burma for
research, shot the film in Malaysia but Rangoon authorities put
pressure on his hosts and he was told to leave after several months
of shooting.

``We were horrified. We'd built pagodas, villages and a giant
statue of a reclining Buddha,'' he said.

He managed to negotiate permission to stay provided he strike out
all references to Burma in the script. He obliged and got the script
approved, but went ahead and shot his original plan anyway.

The team worked from eyewitness accounts and photographs to
recreate crowd protests outside the U.S. embassy in Rangoon and the
army's shooting of protesters. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people
were killed.

One electrifying scene has Aung San Suu Kyi, confronted by
soldiers pointing their guns at her at a Rangoon demonstration, walk
up to them and lead the crowd through unharmed.

Leader of the National League for Democracy, she lives separated
from her family and her British husband is allowed only rare visits.
She has refused an offer from authorities to go into exile.

The NLD swept more than 80 percent of the seats in 1990
elections. But the government ignored the results, claiming a new
constitution had to be drawn up before any transfer of power to a
civilian government could occur.

Professor and pro-democracy activist U Aung Ko was asked of the
risks he had taken in appearing in the film as himself:

``I am aware of the danger and of course I will be careful but
that is not the important thing to me. What is important is to have
made this film.''

===============

Memorable quotes for
Beyond Rangoon (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112495/quotes


[On whether men and women are equal]
Laura Bowman: Did you say completely equal?
U Aung Ko: Oh, yes! A woman can even become a Buddha; but for that
she must first come back as a man.
Laura Bowman: Ah, there's always a catch.

----------

U Aung Ko: We will need to make an offering.
Laura Bowman: What kind of offering?
U Aung Ko: That would depend on how much good karma you want for your
next life.
Laura Bowman: Hmm, I can't plan that far ahead.
U Aung Ko: Then some fresh fruit from the market will do.

----------

Doctor: Who the hell are you?
Laura Bowman: I'm a doctor, do you need any help?
Doctor: Are you kiddin', how long can you stay?
Laura Bowman: As long as it takes.

----------

\ Aung Ko: We are taught that suffering is one promise that life
always keeps...

================

USER COMMENTS
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112495/#comment

This movie was working toward two goals: to make a political point
and to tell a scary adventure story. It's often difficult to do make
a political point and still tell a good story (consider the highly
political but rarely-entertaining final season of Ellen). Beyond
Rangoon finds a good balance between politics and storytelling.

I already knew that Aung San Suu Kyi had won the 1991 Nobel Peace
Prize, and knew something about the oppressive political situation in
Burma, so the political message of the movie was mostly a
dramatization of what I already knew. But I thought the movie did a
good job of telling about Aung San Suu Kyi and the mostly-faceless
dictators who have for years tried to silence her. The device of
presenting an unfamiliar setting through the eyes of a character that
viewers can identify with is fairly common, but it's quite well done
in this movie.

Of course, the real measure of the movie was its entertainment value.
Arquette was excellent as a young woman whose sister took her to a
distant, unfamiliar place to shake her out of her depression over the
violent deaths of her husband and son. She is convincingly detached
and depressed. Her grieving condition gives her a clear reason for
her distracted wanderings into the thick of a dangerous situation she
does not understand, something she'd otherwise be much too
intelligent to stumble into.

Once the dangers become so obvious that she can see through them even
through the cloud of grief, she's trapped, with no easy escape. That
sets her on a path of adventure where she needs her intelligence to
survive. The writers deserve much credit for making her intelligent
and resourceful enough to deal with numerous dangerous situations,
while still finding a plausible reason for her to be foolish enough
to get into trouble in the first place. The directing is strong also,
keeping up the tension throughout the race to escape the forces of
the dictatorship.

This movie had additional impact on me and my wife because of other
events of the same time period. We were preparing for a trip to
India, and heard news reports of Western tourists who had been taken
hostage by a terrorist group in India. Avoiding isolated terrorists
in a peaceful democratic country is quite a different matter from
escaping an oppressive dictatorship. But the movie and the news
shared the element of avoiding danger in an unfamiliar country. That
common characteristic gave the movie meaning beyond the strength of
its own skillful storytelling. The movie illustrates the
international tourist's worst nightmare.

