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ANYONE HEAR OF Nick Roeg's WALKABOUT 1971 ???

How could anyone with half a knowledge of film even warrant this "A FAR OFF PLACE" from being anything but a trite, boring, horrible film and poorly made rip off from the 1971 film WALKABOUT? The original 1971 film story and might I add original novel is "Two children are stranded in the Australian outback and are forced to cope on their own until they meet an Aborigine who helps them across the desert".

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ignore the horrible film "A Far Off Place" and see the original film made 20 years before. (...)

Great Book!!!

I read A Far Off Place while on a trip to Africa. Wow! I'm hooked on Vander Post! I read A Far off Place before I read A Story Like the Wind. A Far Off Place moves faster - the first book sort of sets the story up and gets the characters ready. Also try Flamingo Feather by Laurens Van Der Post.

Hannah's comments on THE BEST MOVIE EVER

A Far Off Place is by far the best movie i have ever seen! it has a lot of great actors at younger ages, and is such a good action/adventure/romance movie!! the ending is so good, and that is what really made this my favorite movie ever

an incredible journey

I enjoyed this book, but in some places I found the narrative to be too ponderous. The action was fast-paced, but he would spend seven paragraphs describing somebody's thoughts and then say something about how all these thoughts passed in just a few seconds. Well, it took me fifteen minutes to read those thoughts. In the first third of the book or so, the bad guys are chasing the good guys, and all the descriptive narrative gets in the way, slowing down the chase. Then, the bad guys give up and the good guys walk across the desert. That is when I started to enjoy the lavish descriptions.

My number one favourite movie!!!!

This is my favourite movie ever. I have seen more times than I could count, and I never get sick of it. Great story, great young actors. Appropriate for older children, teens and adults. All-round best movie ever!!! You can't miss with this one.

A Far Off Place: 7 out of 10

I'm not quite sure whether or not this movie would appeal to guys, but I have decided that I am going to comment anyway. This is a good role in Reese Witherspoon's early years as an actress. There is not really much of a romance between the two actors as some critics have suggested (there is just the "obligatory" kiss and later hug at the end of the movie; is that a spoiler?), but the chemistry and friendship between Nonnie (Witherspoon) and Harry (Ethan Embry then known as Ethan Randall) is surprisingly touching. The violence and language is slightly shocking for a PG-rated Disney family movie and there are a few spiritual-related issues (one scene in particular had me saying "Wow. That was weird" and I can't even describe what was happening), but the rest is engaging.

"A Far Off Place" is far out!

I saw the Disney movie when I was little, and now I have read the book. "A Far Off Place" in conjunction with "A Story Like The Wind" is amazing. Maybe I was so surprised because of the injustice done to the book by the movie. Read it! Not only is it fun, but it does have many themes and ideas that are not western in origion.

Read the books instead

This film is interesting and somewhat effective as a piece of cinema. That said, its story is so far removed from van der Post's indiosyncratic novels (upon which the film is ostensibly based) as to be almost unrecognizable. Only one connection to the two novels remains: both the film and the books are set in Africa. Beyond that, just about every other element of the books' narratives has been changed, usually so that the film follows some shallow Hollywood plotline, but at the expense of van der Post's encyclopedic knowledge and love of Bushman life and culture. As a result, the film is watchable, but its destruction of the novels is almost as complete as the razing of Hunters Drift by poachers in the film version.

Read the book, DON'T watch the movie

An awful, totally unrewarding film version of a beautiful, vivid and moving book. Read a 'A Far Off Place' and its prequel 'A Story Like the Wind' by Laurens Van der Post and you will understand. LVP is a skilled story teller and uses language in a way that totally brings the characters and the world on the page alive. This film killed it dead. I know its not easy to translate a book to the screen because how you see the film is always governed by how your imagination brought the book to life. This 'effort' was SO disappointing. Made me want to go back and re-read the book to reassure myself of its brilliance. This comment thing keeps asking me for another line - but I really don't know what to say, other than 'don't bother'.

A little known movie with a big impact.

I saw this movie for the first time on the Disney channel about 6 years ago. This is one of my favorite movies. I love Reese Witherspoon and her portrayal of the young girl was superb. The beginning of the movie draws you in as you see how a young boy from the US trys to cope without modern technology and how Nonnie despised him. I followed her emotions throughout the story as she slowly warms up to him and was deeply satisfied with the conclusion. Both children had lost their parents and the tragedy had drawn them together. The love birds were a nice touch. The poor things had a wild ride when the children were hugging at the end. I recommend this film to my friends and their children. Even though I have heard it is a "copy" of another story called,"Walkabout" or something like this, having never seen that movie, this one stands on it's own as a very adventurous tale. I like to watch it at least twice a year and have recently purchased it on DVD.

