Zookeeper ( Clovek v zoo )

Zookeeper (DVD) (*)

Out of Stock

Alternate Title: Clovek v zoo
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
105 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Biographies
Filmographies
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2001 and produced in:
Czech Republic ( Russia, Eastern Europe )
Denmark ( Scandinavia, Iceland )
Netherlands ( France, Benelux )
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Ralph Ziman

Written By:
Matthew Bishop
Ralph Ziman

Actors:
Sam Neill ..... Ludovic
Gina McKee ..... Ankica
Ulrich Thomsen ..... Dragov
Om Puri ..... The Vet
Marek Vasut ..... Yeltsov
Javor Loznica ..... Zioig

Synopsis:

A man who has devoted his life to animals rather than dealing with the emotional and political uncertainties of humans finds he's challenged when his zoo becomes a battlefield in this downbeat drama. Ludovic (Sam Neill) lives and works in an unnamed city in the Balkans; once an idealistic communist, he grew disenchanted with politics in general and socialism in particular, and now devotes his energies to his job as a zookeeper. Political turmoil has thrown the zoo into the middle of a war zone, and after repeated bombing raids have come perilously close to the animal sanctuary, the staff has been ordered to evacuate. But Ludovic refuses to leave, and with the help of a staff veterinarian (Om Puri), he single-handedly tends to the needs of the animals. Ludovic, however, learns that there's no escaping the chaos around him, and as troops led by Dragov (Ulrich Thomsen) raid the zoo and take the veterinarian away in the name of "ethnic cleansing," he realizes he must make some sort of a stand, and soon gives sanctuary to Ankica (Gina McKee) and Zioig (Javor Loznica), a mother and her son who narrowly escaped execution in a nearby village. The Zookeeper was director Ralph Ziman's second film dealing with the dangers and tragedies of racially motivated politics, following his 1995 debut Hearts and Minds.

Eastern Europe - a city torn by civil war - Present Day Jonah Ludovic writes in his journal. His poetry softening the cynical observations of a man living a self imposed penance. Wherever he came from and whoever he was, Ludovic is now alone, silenced by a crime unknown. Ludovic can hear the shelling of an imposing civil war. He can see the flashes of fire destroying a city that once was his home. He doesn't move. He just writes. As daybreak arrives, the shelling has ceased. Ludovic makes his way to his job as a custodian at the local zoo. He is met at the gates by the fleeing staff. Ludovic chooses to remain behind, he has no where to go. Along with an elderly guard and a veterinarian, the three set out to care for the animals and hopefully protect them and themselves, from harm. It is not long before the war has reached the gates of the zoo. Dragov, the sociopathic captain of a local search platoon of nationalists, heightens the intensity of the senseless war with surprise visits and violence. Within days, the guard has disappeared and the veterinarian killed. Ludovic is left alone with the threat that he will be next. His solitude is broken with the arrival of Zioig. A wounded nine year old, who after miraculously escaping incarceration, has learned the skills of a vigilante. Ludovic wants nothing to do with the boy, who will bring nothing but trouble, but cannot turn the wounded child away. Ludovic's frustration intensifies when a young woman, Ankica, makes her way to the zoo gates. Escaping from a concentration camp and aided by those in the underground, Ankica has made her way to the zoo in search of her son. The reunion successful, Ankica makes it clear that they will stay in the zoo together and Ludovic will help them to avoid re-arrest. Ludovic is at a loss. The war has intensified. The animals are on the brink of st

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 15 November, 2005.

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