*


This movie was working toward two goals: to make a political point
and to tell a scary adventure story. It's often difficult to do make
a political point and still tell a good story (consider the highly
political but rarely-entertaining final season of Ellen). Beyond
Rangoon finds a good balance between politics and storytelling.

I already knew that Aung San Suu Kyi had won the 1991 Nobel Peace
Prize, and knew something about the oppressive political situation in
Burma, so the political message of the movie was mostly a
dramatization of what I already knew. But I thought the movie did a
good job of telling about Aung San Suu Kyi and the mostly-faceless
dictators who have for years tried to silence her. The device of
presenting an unfamiliar setting through the eyes of a character that
viewers can identify with is fairly common, but it's quite well done
in this movie.

Of course, the real measure of the movie was its entertainment value.
Arquette was excellent as a young woman whose sister took her to a
distant, unfamiliar place to shake her out of her depression over the
violent deaths of her husband and son. She is convincingly detached
and depressed. Her grieving condition gives her a clear reason for
her distracted wanderings into the thick of a dangerous situation she
does not understand, something she'd otherwise be much too
intelligent to stumble into.

Once the dangers become so obvious that she can see through them even
through the cloud of grief, she's trapped, with no easy escape. That
sets her on a path of adventure where she needs her intelligence to
survive. The writers deserve much credit for making her intelligent
and resourceful enough to deal with numerous dangerous situations,
while still finding a plausible reason for her to be foolish enough
to get into trouble in the first place. The directing is strong also,
keeping up the tension throughout the race to escape the forces of
the dictatorship.

This movie had additional impact on me and my wife because of other
events of the same time period. We were preparing for a trip to
India, and heard news reports of Western tourists who had been taken
hostage by a terrorist group in India. Avoiding isolated terrorists
in a peaceful democratic country is quite a different matter from
escaping an oppressive dictatorship. But the movie and the news
shared the element of avoiding danger in an unfamiliar country. That
common characteristic gave the movie meaning beyond the strength of
its own skillful storytelling. The movie illustrates the
international tourist's worst nightmare.

*

This is one of the most underrated movies of the 1990s. If you allow
yourself to identify with the Patricia Arquette character, you will
find it to be a very moving story of a woman regaining a sense of
purpose to her life, and finding a new will to live.

Arquette's performance is brave because it is purposefully "wooden" --
it's a way of defining her character's spiritual death, her complete
lack of a desire to be alive. She moves through life like a zombie
because her family has been murdered and she can't see the point of
living. What is moving is how in the course of the story, she is
reawakened -- by the Burmese landscape, by the beautiful quality of
its people and landscapes, and by the primal choices she is forced to
confront.

Boorman supports this visually (and Hans Zimmer supports it with one
of his most gorgeous, haunting scores) with an often static camera
and with a propensity to shoot through glass, windows, windshields,
etc. We are on the outside looking in, just like Arquette.... until
she finds herself deep in the jungle and is forced to choose whether
or not to fight for her life.

I recommend the 1954 movie THE PURPLE PLAIN as well. It's a similar
story in a similar setting, and makes for a fascinating comparison.

*

I first saw Beyond Rangoon years ago, and my interest in South East
Asia has kept growing ever since.

Laura's husband and son have just been murdered. Seeing her sink into
depression, her sister takes her on a tour of Burma hoping the change
will somehow get her back on track. Due to a thoughtless mistake
Laura finds herself trapped in the country on her own, finding
herself face to face with the exactions of the military dictatorship.
She meets an old professor who becomes her only way out of the
country. During their escape through the Burmese jungle, tracked by
the military, Laura finds herself forced to fight her way back into
life. She gradually lets go of her own pain to focus on the country's
wounds. And I just love the ending, it's a wise one.

I'd like to answer some other reviewers' comments: Laura is MEANT to
be in that comatose don't-give-a-damn state. Arquette's
interpretation is spot on. That's the sort of state I'd be in if I
had seen the people I cherish the most lying in a pool of blood on my
living room floor. This is what makes her wander out of the safety of
the US Embassy even though as an intelligent woman she's bound to
sense the danger of doing this. What's happened to her has made her
almost suicidal, "I was stone myself".

The film is well paced, the acting is good, and the scenery is
beautiful. Intense and food for thought, this film will be haunting
you for days. That's an 8/10.

