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Central Station [1999]
starring: Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira, Marília Pêra, Soia Lira, Othon Bastos
directed by: Walter Salles

List Price: £14.99

Off The Bookshelf's Price: £3.98

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Used Price: £3.20
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5017188884945
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Region Code: 2
Release Date: April 01, 2004
Running Time: 106 minutes
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Theatrical Release Date: November 20, 1998
Sales Rank: 2439

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
In the opening scenes of Central Station, colourful crowds of Brazilians stream into and out of a Rio de Janeiro train, pushing through doors and windows. You're immediately pulled into the brutal vitality of a nation in motion, setting the tone for a picturesque road movie that charts Brazil's renaissance in a little boy's search for his father and an old woman's emotional reawakening. When we first meet Dora (Fernanda Montenegro), this frozen-hearted, sour-faced woman is the epitome of immobility: day after day, she sits in the train station selling her letter-writing skills to all comers, but often doesn't bother to mail these precious messages. When a woman who's paid Dora to write a pleading note to her son's long-missing dad gets run over by a bus, the child, Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira), is up for grabs. (The summary execution of a thieving street kid--seen in longshot--underscores the seriousness of this waif's plight.) After an abortive attempt to sell Josue for a new TV, the aspiring couch potato finds herself reluctantly propelled into an occasionally Fellini-esque odyssey through the hinterlands of Brazil's sertäo, where Dora and her sidekick find unexpected faith and family. Former documentary filmmaker Walter Salles (Foreign Land) mixes magic with realism in his appreciation of striking faces and places, but Central Station is primarily fuelled by the tough/tender performances of Montenegro, Brazil's Judi Dench, and de Oliveira, an airport shoeshine boy Salles cast over 1,500 other hopefuls. (Montenegro was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, and Central Station was in the running for Best Foreign Language Film.) No cloyingly cute child-star, de Oliveira plays Josue as a bracingly idiosyncratic brat. And watching Dora's face and soul slowly, unwillingly unclench as she gets back in motion--and emotion--is potent pleasure, even if Salles' trip does dead-end in soap opera as his Brazilian pilgrim's progress winds down. --Kathleen Murphy, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Central Station - beautiful
A beautiful, touching film with breathtaking Walter-Salles-style cinematography and a truly heart-rending storyline. When 'cheating' Dora uses up most of the film's plot to maternally befriend a needy 9 year old orphan, hope, love and most importantly, honesty "finally" shines through. It's a subtle and calmly portrayed masterpiece that ought to be considered as slow moving but actually keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. With horrifying truths about: life in Brazil - a city that doens't seem to care about its 'under-citizens' and human survival in a rat race that moves forward relentlessly, trampling and crushing those that might lose their way, this film reaches the viewer from all sides as much as faith, hope and charity finally ... Read More:

Rating:

- Life-affirming, beautiful film
It's moving, it's simple and straightforward and it's utterly convincing. If you are uncertain as to whether to see it, please decide that you will. I have watched it several times and I am close to crying each time. No other film does that to me. It's beautifully filmed as well as wonderfully acted.

Rating:

- A great,touching film with beautiful performances
This is a trully great film,from all perspectives.The story,the performances,the setting,the photography,everything.It is so emotional to see Montenegro's "tough" character to become "soft" in the end and cry over the destiny of a small boy she hardly knows. Beautiful scenes really that will make you cry and want to watch them again and again.This film is a got-to-have for cinema lovers who appreciate movies that have an impact on the viewer.Honestly,I fully recommend it.

Rating:

- Searching for Jesus
"Central Station" is a worthy contribution to world cinema. Set in Brazil the film tells the story of the relationship between a young orphan boy and an ageing ,world weary spinster. The old woman,Dora, played excellently by Fernanda Montenegro, is a letter writer with a stall in Rio de Janeiro's Central Station catering for a large illiterate clientele. After the sudden death of his mother, one of Dora's clients, the newly orphaned Josue (Vinicius De Oliveira) is befriended by the cynical and cold Dora and together they head off into Brazil's hinterland in search of the boy's absent father. The film is essentially about the redemption of Dora, who by assisting the child altruistically discovers a new purpose in life and through her good deeds ... Read More:

Rating:

- Excellent film
I really enjoyed this film because it had a great script, wonderful characters in Dora and Josue, and because it was really very moving.
The film doesn't shy away from the harshness of life in Rio, not least the low value placed on life. Dora, who writes letters at Central Station, reads all the letters back and chucks them in a drawer, rather than sending them on as she promised. But bold Josue helps her rediscover her emotions and her past - in searching for Josue's father and eventually finding his family, Dora remembers her love and need for the love of her father. The script is great, the scenes are vibrant and diverse in following the pair on their flight from Rio and the ending is truly moving. I'd really recommend 'Central Station'; ... Read More:

DVD : Central Station [1999]