The first of many events commemorating the upcoming 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition of 1804-06, this National Geographic-produced Imax film will be traveling leisurely around the country. Since April 20, distributor Destination Cinema's "Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West" has opened in big-format venues in Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Utah and Michigan, with the rest of the big country beckoning. Next up May 18 is Jersey City, N.J.'s, Dome Theater at the Liberty Science Center.
A reteaming of director Bruce Neibaur and producer Lisa Truitt, who collaborated on National Geographic's Imax hit "Mysteries of Egypt", "Lewis & Clark" is a fine introduction to the subject matter by way of a documentary-like re-creation that condenses the epic 8,000-mile journey into 42 minutes while filming in locations as close as possible to the ones described in historical journals.
One of our prouder moments as an emerging nation, the Thomas Jefferson-inspired exploration by river of America's vast Northwestern interior is of historical significance for not always good reasons. Uncharted by non-natives but hardly unoccupied, the land is teeming with new species and new people. Indeed, a young woman named Sacagawea (Alex Rice) becomes a crucial member of the expedition, while the Native American world they travel through will soon suffer a calamitous decline.
Led by Jefferson's private secretary Meriwether Lewis (Kelly Boulware) and soldier-explorer William Clark (Sonny Surowiec), the ambitious expedition to map the Missouri River, cross the Continental Divide and find passage to the Pacific Ocean (on the Columbia River) left St. Louis on May 14, 1804, and returned Sept. 23, 1806. With little conventional dialogue, but with the performers convincingly re-enacting selected portions of the journey, "Lewis & Clark" is ultimately all about the scenery.
To this end, special effects are needed to show such past wonders as a massive herd of buffalo and Montana's Great Falls. Overall, the film proudly celebrates Lewis & Clark's achievement and makes good use of the Imax format. Along with the narration read by Jeff Bridges, the film's reverential attitude toward the pre-industrial wilderness and its fauna both human and animal is a noble sentiment in the current climate of increased consumption of fossil fuels -- not to mention the management of rivers and problems of pollution.
LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST
Destination Cinema
National Geographic Television and Film
Credits:
Director: Bruce Neibaur
Screenwriter: Mose Richards
Producers: Lisa Truitt, Jeff T. Miller
Director of photography: T.C. Christensen
Editor: Stephen L. Johnson
Music: Sam Cardon
Narrator: Jeff Bridges
Cast:
Meriwether Lewis: Kelly Boulware
William Clark: Sonny Surowiec
Sacagawea: Alex Rice
Charbonneau: Greg Jackson
York: Toby Tyler
Running time -- 42 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A reteaming of director Bruce Neibaur and producer Lisa Truitt, who collaborated on National Geographic's Imax hit "Mysteries of Egypt", "Lewis & Clark" is a fine introduction to the subject matter by way of a documentary-like re-creation that condenses the epic 8,000-mile journey into 42 minutes while filming in locations as close as possible to the ones described in historical journals.
One of our prouder moments as an emerging nation, the Thomas Jefferson-inspired exploration by river of America's vast Northwestern interior is of historical significance for not always good reasons. Uncharted by non-natives but hardly unoccupied, the land is teeming with new species and new people. Indeed, a young woman named Sacagawea (Alex Rice) becomes a crucial member of the expedition, while the Native American world they travel through will soon suffer a calamitous decline.
Led by Jefferson's private secretary Meriwether Lewis (Kelly Boulware) and soldier-explorer William Clark (Sonny Surowiec), the ambitious expedition to map the Missouri River, cross the Continental Divide and find passage to the Pacific Ocean (on the Columbia River) left St. Louis on May 14, 1804, and returned Sept. 23, 1806. With little conventional dialogue, but with the performers convincingly re-enacting selected portions of the journey, "Lewis & Clark" is ultimately all about the scenery.
To this end, special effects are needed to show such past wonders as a massive herd of buffalo and Montana's Great Falls. Overall, the film proudly celebrates Lewis & Clark's achievement and makes good use of the Imax format. Along with the narration read by Jeff Bridges, the film's reverential attitude toward the pre-industrial wilderness and its fauna both human and animal is a noble sentiment in the current climate of increased consumption of fossil fuels -- not to mention the management of rivers and problems of pollution.
LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST
Destination Cinema
National Geographic Television and Film
Credits:
Director: Bruce Neibaur
Screenwriter: Mose Richards
Producers: Lisa Truitt, Jeff T. Miller
Director of photography: T.C. Christensen
Editor: Stephen L. Johnson
Music: Sam Cardon
Narrator: Jeff Bridges
Cast:
Meriwether Lewis: Kelly Boulware
William Clark: Sonny Surowiec
Sacagawea: Alex Rice
Charbonneau: Greg Jackson
York: Toby Tyler
Running time -- 42 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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