The Burning Season (1994 film)
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| The Burning Season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Biography Drama |
| Based on | The Burning Season by Andrew Revkin |
| Screenplay by | William Mastrosimone Michael Tolkin Ron Hutchinson |
| Story by | William Mastrosimone |
| Directed by | John Frankenheimer |
| Starring | Raul Julia Carmen Argenziano Sônia Braga Kamala Lopez-Dawson Luis Guzmán Edward James Olmos |
| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | David Puttnam |
| Producers | John Frankenheimer Thomas M. Hammel Grazia Rade Grazka Taylor Diane Batson-Smith (co-producer) |
| Production location | Mexico |
| Cinematography | John R. Leonetti |
| Editors | |
| Running time | 123 minutes |
| Production company | HBO Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | September 16, 1994 |
The Burning Season is a 1994 American made-for-television biographical drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film chronicles environmental activist Chico Mendes' fight to protect the Amazon rainforest. This was Raul Julia's last film released during his lifetime, premiering on HBO on September 16, 1994, five weeks before his death. The film was based in part on the 1990 book of the same name by journalist Andrew Revkin.
Plot
Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist who was murdered in 1988 by ranchers opposed to his activism. The movie opens in 1951 with a young Mendes witnessing his father's interaction with corrupt ranchers who are exploiting peasants for their work. The bulk of the film then takes place between 1983 and 1988, showing Mendes' activism to preserve the Amazon rainforest, to his murder in a drive-by shooting by a disgruntled rancher waiting in the shadows.
Cast
- Raul Julia as Francisco "Chico" Mendes
- Carmen Argenziano as Alfredo Sezero
- Sônia Braga as Regina de Carvalho
- Kamala Lopez as Ilzamar
- Luis Guzmán as Estate Boss
- Nigel Havers as Steven Kaye
- Tomas Milian as Darli Alves
- Esai Morales as Jair
- Edward James Olmos as Wilson Pinheiro
- Roger Cudney as Reporter
Awards and nominations
- Nominated: Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television (Françoise Bonnot and Paul Rubell)
- Nominated: Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week (Junie Lowry-Johnson)
- Won: Outstanding Directing in Miniseries or a Special (John Frankenheimer)
- Won: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (Raul Julia [posthumously])
- Nominated: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special (Ron Hutchinson, William Mastrosimone and Michael Tolkin)
- Nominated: Outstanding Made for Television Movie
- Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (Edward James Olmos)
- Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special (Sônia Braga)
- Won: Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Raul Julia [posthumously])
- Won: Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
- Won: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Edward James Olmos)
- Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Sônia Braga)
- Won: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries (Raul Julia [posthumously])
External links
- The Burning Season at IMDb
- The Burning Season) at AllMovie
- The Burning Season) at the TCM Movie Database
- The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest (1990 Mendes biography by Andrew Revkin)
- 1994 films
- 1994 drama films
- 1994 in the environment
- 1994 television films
- 1990s biographical drama films
- American biographical drama films
- American films based on actual events
- Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners
- Environmental films
- Films about trees
- Films based on biographies
- Films directed by John Frankenheimer
- Films scored by Gary Chang
- Films set in Brazil
- Films set in forests
- Films shot in Mexico
- Films with screenplays by Michael Tolkin
- HBO Films films
- 1990s American films