‘The Emerald Forest’ (Special Edition) Blu-Ray Review – An Unexpected Indigenous Exploration

From John Boorman, the director of Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific, Deliverance, and Excalibur, comes a wildly ambitious parable that transports us to a singularly imaginative realm. The Emerald Forest is an exotic and erotic nightmare replete with one lushly enrapturing scene after another. For ten years, engineer Bill Markham (Powers Boothe, Southern Comfort, Sudden Death) has searched tirelessly for his son, Tommy, who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that’s when Bill’s adventure truly begins. His son (Charley Boorman) is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful but dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to “rescue” him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill’s idea of true civilization…and his notions about who needs rescuing. Co-starring Meg Foster (The Osterman Weekend, They Live).

For thoughts on The Emerald Forest, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/XVdHVOn5xZ0?si=AO7_XayIeyu7ABFe&t=1647]

Video Quality

This new Blu-Ray from Kino Classics gives The Emerald Forest an AVC-encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 that holds up decently. The film was released on Blu-Ray back in 2014 by the label, although it appears to have been out of print for a little bit. The new disc is derived from the same master, but this release appears to utilize a new BD-50 disc instead of the more compressed BD-25 from before. We do not have that disc to compare the two transfers, but the recent cavalcade of re-releases has generally benefited from new encodes. That being said, there is still room for improvement and we would have loved a new 4K scan on Blu-Ray or 4K UHD. 

There are no unforgivable instances of damage to be found in this presentation, but there are a good amount of specks and blemishes throughout. The feature has a passable grain structure that retains the filmic look of the picture with it rarely devolving into digital noise. The transfer showcases some fine detail in grime from the jungle and the landscapes. The setting allows for a sumptuous image with hues saturated without issue. Black levels could show a bit more strength, but they provide some amount of depth to the image even with bits of crush present. A new master would have been preferred, but Kino Classics has done well by bringing this back into rotation. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a welcome DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that gets the job done. The score maintains straightforward fidelity and does not overwhelm the dialogue or other notable information. A few moments sound a bit thin and weak, but nothing outright sounds damaged. Dialogue comes through clearly and holds together well with environmental noises and other competing elements. This track comes with intermittent moments of age-related wear and tear. The audio track is a fine enough option even without a fresh take on it. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Edgar Pablos and Film Historian Nathaniel Thompson provide a lively and informative commentary track in which they discuss the production of the film, how this fits into the career of John Boorman, the background of the performers, how this portrays the indigenous people, the critical reception, and more that is worth exploring. 

• Trailers: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer for The Emerald Forest is provided here. There are also trailers for The Bounty, Runaway Train, Bat 21, and The Package. 

Final Thoughts

The Emerald Forest is an unexpected take on the “stolen child” storyline the story tackles the realities of an indigenous tribe with more respect than your average Hollywood production. Rather than a tale of revenge, you have a journey of acceptance and understanding that reveals more depth to the characters than you may expect. The interpersonal drama is quite riveting, but the film also knows when to bring some action and intrigue to the screen. The performances are very strong from the professionals and non-actors alike. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that shows off an acceptable A/V presentation and a great new commentary track. This under-the-radar effort is worth a look. Recommended 

The Emerald Forest (Special Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.