*

Patricia Arquette plays American doctor Laura Bowman, who takes a
holiday to Burma in an attempt to heal her spirit after the murders
of her husband and young son. She is left behind in Rangoon during a
military crackdown and leaves the city with an aging man who works as
a "tour guide." But he is no simple tour guide; he is a professor who
introduces her to the life outside of the tourist traps ... the two
of them get caught up in the political upheaval and Laura sees with
her own eyes how the government betrays and oppresses its own people.

This movie is one of my favorites because of its themes. First, it's
informational (describing some of the injustices that are occurring
in Burma). Secondly, it's about a woman's struggle to find meaning in
life after an incredible loss. Thirdly, it's about compassion and
sacrifice, and people coming together - without even knowing each
other - to endure pain and fear.

Just about every beautiful scene in this movie is important; nothing
is wasted here. It's an earnest and moving film. There is also a very
emotional score composed by Hans Zimmer which complements scenes
nicely.

A definite recommend, especially to people concerned with human
rights ... and people who want to know, "What purpose can I serve?"

*

While the movie has its flaws, it brings to light some of the
problems that come with living in a country that has no democracy. It
makes you empathize with the people under such a government and makes
you want to learn more about their lives, their struggles and a
potential leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It makes one wonder why our
government will interfere places we are not wanted yet ignore those
who ask our help.

*

"The trip was Andy's idea. It was easier to say 'Yes' than argue.
Always that way with my sister. She meant well. A touch of the exotic
east would take me away from everything that reminded me of what had
happened..."

So begins the film "Beyond Rangoon", about an emotionally troubled
American who is urged by her sister to take a vacation in Rangoon,
Burma to try and get over the devastating loss of her husband and
child. While there, she becomes entertwined in very real political
upheavel. The film depicts the marches and rallies and protests
realistically, and shows massacres that are hard to watch, but need
to be heard. The political upheavals that really happened in Burma in
1988 were never heard or talked about in the US, and needed to be.
Aung San Su Kyi was a woman who was trying to bring Burma (Now
Myanmar) to democracy, but was denied by the government. She still
tried to lead her people to freedom, and the struggle still exists
today. The film has powerful writing, directing, cinematography and
acting. The absolutely chilling and powerful score by Hans Zimmer
lends riveting power to each scene, and fills triumphant moments with
triumph. Patricia Arquette portrays the American, Laura Bowman, with
depth, very frozen by the horrors of her loss, "I tried finding
something in those stone statues, but nothing stirred in me. I was
stone myself", but slowly she sees the meaning of her life and others
in her journeys throughout Rangoon and beyond. A terrific film. And
it needs to be watched. At home, and in history or government
classes. **** stars.

*

This film should be seen by as many people as possible as it
concentrates on the human rights problems in Burma. When I first
watched this film in the mid 1990's it totally changed my life. I
knew very little about Aung San Suu Kyi or her democracy movement. It
effected me so I wanted to understand more about the situation. Any
film that has the power to make you want to learn more has done its
job properly. Patricia Arquette is superb as the American lady who
due to personal tragedy has become reckless with her own life
decisions and gets caught up in the ensuing conflict. It is a
powerful film about a subject matter which deserves more publicity.
As the film itself says the 1988 massacre of Pro democracy activists
was not televised and therefore largely went unnoticed to the world.
I implore everyone reading these comments to take the time to find
out more about the current plight of the Burmese people.

*

Beyond Rangoon is one of the most emotional and intense films ever
made. Superbly directed by John Boorman, and intensly acted by
Patricia Arquette, this film can easily be called one of the best
films of the 90's. The story and vivid characters just grab the
audience from the very opening, and never lets go. After seeing the
film, the viewer will never be able to forget "Beyond Rangoon". The
film made little money at the box office, and is little known, but
should be high profile. Watching it, you can tell that it was meant
to be seen by a large audience. It is a very important and moving
film, and should be seen by everyone.

*

John Boorman, I like your movies. Your movies are cerebral, but do
not rely on symbolism or language to convey thought. They seem to
rely on emotions, sometimes clichéd (not always a bad thing, and you
do handle it well, in that your people say what one would expect a
person to really say in that situation, even if it has that feel of a
cliché), and lots of water and green vegetation, mud, earth, breath
in the cold, dragon's breath, stuff like that.

