The Burning Season (1994 film)
The Burning Season is a 1994 television movie directed by John Frankenheimer. The film chronicles Chico Mendes' fight to protect the rainforest. This was Raul Julia's last film released during his lifetime, premiering five weeks before his death. The movie was based in part on the 1990 book of the same name by journalist Andrew Revkin.
| 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 Sonia Braga Kamala Lopez-Dawson Luis Guzmán Edward James Olmos |
| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Puttnam |
| Producer(s) | John Frankenheimer Thomas M. Hammel Grazia Rade Grazka Taylor Diane Batson-Smith (co-producer) |
| Production location(s) | Mexico |
| Cinematography | John R. Leonetti |
| Editor(s) | Paul Rubell |
| Running time | 123 minutes |
| Production company(s) | HBO Pictures |
| Distributor | HBO Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release | September 16, 1994 |
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 Chico 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.
Cast
- Raul Julia.....Francisco "Chico" Mendes
- Carmen Argenziano.....Alfredo Sezero
- Sonia Braga.....Regina de Carvalho
- Kamala Lopez.....Ilzamar
- Luis Guzmán.....Estate Boss
- Nigel Havers.....Steven Kaye
- Tomas Milian.....Darli Alves
- Esai Morales.....Jair
- Edward James Olmos.....Wilson Pinheiro
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)
Emmy Awards
- 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 (Sonia 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 (Sonia Braga)
- Won: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries (Raul Julia [posthumously])
External links
- The Burning Season on IMDb
- The Burning Season (1994 film) at AllMovie
- The Burning Season (1994 film) 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)