hfazevedo This film is based on the same name book of the Portuguese writer Ferreira de Castro. Because his monarchical ideas, the writer was forced, at the beginning of the 20th century, to emigrate to the Amazon forest, an unforgettable ind inhospitable place. The film biopic represent this phase of their incredible life. I love this Portuguese film.

mario_c Adapted from a Novel by Ferreira de Castro (a Portuguese writer from the XX century) A SELVA is nice co-production between Portugal, Brazil and Spain, directed by Leonel Vieira. I didn't read the book so I can't tell about the novel itself or its adaptation to the screen, but I can tell you I did enjoy the movie and the way it was directed and produced. The cinematography is also good. I think it's visually very strong and beautiful. And about the production I must say it's above the average Portuguese movie! Probably because it's an international co-production and probably because it had more money than the Portuguese movies use to have, but a nice job was done anyway. The acting is very nice too. It was interesting to see actors from three different nationalities work together so well. The soundtrack has the typical music of an epic story but it's a bit unoriginal and repetitive. Overall I think A SELVA is one of the best movies in Leonel Vieira's career and undoubtedly one of the best (co-) productions of the Portuguese cinema ever. I score it 8/10 (one extra point for the nice production).

jguilherme717 I've seen A Selva. It's a Portuguese/Spanish/Brazilian production, with a Portuguese director. Good actors from Brazilian ranking, such as Maitê Proença, Claudio Marzo, Roberto Bonfim, Gracindo Júnior, Chico Díaz, José Dumont, and others, all highlighted by former careers on TV and in the movies. But their talents are spoiled, as if we could say they (the talents) were "pearls given to the pigs". The film is too schematic, too academic, too "square", like all TV Globo "videonovel" productions. The magnificent scenery is worthy to see. But the performances are all too much "correct",with no heart-giving, no delivery to the characters. The Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado (is he a relative to "our" excellent Brazilian actress Camila Morgado? if so, he has some things to learn with her...) works on a schematic line, without "incorporating" his dubious and ambiguous character, a monarchist dandy who exiles himself in the Rain Forest, running from Portugal after a revolution won by the republican branch of political society. There are much better things going on on movie screens countrywide. If you doubt me, go and see it. But don't complain I didn't warn you!

pedrofjmk The purpose of Leonel Vieira in the making of this movie was NOT to show the world that there is another type of Portuguese cinema - he made the type of movie he knows how to. And if that was good for cash boxes and awards in Portugal and abroad, so much the better! The purpose of Leonel Veieira was also not to prove to the Portuguese public that Portuguese actors can act. He would have chosen someone other than Diogo Morgado if that was the case. Morgado hangs himself together next to the likes of bigger-than-life Maitê Proença, and in the wild setting that the movie provides, one can nearly forget about his bad acting. The purpose of Leonel Vieira was also not to simply adapt The Jungle, a novel which has been translated into every imaginable language and delighting readers over generations, being one of the first world-best-sellers in history.Leonel Vieira, I am convinced, wanted to do the same thing that every movie director wants: he wanted to tell us a story. And a story he told. A creepy, violent, despairing, overwhelming story of the life in the Amazon in a lawless period, in a period where men were not worth their shoes, if they had any. So, the question is not whether Diogo Morgado was good or not in the movie(surrounded by so many high-calibre starts, who cares, really...?); the question is: was the movie any good. Oh!, yes, it was! The photography is undoubtedly the best that has been done in Portugal. The script is the antithesis of typical Portuguese cinema (slow and melancholic) - although with hints of it! The opening traveling scene reminded me of Kubrik's 'The Shining'. And then there are scenes of outrageous shock. I challenge you all to watch the movie, for the story's sake. Watch it and forget about silly critical biases. What you want to do is to be thrown in the violence of the amazon. And that has totally been achieved. If it wasn't for Morgado, I'd give it a 9!