Your films remind me of David Lean and David Attenborough, which
makes sense, but, as you would probably agree, more dreamy.

A possible misgiving is an expectation set up with your stuff that
right away tips me in a certain direction, and takes away possible
surprise.

Not so with Beyond Rangoon, which I found was beyond the others you
have done that I am most familiar with (Emerald Forest, which I need
to see again, and Excalibur).

Beyond Rangoon is the story of one woman set against the backdrop of
events in Myanmar (Burma). The story makes no attempt to give us a
comprehensive picture of those events, just an introduction, but it
is a solid introduction. I feel I know a lot more, and I have a sense
of connection with those people that I did not have before, however
tenuous from my place of privilege.

Overall I found the story moving and filled with meaning. I always
like Patricia Arquette, and her leading man in this film is just
great. Actually, she's the lead in this film, and that is what is
great.

So much of the film is told with film language, that is, images, that
I can see some critics being a little impatient with it, but it is
probably because they overanalyze and find it fearful to feel
anything too deeply.

Anyone out there wondering if this movie is worth it should watch it
to find out. It will not be a waste of your time, whether you like it
or not.

*

This is a great film in many different ways...perhaps the most
important is that it introduces Western audiences to the remarkable,
tragic story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her fight for freedom and
democracy. Wonderful acting, gorgeous cinematography, breathtaking
action and suspense: "Beyond Rangoon" has everything. I've seen this
movie several times over the last ten years and each time it means
more to me. Not everyone will like it (hence the relatively low
rating on IMDb), but that's because it is not conventional Hollywood
dumbtainment; rather, it challenges the viewer on several levels.
I've never watched it without sobbing at the end and promising to
live a more meaningful life.

*

"Beyond Rangoon" is simply marvelous. From the traumatic opening to
the uplifting ending, you will be amazed at how well put together
this film is. Patricia Arquette amazingly portrays Laura Bowman, who
we meet as a shut-down and quit despondent young doctor, unable to
deal with her grief over the loss of her husband and son. Throughout
the course of the film, as she is trapped in Burma, witnesses the
Democratic uprise and massacres in the capital city of Rangoon, flees
for her life, and saves her tour-guide's (U Aung Ko's) life, she is
regaining her will to live. This may seen contrived or heavy handed:
it is not. John Boorman, a master at spiritual and emotional
conflict, paints the film with broad strokes, and often uses
symbolism to capture Laura's emotional state, and physical
predicament. Patricia Arquette, as usual, gives a wonderfully
convincingly and believable performance as the emotionally wounded
Laura. What Arquette does amazingly, in any role that she plays, is
give us a window into her character's heart without words. Every time
she is given a close up in the film, the audience is given insight
into her character. She does not need to speak to convey emotions, or
be over the top. Some critics were harsh on Arquette's performance in
the film when it opened on August 25, 1995, deeming that she
was "flat" or "dull" in the role. I found her characterization dead-
on, staying well away from the melodramatics that typically are part
of an actor's performance when having a personally tragedy take
place. She is on shock and is reserved about her feelings: that is
just as normal as screaming lashing out at those around you. I am
hoping that Warner Brothers releases this title on DVD very soon.
With Arquette's hugely successful NBC drama" Medium" bringing her to
household name status, not to mention an Emmy nomination, it would be
in the studio's best interest to do so. Hopefully there will be
extras, with the alternate ending. Do not by pass by this film. It is
one that you will certainly not forget after seeing.

*

I saw Beyond Rangoon about 20 times, it was THAT GOOD. At first when
I watched it, I saw the story of Laura Bowman, but later, after
multiple showings, I realised that this also was a parallel
documentary. It came to be in my mind, a story about Aung San Suu
Kyi, and the struggles of women to remain strong in the face of
uncertainty, danger, and sadness. I also would put history, and
politics on the list after further viewing, since I did learn a lot
about Burma's past, and present, and could only guess at it's future.
This movie is not only one you will want to see, it's also one you
will definitely want to own a copy of. It's a movie that could easily
been seen by the whole family, although not for children under
thirteen. However, the educational benefits of this movie can not,
and should not be understated.

*

I came across this movie on TV. I hadn't heard of it before and
almost changed the channel, but it quickly hooked me.