A wonderful action-adventure for the entire family

I have never read the books, but I found the movie quite incredible. I am a big fan of movies that are set in Africa. It is just the coolest flick and perfect for the whole family. The movie has a great setting, plot, and story line. The characters were very fitting for their parts. It is a combination on action, adventure, drama, and humor. You can't help but fall in love with the cast. It sparks your imagination and you just want to watch it again and again...

Movie review for " a far off place"

i thought the movie was great! it's a movie you can watch over and over. some parts totally suprise you and the ending was the best part because i didn't see it coming.this is one of the best movies to watch with your family. it's got some funny parts in it and some sad parts. and they picked the perfect people for it.my favorite character is harry winslow he is played by ethan embry. but i can't give anymore away i recomend you watch it yourself. it's a great movie and it's filled with excitment. enjoy!

Vast Mis-Representation of Laurens van der Post

The novels of Laurens van der Post were based in the deeper reality of the African bush of the times of his writings. From the very beginning this film is untrue of his novels. Lonnie from the books, was a young boy-man who was a hunter of the first order, but based in the honor of code of the bush and its ways. Lonnie was never in the bush without his gun. In the movie the character does not have a rifle. Without Lonnie's own bush prowess, they, including the bushman would not have survived the ordeal of the African political factions and conditions of the forced initiations into manhood that he was faced with. Lonnie was a classical hero in every sense of the word and was never a twittering kid type as portrayed in the move. In van der Post's books Lonnie was forced to kill men to survive. Childen of a young age will like this film... its fairy tale, not reality. Those who respect the profound depth of van der Post's writing will be betrayed by this film.

Before I knew who Reese Witherspoon was...

I saw "A Far Off Place" in the theaters. At the time, I wasn't familiar with Reese Witherspoon. When I was reading about her a few years later, I was a little surprised to find out that the girl in "A Far Off Place" was her. "AFOP" might teach you all that you need to know about poaching. It portrays Nonnie Parker (Witherspoon) and Harry Winslow (Ethan Embry) having to flee into the Kalahari with guide Xhabbo (Sarel Bok) after their camp gets attacked by poachers. Throughout the trip across the desert, the three of them not only get to know each other, but get a feel for the land. This is one movie that you're sure to like.

White boy and girl, dog, and Bushman couple flee death

The comments of Elizabeth Hayes are welcome. Van der Post has a poetic gift of description of sights, sounds and moods. This gift is especially salient in the predecessor of this work, A Story Like the Wind.

DVD Review

I enjoyed this DVD. I would recommend this movie, it was well worth the purchase.

A Gem In All Respects

Mikael Salomon's "A Far Off Place" is a marvelous example of how skilled direction and production can turn a good story into a great film. Performances in the major roles are all excellent, and Ethan Embry's portrayal of the disgruntled, fish-out-of-water city boy forced into the wilds of Africa walks a delicate line (between authentic teenage muddle-headedness and just plain obnoxiousness) beautifully.

Critics may claim the film is a little two-dimensional, and in fairness, they are right. But by not trying to make the film too grand through obvious artifice, the good performances and great scenery let this film become memorable in a simple, direct way that's very much in harmony with the essence of the story: we don't always get to choose our circumstances, and how we react in those times may literally become a matter of life and death.

Two other minor themes help make this a favorite: the Reese Witherspoon character is a great role model for any young girl - sensitive and feminine without being a wimpy or dependent ingrate; and a rare and even-handed portrayal of the firearm as a tool - no better or worse than the purpose to which it is put by a human master.

Long Love

I first saw this film in 7th grade when we studied Africa in social studies. Since my early teens I've been in love with Africa, and thus like the movie. I even like it better than the novel by Laurens Van Der Post.

One of my all time favorites!!!

I love this movie! I first saw it when I was a freshman in High School, and I now use it to teach a geography lesson on the Kalahari for my eighth graders. They love it, too. One of my favorite comments from them was "I can't believe we are all hooked on a Disney Movie!" This came from a boy no less!

An Inspiring Journey

There are so many things I love about this movie. The score is wonderful, and the actors reveal human depth without dragging us through tiresome dialogue. They learn compassion, selflessness, and perseverance. Even though the plot starts out familiar; two kids at odds with each other, on their own, the film doesn't fall into a rut. instead it presents a refreshing uniqueness with it's quality. It inspires without trying too hard, something most movies fail at horribly. I'm surprised this film is so obscure, but considering how good it is, maybe it isn't.