Alvaro Rudolhpi Movies
- 2000
Recalling Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God, acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littin directs this sweeping epic about the true-life tale of Romanian engineer Julius Popper and his half-crazed pursuit of gold. Set in 1850, the handsome Romanian rides into a rough and tumble frontier town with his pockets full of gold. He uses his loot to round up dazzled prospectors and seduce hard-bitten brothel owner Armenia (Ornella Muti) into funding his expedition. The band sets off for the rugged South populated by half-naked indigenous people. Claiming the land for the Queen of Romania, Popper captures the Indians as slaves and forces them to mine for gold. They do find a scant amount of gold, which Popper promptly mints into coins bearing his likeness. Popper's second in command, a former Austrian sergeant named Novak (Nelson Villiagra), treats Indians with appalling savagery in the name of civilization, though he develops an odd respect for the tribe's beautiful, thoroughly-tattooed and frequently naked Queen Mennar (Tamara Acosta). As the rainy season sets in, the unpaid miners start to quietly talk of mutiny. Popper makes a bagpiper an example and forces him to play until he keels over. When this fails, Popper offers an ounce of gold for each Indian ear, breast, and testicle. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría, Ornella Muti, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Set in Chile in the early 1990s, when the brutal oppression of the Pinochet regime had given way to a democratic government (and a capitalist economy that proved to have flaws of its own), El Entusiasmo/Enthusiasm begins in 1984, when Guillermo (Alvaro Rudolphi) introduces two of his friends to each other -- Fernando (Alvaro Escobar) and Isabel (Maribel Verdu). A decade later, Fernando and Isabel have a son, and they join forces with Guillermo to start a business offering sightseeing expeditions for tourists visiting the newly-democratic nation. Fernando gets an idea for a special multi-media presentation that would educate viewers on Chile's history, culture and political legacy, and it proves to be a major success -- enough so that he's roped by a group of less-than-trustworthy developers who want his help with a project building luxury housing in the desert. However, this is the opposite of the utopian collective that Guillermo had dreamed of years ago; Fernando's new ideals and associates alienate both Guillermo and Isabel, who turn against Fernando and into each others arms. El Entusiasmo/Enthusiasm was shown as part of the "Directors Fortnight" program at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maribel Verdú, Carmen Maura, (more)
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