Beyond The Gates Of
Splendor (Pan & Scan)
Picture: C
Sound: B- Extras: D Documentary: B-
A new documentary about hoe the family of one of five
missionaries becomes involved with the violent Waodani tribe in Ecuador, Beyond
The Gates Of Splendor (2002) is part of a recent cycle of such work that
wants to look at remote parts of the world and the people who live there. Writer/director Jim Hanon has about 96
minutes to cover several generations and how the family that followed became
somewhat integrated with the tri8be that killed their family members!
My only problem with the special is that it seems to
suggest a kind of moral relativity I do not buy into. You will not either and some of the misery and odd situations the
later family members get into are as much as sign of dysfunction as anything
else. The mix is strange and may be
disorienting to some, crazy to others, but it happened and the screwy parts
that defy common sense are the most fascinating aside from the structure of the
Waodani culture itself. Though not very
well rounded, at least Hanon pulls no punches.
The widescreen frame has been cut to a 1.33 X 1 pan and
scan image, which is instantly noticeable.
Slight information is missing on different ends throughout and color
fidelity is affected. That makes the
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix match the image is odd ways, though it is not bad
itself. There are no extras, though the
flipside has an abbreviated version of the film for whatever reason.
- Nicholas Sheffo
