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This product is also available in the following formats:
- The Year of Living Dangerously [2000] [DVD/Video – DVD]
The Year of Living Dangerously
Mel Gibson stars in this period political thriller directed by Peter Weir. Set in Indonesia during the 1965 coup against President Sukarno, the film stars Gibson as Guy Hamilton, an Australian wire-service reporter covering the scene. Whenever Hamilton becomes too glib or indifferent for his own good, he is brought back to earth by his "conscience," photographer Billy Kwan (played in male drag by diminutive actress Linda Hunt, who won an Academy Award for her performance). As all of Jakarta sinks into disarray, Hamilton pursues a romance with British attaché Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver). Filmed on location in the Philippines and Australia, the film was financed by MGM, in the first such American-Australian financial collaboration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Product Details
| UPC: | 027616663825 |
|---|---|
| Release Date: | August 20, 1997 |
| Format: | DVD |
| MPAA Rating: | PG |
| Region: | 1 (USA & territories, Canada) |
| Screen: | Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV |
| Sound: | PCM stereo, 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects, PCM mono |
| Language: | English, French, Spanish; Castilian |
| Subtitles: | English, French, Spanish; Castilian |
| Original Aspect Ratio: | 2.35:1 |
| Disc Aspect Ratio: | 2.35:1 |
| Genre: | Drama |
Review
It would be wrong to say that The Year of Living Dangerously made stars of Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver; it solidified their stardom and also showed them to be fine actors. As Guy Hamilton, a young Australian radio journalist on the make, Gibson shows soul behind a pretty-boy face and magnetic eyes. His Hamilton is all modern ambition and quick answers until he runs into what director Peter Weir portrays best: the collision between new and old societies. Gibson's greatest success comes when Hamilton endures the pain of deciding whether to air a story that would expose British attaché Jill Bryant (Weaver) as his source. His pain is compelling; in later roles (particularly the Lethal Weapon series), Gibson undergoes torture to achieve the same effect, a pattern that repeats itself in almost all of his successive roles. Weir portrays the Indonesia of 1965 as a place where Western blandishments ring especially hollow against the poverty, misery, and oddly spiritual life. He uses an unearthly score and bright, contrasty colors (especially the blue shirt Gibson usually wears) in the glittery, sterile palaces of the Sukarno regime to contrast with the dirt and darkness of Indonesia's poverty. And in Linda Hunt's Academy Award-winning performance as photographer Billy Kwan, Weir has a great voice for the despair that the poverty engenders. But the movie's grasp of Southeast Asian politics isn't as strong as the romance between Gibson's and Weaver's characters. As in Weir's later Witness, the romance stays in mind long after the civics lesson has faded. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie GuideCredits
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Joel Agona | Actor — Palace Guard |
| Hermono de Guzman | Actor — Immigration Officer |
| Mike Emperio | Actor — President Sukarno |
| Noel Ferrier | Actor — Wally |
| Joonee Gamboa | Actor — Naval Officer |
| Linda Hunt | Actor — Billy Kwan |
| Bill Kerr | Actor — Col. Henderson |
| Domingo Landicho | Actor — Hortono |
| Coco Marantha | Actor — Pool waiter |
| Bernardo Nacilla | Actor — Dwarf |
| Ali Nur | Actor — Ali |
| Dominador Robidillo | Actor — Betjak Man |
| Bembol Roco | Actor — Kumar |
| Paul Sonkkila | Actor — Condon |
| Sigourney Weaver | Actor — Jill Bryant |
| Mark Egerton | Actor — Embassy aide |
| Mel Gibson | Actor — Guy Hamilton |
| Michael Murphy | Actor — Peter Curtis |
| Joel Lamangan | Actor — Security Man 1 |
| Norma Uatuhan | Actor — Ibu |
| Peter Weir | Director |
| Peter Weir | Screenwriter |
| David Williamson | Screenwriter |
| C.J. Kock | Screenwriter |
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© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. 