The story of the struggle of the Burmese people against a military
dictatorship was provoking. The level of brutality that some are
willing to use to hold onto power is hard to believe. It makes me
thankful to live in a country where the Government isn't likely to
shoot people in the streets.

The story of Laura Bowman was a good thread to hold the story of
political struggle together.

*

I am very surprised to see the good ratings for this movie.

I watched the film 9 years ago and I still remember how angry I felt
to sit in the movie theatre and to look at this mess. I am a big fan
of John Boorman's work. I really like his movies. So I went
to "Beyond Rangoon" with big expectations. But I felt like watching a
dumb, cheap Chuck Norris jungle movie with all action scenes cut out.
Even the soundtrack was very annoying.

I can't believe that John Boorman was the director because this movie
was so badly done. I think the Burmese people deserve better films to
illustrate their struggle.

*

This film was sheer boredom from beginning to end. Ok, so i salute
Boorman for raising the worldwide recognition of events in Burma, but
that is all he achieves. About 10 minutes into the film i thought "oh
no, here we go again", and i could have told you exactly what was
going to occur in the next 80 minutes or so. Patricia Arquette was
out of her depth in such a role, and her acting was wooden and
unconvincing. Mind you, being saddled with such an awfully
conventional script, maybe boredom set in, and was such reflected on
the screen. A lot of the film was just plain laughable. At one stage,
Arquette's elderly companion is shot, and he is prostrate on the
ground. In the next scene, he is sprinting through the forest,
obviously attempting to break the world 100 meters record! - or maybe
he's just trying to run away from Boorman!!. If you find it hard to
sleep one night then play Beyond Rangoon on your VCR and you'll be
snoring in no time. I very rarely critisize a film as heavily as
this, but in this case it is completely justified.

*

Lush cinematography, beautifully written and edited, John Boorman's
Beyond Rangoon is a must-see for anyone interested in world politics
and the arc of personal transformation. It interweaves a personal and
political tale that continues to haunt me, popping up in my mind's
eye with frequency. The story line is gripping, and the inner and
outer journeys are paralleled carefully and delicately both
cinematically, and in the story line. I've watched this film at least
six times, and it really holds up to scrutiny. It is particularly
relevant today, given world events. Check it out, you won't regret
it! BTW, NetFlix does not yet carry it, but you can request that they
do.

*

Certainly this proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Patricia Arquette
is what she is promoted to be: An ACTRESS! This is undoubtedly her
finest moment of Acting and she certainly deserves the credit for her
work. Never in any of her other movies, with the possible exception
of Holy Matrimony, has she been totally believable and authentic.

PLot: A young woman finds herself in southeast Asia and is suddenly
thrown into the political havoc of the countryside. She witnesses
mass murder and totalitarianism and escapes.

It is one movie that you MUST see or you have not seen all of
Hollywood's finest. I rank it 58 in the top 100 films of all time.

*

My ex wife and I saw and were intrigued by the trailer for this film.
We waited for it to come out but when it did it didn't stay in
theaters very long. Several years later I bought it on VHS and I am
transferring it to DVD so I can preserve it.

I found it to be very moving. It is about real events in a real
country. BURMA got such a bad reputation for the political oppression
it created that they changed their name.

I find women with little make-up on to be very sexy. Patricia
Arquette is in this movie. Frances McDormand and Spalding Gray are in
it only briefly.

After coming home to find her young son and husband brutally murdered
Laura (Arquette) is afraid of blood. A bad trait for a doctor. Her
sister (McDormand) talks her into going on a vacation to Burma. While
there she witnesses a peaceful demonstration and has her passport
stolen. In a bold (or stupid) move she asks a tourist guide to show
her something off the tourist track. Her guide is injured by soldiers
and she spends the rest of the movie trying to get him and herself to
safety.

Every time I watch this it reminds me that we in the United States
forget that to a peasant living under military rule, SOCIALISM, where
at least eating is virtually guaranteed, looks pretty darn good.

*

An incredible and precise depiction of the post 1988 era in the less
known country of Burma.

I was appalled by the ferocity of the military regime and astonished
by the courage of one woman, Aung San Su Kyi, a noble peace price
laureate (1991), who stood up bravely in front of the pointed rifles
for what she believes in. Although the scenes can not cover the
entire brutalities, such as using rape as a weapon, carried out by
the regime, the film indeed portrays the events with a moving plot;
Patricia Arquette, a tourist in Burma, witnesses the inspiration of
Burmese students who are willing to sacrifice for freedom.

