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Tobias Schneebaum,
Tobias Schneebaum,
Norman Mailer,
more...
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Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
David Shapiro,
more...
see all cast/crew...
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: New Video Group
: Documentary, Biographies, Political & Social Issues, Cannibals
: 94 min.
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In 1955, artist, author, and anthropologist Tobias Schneebaum fulfilled a life-long dream by visiting the jungles of Peru. Seven months later, the New York native returned with remarkable tales of living with a tribe of cannibals, watching their murderous raids on other tribes, and even eating human flesh with them. In 1999, Schneebaum returned to Peru at the age of 78 with a camera crew in tow in hopes of finding the cannibals he lived with many years before. While Schneebaum prepares for his journey, he lectures on the rituals and lifestyles of indigenous peoples, shares his views on homosexuality and open marriage among the natives of West Papua (in one sequence, Schneebaum, who is gay, is reunited with a tribesman who became his lover), and shows footage from his expedition with the Asmat people, who are believed to have attacked and eaten Michael Rockefeller in 1961. Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale was shown at the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| Interesting but unfocussed
by nate
May 19, 2004 - 8:34 AM PDT
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3 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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This documentary touches on a lot of interesting topics, but doesn't delve that deeply into any one of them. Schneebaum comes across as a very interesting persion, but if this was to be a biography I'd have wanted more on his early life and upbringing. Or if the focus was on the primitive societies, I'd have wanted more information about them beyond how they intersected with Schneebaum.
I guess maybe I wanted the film to take more of a position on things. As it is, the conclusions seem to be: homosexuality is, societies differ, and cannabilism happens. Apart from the scenes of an elderly Schneebaum crying when leaving people he hasn't seen in years and realizes he is unlikely to live long enough to see again, the only real tension in the film is between Schneebaum and the documentarians.
Several times throughout the film Schneebaum expresses his dissatisfaction with how the film and film makers are treating him. I'm inclined to agree with him.
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| Definetly see this!
by Misshaped
March 19, 2004 - 7:06 PM PST
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| You can't help but admire Tobias Schneebaum. He is an absolutely amazing man. The issue of his being a cannibal is such a small part of his life...just one moment in a long and fascinating series of events...but you will see the impact it has had on him. The footage of the various talk shows is typical of how you'd imagine Schneebaum would be treated. His very persona brings up feelings of fear, misunderstanding, shock, revulsion, etc. to those around him. It's interesting that the "primatives" seem to be the only ones in his life that embrace him completely, without question. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.49)
78 Votes
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