Keep the River on Your Right - A Modern Cannibal Tale

Amazon.com

Artist, anthropologist, and author Tobias Schneebaum spent most of a year living with a tribe in the depths of the Peruvian jungle, during which time he tasted human flesh. Forty-five years later, a pair of filmmakers convinced Schneebaum, in his late 70s, to return to the Amazon to discover if any of these tribesmen still exist. Keep the River on Your Right initially seems like it's going to be a highbrow version of a lurid exploitation flick, but instead it becomes both an astonishing portrait of the charming, gracious, and insightful Schneebaum--a Greenwich Village artist who became an explorer of uncharted realms of the world--and an examination of the vast breadth of human cultures; for example, the documentarians cunningly juxtapose a ritual circumcision in New Guinea with a Jewish wedding in New York, making each seem both strange and familiar. An unusual and fascinating documentary. --Bret Fetzer

Description

"I am a cannibal... No matter into what far corner of my mind I push those words, they flash along the surface of my brain like news along the track that runs around the building at Times Square."--Tobias Schneebaum, Keep the river on your right

In 1955,

Customer Reviews:

Not Really a Cannibal Tale - - .......2007-05-31

This film is an excellent documentary about the life of the late Tobias Schneebaum, which features a segment on his time in Peru and his cannibalism experience. This film also includes segments about Schneebaum's research into homosexuality in "primitive" societies.

If you are looking for a film focusing on cannibalism, then look elsewhere.

I Tried to put 0 stars but it wouldn't let me........2007-02-07

I was very excited to view this film but found myself incredibly disappointed. This movie was NOT in anyway about an adventurer or journalist discovering tribes or cannibals which happen to practice homosexuality but rather just a dull putz from New York who branched out to find different sexual partners.

Tobias was in no way an entertaining man nor were the film producers very wise for creating this documentary which showed more about his homosexuality than it does entertaining footage of meeting with his reunited cannibal tribes or scenery.
Taking a look at the cover and summary was far more incredible than the actual movie. I give the cover of the film an 8. Movie 0.

Nihilists Tobias Schneebaum and Norman Mailer are truly Depraved Individuals.......2006-11-17

Tobias Schneebaum has little love for the West. We are supposedly the backward ones unwilling to accept the advanced thinking of Third World cultures. They are our superiors in how to live the good life. We are regrettably too uptight and arrogant to get our act together. Do you believe such nonsense? I most certainly do not. The Harakamut natives living in the Amazon are to be pitied, not emulated. It is only the Western missionaries, business people, and altruistic organizations that have encouraged them to abandon their long established customs of butchering each other and outright cannibalism. The almost eighty year old Schneebaum is the quintessential example of multicultural ideology gone amuck. He literally asserts that he had no moral right to stop the slaughter of innocent people! We Westerners are to remain silent and not interfere with the cultural mores of the indigenous peoples. And yes, our morally challenged explorer has even eaten human flesh.

Fellow nihilist Norman Mailer also makes an appearance to endorse Tobias Schneebaum, his friend of some five decades. These two men have much in common. Mailer is the one who helped convicted murderer Jack Abbott get released from prison---who soon thereafter murdered a restaurant employee. The infamous novelist could care less that he inflicted the aspiring writer Abbott onto an innocent public. "Culture is worth a little risk," was Mailer's rationalization. Viewing this dvd is of utmost importance. You need to clearly understand just how far gone are the radical leftists who heavily influence our media and intellectual institutions.

David Thomson
Flares into Darkness

More Than Just Another Gay New Yorker Gone Native Cannibalism Picture.......2006-06-03

In the wrong hands, even the astonishing can be dull. What Tobias Schneebaum did transcends our wildest imagination - an act of pure daring and liberty. A dyed-in-the-wool NYC egghead, painter, and amateur anthropologist, he shed the trappings of society as we know it and lost himself in primitivism - not once but twice. His first episode was in Peru, in the 50's. Walking alone in the jungle, Schneebaum simply "fell in" with a headhunting tribe called the Amarekaire and lived as they did for a year. This involved cannibalism, participating in a murderous rampage, and multiple homosexual encounters - which suited him nicely, since he was already "out." (Indeed it must be observed that Mr. Schneebaum's instinct for finding primitive cultures that actively practice homosexuality is unswerving.)

Returning home, Schneebaum became something of a minor celebrity, and we see clips of him telling his mind-boggling tale on talk shows, college campuses, and cruise ships. Not content with one such experience, he repeated his feat in Papua New Guinea, where he lived among the Asmat, another headhunting tribe who, as luck would have it, practice a rather enthusiastic form of multiple-partner homosexuality, (in addition to participating in heterosexuality for purposes of procreation).

That Schneebaum survived these surreal escapades is stunning, but a great story is not a great movie, and Keep The River On Your Right is just dreadful. The central problem, beyond the various inadequacies of its directors, David and Laurie Shapiro, is the man himself, Tobias Schneebaum. Schneebaum is on camera a lot, we are subjected to his lugubrious, plodding, and thoroughly insipid delivery ad nauseum until secretly we wish the cannibals had put him on the menu. It is as if Schneebaum's ability to blend in with these headhunting tribes, so thoroughly foreign to his own culture, came about as the result of an absolute lack of personality, character, will, or self. There is something disturbing, even creepy, about Schneebaum's passivity, he is able to watch the Amarekaire headhunters slaughter a rival tribe, and participate in the event, because "that's what they did."