*

When an American tourist comes to Burma with her sister to try and
move on from the murder of her husband and son. However a midnight
walk brings her into the middle of a student demonstration where she
loses her passport. Left behind by her tour group she begins tour of
discovery through the troubled country led by U Aung Ko. She
discovers a world of atrocities that have not been exposed to the
media.

There's no denying that there is a great story here – it is a
powerful tale of injustice, military rule and massacres that happened
away from the public eye. However this film does not really tell that
story. Instead it focuses on an American doctor on holiday in Burma
who allows us to see all these things. However it comes across like
it's about her rather than the country. She is seen as the most
important character and we have a subplot about her overcoming the
loss of her family in the US. It takes away from the central story
and makes this feel like a soap.

Of course it needn't have been like that. It's only a terrible, flat,
lifeless performance from Arquette that does this. She is so flat
that it's hard to care about her and it comes across even more like a
soap. She gives us shock, self-righteous indignation etc all under a
monotone voice over than made me want to sleep. She manages to come
across as more important than everyone else in the country and it's
as she only sees events in terms of how they affect her. Outside of
Arquette the support cast are good – U Aung Ko in particular, but
McDormand and Grey are OK.

The film continues with Hans Zimmer's standard `Far East' score
(compare this to Black Rain to see what I mean) and Arquette
discovering herself and spuing philosophy everywhere. However at the
end the film acts as a metaphor for why the US didn't know about
events in Burma – because no one cares about massive deaths unless a
Westerner is involved. We see in on the news everyday – hundreds
killed in a third world country is relegated to the end of the news,
after a story about what Brittany was wearing that day! But if one
American was killed then it would be the lead story with politicians
running from all corners to comment on it.

The film manages to take a terrible, emotive story and make it into a
beautifully shot drama about one American woman who only sees things
in terms of how they affect her. Boorman has a good try but really
needed a much better actress to lift the script.

*

Based on an actual story, John Boorman shows the struggle of an
American doctor, whose husband and son were murdered and she was
continually plagued with her loss. A holiday to Burma with her sister
seemed like a good idea to get away from it all, but when her
passport was stolen in Rangoon, she could not leave the country with
her sister, and was forced to stay back until she could get I.D.
papers from the American embassy. To fill in a day before she could
fly out, she took a trip into the countryside with a tour guide. "I
tried finding something in those stone statues, but nothing stirred
in me. I was stone myself."

Suddenly all hell broke loose and she was caught in a political
revolt. Just when it looked like she had escaped and safely boarded a
train, she saw her tour guide get beaten and shot. In a split second
she decided to jump from the moving train and try to rescue him, with
no thought of herself. Continually her life was in danger.

Here is a woman who demonstrated spontaneous, selfless charity,
risking her life to save another. Patricia Arquette is beautiful, and
not just to look at; she has a beautiful heart. This is an
unforgettable story.

"We are taught that suffering is the one promise that life always
keeps."

*

This is the worst of Boorman's movies I have seen. Boorman is a fine
actor and has made many great movies - like "Excalibur" and "Hope and
Glory" but this is a total failure. Why? First: The "blue-screen"
shooting is terrible with many darklines still left around the
actors, this is most visible when they are on the raft in the river.
Second: The movie is too short. This movie is only 1h 35min and that
is too short for a movie of this kind. Because of its shortness it
fails where movies like "Killing fields" and "Salvador" triumphs. It
is impossible to "unite" with the actors and actresses world in so
short a time and therefor one only looks at this movie and don't feel
anything about the horrors that it is supposed to make you upset
about. But there is at least one thing good about this movie and that
is the performance of Arquette - very convincing and colorfully done,
but why didn't you give her an other half hour to give us more depth?
Therefore I can't recommend this movie - insteed I advise you to
watch Killing Fields by Roland Joffe or Salvador by Oliver Stone or
watch another of Boorman's movies.

