KEEP THE RIVER TO YOUR RIGHT: A MODERN CANNIBAL TALE
PLOT-A documentary about Tobias Schneebaum, a gay jewish painter from New York who adventured into the jungles of peru and lived with a cannibal tribe.
VIOLENCE-A ritual circumscision is shown.
SEX/NUDITY-Ever seen National Geographic?
WHY I WATCHED IT-I'm usually always fascinated by anything having to do with cannibals, especially when it's real-life stuff. Plus, this film has one of the coolest titles ever.
THE DOPE-I can't believe I never heard of this guy before. Tobias Schneebaum's life is truly an amazing story. I mean, here's this 78-year-old man, very soft spoken, into art and stuff. But you find out that when he was young, he went to Peru to see the ruins of Macchu Picchu (sp?) and ended up walking right into the jungle with no guide and no supplies. Tobias takes Indiana Jones to the bank and cashes his ass, believe me. I don't know how he made it, much less how he managed to not only avoid being killed and eaten by a cannibal tribe, but was accepted by them and spent months living among them. And yes, he even ate with them! Holy damn. The film chronicles not only his historic journey, but also his return to Peru to once again see the jungle and the places he visited. Most 78-year-olds can barely handle grocery shopping, you know. Tobias really is amazing. I cannot imagine how or why he did what he did, but he's alive to tell about it and he's braver than most men less than half his age. Some people think that Tobias went into the jungle because he's gay and was obsessed with the idea of making it with a bunch of wild tribesmen. I don't think so. I think he's just more adventurous in the true classic sense, and sought a higher connection with the world and mankind in general. Any way you look at it, KEEP THE RIVER ON YOUR RIGHT is absolutely fascinating.
MEMORABLE SCENES-Tobias Schneebaum published a book about his experience sometime in the 1970's, and the documentary has footage of when he went on talk shows like Charlie Rose and Mike Douglas. It's funny how people react when he tells them he really ate human flesh. You just don't see guys like that on television that often.
NOTES-The DVD features several deleted scenes, as well as excerpts from the book and numerous still photos. For more info, visit The Official Keep The River homepage.
(December 2002)