Schneebaum's adventures may thrill, Schneebaum does not. This kills the picture because the aging Schneebaum, 78 when we meet him, is the film's centerpiece. That his adventures are useless from an anthropological standpoint is totally ignored, in much the same way that Grizzly Man ignores the way Timothy Treadwell put the bears in danger while risking his own life. All that remains to redeem this film is some nice location footage from New Guinea and Peru. Sadly, Keep The River On Your Right fails here too. Instead of giving viewers a sense of what these otherworldly experiences must have looked and felt like, we see ragged remnants. Watching a toothless retired headhunter in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, Bermuda shorts, and flip flops watching I Love Lucy re-runs piped in from a satellite dish may tell us a lot about how totally insane our world is, but it tells us nothing about Mr. Schneebaum's experience.

Perhaps the greatest value of the film is that it will give you a newfound respect for screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, and actual directors. In the hands of professionals, the astounding truth of Tobias Schneebaum might have been revealed, instead of the dreary facts.

good enough to own.......2006-03-19

I felt this was an extremly satisfying movie to see. If felt very complete. You can read elsewhere that the directors drug a reluctant 79 year old Schneebaum back to what was left of his past. It's the real surprises that add to an already great doc and subject. As the subject of the film, Mr. Shneebaum is a facinating person. Your first perception of him in the begining is of an elderly New Yorker that would seem to look out of place anywhere outside of Manhattan. You come to learn that his perception of the world around him and acceptance of the moment enable him to travel freely into places where western explorers only venture with several weeks worth of supplies. This man did it with canvas deck shoes, a t-shirt, and shorts.
Possibly becouse of his unconventional acceptance of the obviuos, he is able to relate to the indiginous peoples of New Guinea and Peru.
Though he protests searching further for people and villages that must not have survived, the directors push him forward; and to great reward. They actually find some of the people he wrote about. This finally gives legitamacy to his books which have been long critisied for actually have ever happened. The satisfaction of seeing him find the people he thinks must have been long dead is akin to finally seeing an alien in a UFO documentary.
Another unexpected surprise is the almost chance meeting of a long lost lover that he had said goodbye to for the last time many years ago. This presents an amazingly touchig situation where Shneebaum has to once again say goodbye for the final time as both are in their late years.
Footage of interveiws from the 60's - 70's realy drive this film home. Chauncey talk show hosts seem to dismiss this person who has done something few people have, instead obcessing on his dismissal of social morays and acceptance of living with and approaching people on their terms. Every interveiwer seems to miss the point over and over again, at times it seems like Shneebaum who answers questions with a buddhist like calmness is the only sane person on stage.
If you are looking for a movie about cannibalism or homosexuality, this is not it. These two things have about as much relevence to the movie as what day of the week he was born on. See this movie to see a refreshing look at people and the impact of westernism. If you want to laugh you will laugh, if you want to cry you will cry. If you want to be rightous and indignant than you will be afforded that chance as well.

Average customer rating:

Mailer talks about America
A wonderful document of our times.

Mailer on Mailer

Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0000541UI
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Amazon.com

After a long career of writing books and courting controversy, Norman Mailer leans into the lens of a video camera and briefly explains how he doesn't like appearing on TV. But he's got ideas to express, and so here he is, giving us Mailer on Mailer, an installment of the PBS series American Masters. Seated at a table at his seaside retreat, with the Atlantic visible in the background, Mailer speaks directly to the camera and recounts major events of his life. This oral autobiography is punctuated with trenchant comments on what it has meant to be a writer in modern America. His reminiscences of serving in the South Pacific are presented, along with excerpts from letters he wrote home and passages from The Naked and the Dead, the novel that catapulted him to national prominence in 1948. Moving forward through the decades, vintage news clips, including some of the noted author himself in one fracas or another, are shown as Mailer talks about how profound changes in the country affected his other books. His running commentary is intelligent and frequently humorous, and he occasionally levels some scathing criticism at his own behavior over the years. At one point he cracks his trademark pugnacious grin and asks, "What's the use of being a writer if you can't irritate a great many people?" In this production, Mailer, never known to be boring, provides an entertaining and intelligent look into his own thinking and his admitted love-hate relationship with America. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

Mailer talks about America.......2003-11-10

The cover of this DVD describes Norman Mailer as:
- novelist
- journalist
- activist
- provocateur

I'm not entirely certain if this DVD is really about any of these four Norman Mailers. While you are certainly left with the impression that Mailer did well in all of these fields, in the end, he does not spend much time describing himself in any of these areas. Instead, he talks about how he felt about America and American events from WWII through the Clinton presidency.

If you're hoping for some profound insights on being a novelist, you will get a few.

If you teach high school social studies and want to provoke discussion amongst your students, you will get that from this DVD. Mailer comments that we should permit the public to watch executions because either people will grow tired of it or we will learn something about human nature. That should keep a bunch of teenagers busy for an hour or so. There are many other similarly provocative comments.

