Secret of the Andes (El secreto de los Andes) is a 1998 Argentine-American fantasy adventure film co-written and directed by Alejandro Azzano. It stars Roshan Seth as a powerful shaman, Camilla Belle as a nine-year old young girl with unusual gifts, David Keith as her archaeologist father, Nancy Allen as her mother and John Rhys-Davies as a Catholic priest.[1]
| Secret of the Andes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alejandro Azzano |
| Written by | Alejandro Azzano Bernardo Nante |
| Starring | Roshan Seth Camilla Belle David Keith Nancy Allen John Rhys-Davies Jerry Stiller |
| Cinematography | Máximo Munzi |
| Edited by | Miguel Pérez |
| Music by | Luis Enrique Bacalov |
Production companies | Semana Mágica S.A. Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA) |
| Distributed by | Distribution Company (1999, Argentina) MTI Home Video (VHS, United States) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes 95 minutes |
| Countries | Argentina United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
Synopsis
editWhen Diana's behavior causes her to be suspended from her school in New York City, her mother takes her to join her father, an archaeologist working in a village in the Andes. He is looking for the missing half of the golden disc of Huáscar, which legend says can grant eternal life. Diana meets the local shaman and discovers her own mystical powers.
Cast
edit- Camilla Belle ... Diana Willings
- David Keith ... Brooks Willings
- Nancy Allen ... Brenda Willings
- Roshan Seth ... Don Benito
- John Rhys-Davies ... Father Claver
- Jerry Stiller ... Dr. Goldfisch
- José Luis Alfonzo ... Lázaro
- Gianni Lunadei
- Rodrigo Barrena ... Sancho Benito
- Betiana Blum ... Mama Lola
- Leandro López ... Lucho Benito
Critical response
editThe critical reception was mostly negative in the Argentine press. Adolfo C. Martínez wrote in La Nación that the film "was so short of imagination that does not resist the slightest analysis (...) If its makers though of a movie for children, they err their target...if they though of a movie for older audiences, nobody at an adult age can become captivated by the absurdities shown on screen".[2] Juan Villegas, from the El Amante del Cine magazine wrote that "there was an exciting story to be tell, but they forgot to shoot it".[3]
Accolades
editSecret of the Andes won a silver Remi in the 2000 edition of the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.[4] The movie was also nominated to best film in the 1998 edition of the Mar del Plata International Film Festival.[5]
References
edit- ^ Secret of the Andes at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Redacción LA NACION (1999-07-15). "Un secreto que interesa poco". La Nación (in Spanish). ISSN 0325-0946. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ Manrupe, Raúl; Portela, María Alejandra (2003). Un diccionario de films argentinos II 1996-2002 (in Spanish). Corregidor. p. 220. ISBN 950-05-1525-3.
- ^ "Contest News: WorldFest Houston Wraps Up Festival". MovieBytes.com - Screenwriting Contests & Markets Online. 17 April 2000. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata. "36º Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata". www.mardelplatafilmfest.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
External links
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