*

"Beyond Rangoon" is mostly a petite, robust Arquette running barefoot
all over Burma from the military junta bad guys while trying
desperately to help a wounded super good guy professor. The film
mechanically tells its by-the-numbers story about a recently widowed
American physician on vacation who gets stuck in the traveler's
favorite vacation spot, Burma (yeah, right!), in the midst of a clash
between restless citizens and the ruling military junta. The result
is very ordinary stuff for Arquette fans, people with an interest in
the Burma, and couch potatoes who dig flicks with strong women heros.
(C)

*

I first was made aware of this film when I saw a preview before
another movie. I was intrigued but it didn't get to see it before
it's short run in theaters was done.

It is not an easy movie to watch multiple times. There is much
violence inflicted upon unarmed civilians. There are lessons to be
learned here. One of Patricia Arquette's lines sums up on. "To
Americans if it didn't happen on TV it just didn't happen" There is a
lot of truth to that.

Another is that at one point she thinks that just because she
announces she is an American Citizen that soldiers will part and let
her pass. It doesn't work that way.

The scenery is beautiful. The acting is all decent. THE PROFESSOR is
especially good. Mainly though I care about these characters. Francis
McDormand and Spaulding Gray are fine but their appearance is short,
so they don't matter much. Patricia has guts. In the hands of a
lesser actor this could have turned out very badly. As it is love or
hate the movie you should still come away with the idea that there
still exist military dictatorships in the world in this century, and
until one of our own is hurt we ignore their oppression.

Aung San Suu Kyi, is the female political leader in the movie. In
real life she won the Nobel Peace Prize. She was only recently
released from house arrest. The W. Bush administration, as of the
date I write this, is attempting to pressure the military government
to engage in talks with her and re-form the government. The Burmize
government was under such scrutiny that is changed the name of the
country to the Maynamar Republic. The U.S. Government has yet to
recognzie the new name.

If you don't wnat a message in your movie don't watch this one. If
you don't mind a little educations with your entertainment then it's
a fine one.

*

This movie makes one glad to be living in the United States of
America where the government does not shoot people in the streets and
we usually have free and fair elections and don't detain "political
prisoners" for years without charge while ethnic separatists wage
guerilla warfare in our jungles while selling opium to our neighbors
because decades of international isolation and sanctions have left
millions impoverished. The movie is pretty atrocious at times and
you'd need to have some appreciation for the country of Burma to
really enjoy it. I could not help but smile when I heard those Karen
children chanting the alphabet in that wonderful singy-song. (The
film was mostly shot in Thailand)

*

I just love to see what direction John Boorman takes with each film
project. I find I'm rarely disappointed. Beyond Rangoon is
intelligent, detailed, involving and thoroughly engrossing,with an
exceptionally brave performance by Patricia Arquette.The political
backdrop of the squelching of the Burmese embryonic democracy
movement told from the perspective of a visiting American doctor
recovering from her own personal tragedy is a nice juxtaposition.Here
we see Patricia Arquette leave her own personal grief behind to
embrace a greater grief.Another excellent film by an engaging
director.

*

Brave performance here by Patricia Arquette, making up somewhat for
any lack there may arguably have been in her being cast for the part.
The rest of the cast as well as the photography keeps the film at an
acceptable level. Not so the music from Hans Zimmer, which, as often
happens in other films with his music, one senses the plagiarism as
he wanders about from cuasi-Isham to almost Vangelis forms; Boorman's
directing was rather loose at times and some poor editing did not
help. Notwithstanding all this, the film maintains interest precisely
because it is Burma – now Myanmar – which is the true protagonist of
the unfolding story – not the actors. It is the tragedy of Myanmar,
hardly ever in the headlines, that keeps interest for the discerning
viewer.

A second viewing of this film recently confirmed this way of watching
the film for me.

I was in Burma (then) in 1971: rebuilt Japanese war vehicles
converted into little buses ran the streets of Rangoon; nearly a
quarter of a century later Boorman was filming the same vehicles!
From the fabulous insult of Shwé Dagon north to Pagan and Mandalay
and east to Karen country around the lake at Inlé, repression was
evident at all times. The poverty of the filthy streets in the
capital with open drains and sewers ……….. and amidst all this the
incredibly beautiful British colonial architecture of the Government
house presiding over the mess. The Shwé Dagon pagoda displays that
magnificent heritage of 10th and 11th Century Burma as well as many
others around the country, but is an insult to the peoples striving
to live in the ruins of a despotic régime.