I enjoyed Mailer's descriptions of the Ali-Forman fight in "When we Were Kings." Clearly, Mailer is capable of an equally insightful and interesting discussion of what made him tick as a writer. But in this DVD you will only see bits of that. I venture to guess that either Mailer or the makers of documentaries about Mailer not quite ready to make such a film.

A wonderful document of our times........2001-02-24

There are few American public figures more fascinating than Norman Mailer. This program, originally produced for PBS, is a parallel examination of Mailer's major works and the cultural events that inspired them. Instead of the usual biographic material (early life, upbringing, etc.), we dive right in - namely, to World War II and 'The Naked and the Dead.' From there, historical footage and dramatized passages guide us through 'Armies of the Night,' 'The Executioner's Song' and numerous other Mailer landmarks, ending with some brief thoughts on the Clinton presidency. 'Mailer on Mailer' does skip over a few interesting tangents (like Muhammad Ali and 'The Fight' or Mailer's work on Picasso), but it would be practically impossible to squeeze the author's entire body of work into one 90-minute film. The material represented on this disc is simply so fascinating, it leaves you wanting more. It could have been twice as long. (One complaint: some footage of Mailer and Gore Vidal shouting at each other would have been a dream come true; but still....) This is required viewing for any aspiring writers. Despite your personal feelings about Mailer, there is no question that he is one of the most vital interpreters - and agitators - of American culture. Let's hope his stormy 'marriage' to this country lasts another 50 years.

Average customer rating:

Eye Opening
moving picture of real life
Bad
? Yeah!
Bleeechhh!!!!

Quiet Days in Hollywood
Starring: Hilary Swank , Peter Dobson , Daryl Mitchell , Meta Golding , and Chad Lowe
Director: Josef Rusnak
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( Q ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 6305908087
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Description

Miracles only happen in the movies. Behind the glitz and glamour, another Hollywood exists--a world in which aspiring starlets, hardened gangsters, teenage runaways, and straightlaced innocents share the stage. In this sprawling tale, the lives of eight people intersect as they search for love, redemption, and meaning on the streets of Hollywood. Director Josef Rusnak (The Thirteenth Floor) brings poignancy and relevance to a remarkable ensemble piece led by rising stars Hilary Swank (Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner--Best Actress, Boys Don't Cry), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Urban Legend) and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell (Galaxy Quest).

Customer Reviews:

Eye Opening.......2006-08-04

This isnt a bad movie. It is good to see how twisted and perverted people have become overall, especially in hollywood. The girls having to sell themselves makes me wonder if girls are still running to hollywood to be discovered.

moving picture of real life.......2003-10-12

I do not agree with most of the reviewers here as they are looking for pulp fiction type movie and not real life on the street depiction as this movie is about. I find it moving and very involving involving many characters and the super hot Hillary Swank. She plays a hooker on the street and her acting make it very believeable OMG. Life is not exciting, it is grim for many and this movie shows that. It makes u feel fortunate that you are not walking on the streets of Hollywood or anywhere in your town.

I recommend this for a true life experiance.

Bad.......2001-01-19

Let me count the ways:

Bad writing. At first I thought they were trying for a "Pulp Fiction" type of wittily semi-meaningless dialogue, then I gave up and decided it was just BAD. Translated from a German screenplay, but this wouldn't be any better auf Deutsch.

Bad direction. The action scenes look like an episode of "Cops", the sex scenes look like porn.

Bad acting. Chad Lowe's wall-pounding men's-room rant about some half-explained record company lawsuit is as bizarre as any I have ever seen. Hilary Swank's accent seems to change from Brooklynese in the first scene to Minnesotan in the finale.

Even the squealing guitar music is bad. ...Hilary Swank has come a LONG way from this swill to "Boys Don't Cry."

? Yeah!.......2000-09-01

This was awful. All I can say is if you are a Hilary Swank fan, rent it so you can quit walking past it with curiousity in the video store. Just get it out of the way and done with. Obviously it's only been released to make a few bucks out of Swanks's breakthrough in Boys Don't Cry. Her only good part in the movie is at the end. Chad Lowe is hideous in it, each part dragged on and on- my fast forward button served me well. Jeez, what a waste.

Bleeechhh!!!!.......2000-08-05

Possibly the worst movie ever made - dialogue was improved immensely by putting it on Fast Forward.

Charlie Rose with Norman Mailer (May 26, 1995)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Norman Mailer (May 26, 1995)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Charlie talks to novelist Norman Mailer at the 92nd Street Y. They discuss Mailer's latest book, Oswald's Tale.

Charlie Rose with Ken Auletta; Norman Mailer (January 29, 2003)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Ken Auletta; Norman Mailer (January 29, 2003)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Art & Artists | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000HBL3JY
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

First, a talk with Ken Auletta, media critic for The New Yorker, about Ted Turner's decision to resign from his position as vice chairman of AOL Time Warner. Then, an interview with the author Norman Mailer on his life and new book, The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing.

DVD:

DVD

DVD