FILM TITLE: PATHFINDER DIRECTOR: NILS GAUP COUNTRY: NORWAY 1987 CINEMATOGRAPHY: ( can't read language ) CAST: Aslat Gaup, Save Gaup, Svein Ole Gaup, Josef Halse, Anne Jorid Henriksen, Marit Sofie Holmestrand SUPER FEATURES: Powerful film, in harshest of conditions.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PATHFINDER is about a child that one day returns from his daily playing around, only to find a group of 'evil' men are in the process of destroying his family. The young man, manages to escape, and get to another group of people, where he immediately helps set up a small rebellion in order to go after the evil men.
And finally they do so. Amidst horrible weather conditions, extremelly deep snow, and unforgiving grounds, they set out to destroy the evil group of 'men who have lost their way'. A medicine man, in this type of grouping they appear to be called the PATHFINDERS probably because they can use intuition as a method to lead them to safety, tries to get the 'revenge' factor out of the young man, or he would become just like them. And they proceed, until they come in contact with the evil group, and put quite a dent on their manpower, before succumbing themselves. The evil group knows who the pathfinder is and try to get him to speak. When he does not, they begin torturing him until the young man can't stand anymore. The young man gives himself up and says he'll guide them only if they leave the old pathfinder alone. As they leave the evil leader kills the old pathfinder.
The young man proceeds to lead the evil group into a mountainous area where they know the other family members are hiding. Some menbers of that family are now convinced the young man was bad luck, and when their scouts notice the evil men being led, the general feeling is that they have been betrayed. Only the young girl who nursed the young man's wound earlier in the film does not accept this.
In the mountameous area, the evil men spot the campground. Their prey is in sight. But the terrain is very rough. The young man using his nimble movement and superior strength manages to lead them quite a ways, before the first one falls to his death. At a given point, he pulls the rope, and runs. In the giving of chase, a few others die. In the process, a mess of tangled bodies are left all over, with the leader having to cut the cord which is linking them all, thus allowing others to die. And eventually a major snow slide overruns the whole hillside. There is silence. Back in the campground, the family realizes, and thinks the young man has sacrificed himself to save them. But the resilient young man, knew how to cover himself, and avoid the landslide, or got lucky, it doesn't matter. He manages to get out of the cliff area and save himself, and then walk to the campground where an astounded family watches him. He delivers the drum of the old pathfinder, and he himself is crowned the new pathfinder.
A real brutal film, in that the evil never stops, and is as rough as the terrain and the weather itself. For some reason, and it is never clear, they are merciless, and never stop. Filmed on areas that are extremely beautiful and so full of snow as to make many of us jealous, this amazing endeavor in shooting a film in the middle of the worst places, is a triumph itself, regardless of the story. It is almost impossible to carry equipment that is not designed for that kind of inclement weather.
And this film may have been filmed by a tribe, whose name seems to permeate the credits. Without any information on this film, this is all I can deduce. The film is a triumph of good over evil, despite the bad odds, and natural elements.
WELL FILMED. 4 GIBLOONS Copyright (c) Pedro Sena 1994
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