If Boorman sought to illustrate this, pity indeed he did not do it 25
years earlier. But whilst the mixture of races – Indians,
Bangladeshis, Laotians, Karens and other indigenous Burmese races –
continue to suffer, but the repression does not affect interests of
other nations, above all the US, there is no Nobel Prize which will
change the course of events, and no film will do it either. With its
back to the world, shut in inside its frontiers, the tottering régime
stumbles on in no direction, stagnating in its own mire, and shunning
anything anyone may say or do about the situation.

So you can see that my interpretation of the film is rather tainted,
a very personal point of view. But do not be dissuaded: the story
line maintains a certain coherency, though at times Patricia Arquette
running and running and running at times had me almost laughing.

*

I'll say it again... one of the worst films ever made and it was made
by the director that made one of my most, favorite films -
"Excalibur". I was floored to see it got a grade of over six. This
movie sucks. It looked terrible. It looked like it was shot in 18
days and Boorman must've been sleeping when he directed this.
Arquette didn't do anything. Just plain terrible, rotten, unbearable
and probably the only blemish in Boorman's celebrated career.

*

This is definitely not your normal Sunday afternoon film. But it is a
great adventure film. John Boorman did a great movie here. Patricia
Arquette plays wonderfully a widow whose husband and son has been
murdered and she goes with her sister on a a trip to Burma to try to
forget the horrible thing. She gets her passport robbed and then the
adventure begins. Boorman tries to capture the life of the people of
Burma and he did a great job. I don't know any actor apart form
Arquette but they all play great. The Film in general is very deeply
moving and the music of Hans Zimmer is very emotional. If you like
reality movies this one is definitely for you. You will have a great
time watching this film. I give it a 10 out of 10.

*

I would give this movie a good strong 7. While it definantly isn't
the greatest movie, or even one the best movies of it's kind (The
Killing Fields is better) it does at least attempt to tell a
necessary story.

I think the method of introducing Laura into Burma was a bit
contrived. First of all, Burma isn't exactly the easiest country to
visit, especially in the late 80's. Secondly, if you did make it
Burma, your passport would not get lost. A sane person would make
darn sure they knew where their passport was at all times. With that
in mind, I'm sure the screenwriter knew that was weak, but needed
something. Patricia Arquette's performance was understated, and I
just didn't buy that she was a doctor. However, at least she didn't
overact the role, which often happens in movies like this. U Aung Ko
was good, but also understated. The end is hard to follow, since most
of the dialogue is in Burmese, with people translating for Laura. It
would have been difficult for Laura, and is difficult for the viewer
as well. Another plus is the strong SE Asian scenery in the film,
which was enjoyable to see.

*

American Tourist on package tour in Asia suffering recent bereavement
decides to break law by: 1 Ignoring curfew; 2 Joining revolutionary
army; 3 Possessing and using illegal firearm...... etc etc What is
meant to be a political and educational statement about the so called
atrocities of a military dictatorship in Asia ends up as a "How To"
travel guide for disillusioned Americans....especially those who wish
to protest that the water in the hotel does not work.... Regrettably
the authors of this silly yarn have no clue about Asia...nor it seems
in writing sensible dialogue... example:...our human-rights heroine
searching desperately for medicine in the furthest outreaches of the
Asian jungle miles from anywhere comes across a peasant and
asks: "Excuse me-does this town have a pharmacy?"...Well....those who
know something about the Asian jungle will appreciate how ludicrous
that scenario really is.... Mind you I was recently in the Thai
jungle and an American asked me.... "excuse me....do you know where
is MacDonalds?" This movie is meant to be a serious drama but ends up
as a parody and rip-off of all those "killing fields" type of films
designed to confirm tha Asian stereotype held by much of
western "civilization" and re-inforced by Hollywood Fantasies such as
this..... The basic message of this picture is: "we
Americans...coming from the worlds only true democracy have a divine
right to go to all other nations...and put right their
wrongs.....screw-up their environment....and teach them about
freedom....." (see for example The Beach......at least Leo did it
with a bit more style)....of course Vietnam is another story....
And.....the educated Asian may well ask why the Yankie Gungh-Ho
attitude about Asia should come from a nation whose main contribution
to humanity has been helping to spread Cancer... Aids.. Gun carrying
kiddies and Jerry Springer......et al.. At the end of this picture
the cynical viewer may well be cheering for the Burmese Military.....
3 out of 10.