DVD Review - Duma

This beautiful film was almost totally ignored when it was released last year. Warner Brothers tried releasing it in various cities but despite great reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) people didn't go to the theaters to see it. In New York City it played in only one theater and for only a short period of time. So I was very happy when the film came out on DVD this past week.

Duma is very loosely based on a book (a true story) entitled Living with Dooms written by Carol Cawthra Hopecraft and Xan Hopecraft. The adaptation is so loose that the book and the film have very little in common. It doesn't matter because even though I haven't read the book (which I am sure is great) I can tell you that the film is just wonderful.

The story starts off with little cheetah Duma losing his mother to lions. He is wandering around when Xan (Alex Michaeletos) and his father (Campbell Scott) spot him and take him home. Although his mother (Hope Davis) and his father tell him that Duma will eventually have to be released into the wild, Xan gets very attached to his big cat. Xan says that if you name something then you are responsible for it. The name Duma means cheetah in Swahili.

Eventually Duma grows into an adult cheetah. Xan's father says that they have to bring him back into the wild before it is too late and makes plans with Xan to bring Duma back home. Unfortunately, his father gets sick and eventually dies. Xan and his mother are forced to lease their farm and move to the city. Duma will have to go to a wildlife park. Xan doesn't want this to happen so the embarks on a great adventure to bring Duma back to the place where he was originally found. This is quite a journey and sometimes it is a dangerous one. Along the way Xan meets Ripkuna (Eamonn Walker) a man who is trying to find his way home. At first it seems that Ripkuna wants to exploit Xan and bring Duma into the authorities so that he can collect a great reward. But, in the end Ripkuna helps Xan and Duma reach their destination and Xan helps to save Ripkuna's life.

Carroll Ballard has made wonderful films about animals and nature (The Black Stallion, Fly Away Home) and this film ranks among his best. The film is gorgeous to look at and the credit for that goes to cinematographer Werner Maritz (I can only imagine what this film looks like on the big screen). The screenplay by Mark St. Germain and Karen Janszen is crisp and is funny in just the right places and serious when it needs to be. The acting by Michaeletos and Walker is very good. But, the star of the film is the magnificent Duma (he was played by four real cheetahs).

People complain that there aren't that many good family films out there. Well, here is one that is intelligent and compassionate. I hope that people will see it now that it is out on DVD. I
think that the film is suitable for children eight and above but this is a film that adults can enjoy and learn from as well. Xan discovered that love doesn't disappear just because someone is not with you. This is something that each and every one of us can embrace.