Amazon (1999 TV series)
| Amazon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Amazonas – Gefangene des Dschungels |
| Created by | Peter Benchley |
| Developed by | Malcolm MacRury |
| Written by | Alison Lea Bingeman Paul Aitken |
| Directed by | Milan Cheylov T.W. Peacocke |
| Starring | C. Thomas Howell Carol Alt Chris William Martin Fabiana Udenio Tyler Hynes Rob Stewart |
| Composer | Guy Zerafa |
| Country of origin | Canada Germany |
| Original languages | English German |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Seaton McLean Peter Sussman Peter Benchley |
| Producer | Jan Peter Meyboom |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | 26 September 1999 – 20 May 2000 |
Amazon (also known as Peter Benchley's Amazon) was a syndicated adventure drama series created by Peter Benchley. It was developed by Canadian production companies Alliance Atlantis Communications & WIC Entertainment and German company Beta Film GmbH.[1][2] The 22 episodes of the series were in first-run syndication between 1999 and 2000.
A novelization of the 2-hour pilot was written by Rob MacGregor, and a mass-market paperback was released by Harper (publisher) on 8 Aug 2000.[3]
Premise
[edit]The drama series focused on the six survivors of a crashed airline flight in the Brazilian Amazon jungle. The group soon comes into contact with a hostile indigenous tribe, the Fierce Ones. They are taken in by a mysterious tribe called the Chosen, who are descended from 16th-century British colonists who were lost in the rainforest. Relations with the Chosen are tenuous at best. Most of the group escapes the Chosen only to stir up a hornets' nest with the cannibalistic Jaguar People, led by an insane Canadian woman bent on domination of all the local tribes.
Cast
[edit]- C. Thomas Howell as Dr. Alex Kennedy
- Carol Alt as Karen Oldham
- Fabiana Udenio as Pia Claire
- Chris Martin as Jimmy Stack
- Rob Stewart as Andrew Talbott
- Tyler Hynes as Will Bauer
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fallen Angels" | Jon Cassar | Peter Benchley | September 26, 1999[4] |
| 2 | "Nightfall" | Jon Cassar | Story by : Malcolm MacRury & Paul Aitken Teleplay by : Malcolm MacRury | October 2, 1999 |
| 3 | "Suffer the Little Children" | Ron Oliver | Malcolm MacRury | October 9, 1999 |
| 4 | "Exodus" | Ron Oliver | Paul Aitken | October 16, 1999 |
| 5 | "The Chosen" | Jon Cassar | Heather Conkie | October 23, 1999 |
| 6 | "The End of the World" | Jon Cassar | Heather Conkie & Malcolm MacRury | October 30, 1999 |
| 7 | "The Lost Words" | Terry Ingram | Paul Aitken | November 6, 1999 |
| 8 | "Resurrection" | Holly Dale | Heather Conkie | November 13, 1999 |
| 9 | "The Blood Angel" | Terry Ingram | Malcolm MacRury | November 20, 1999 |
| 10 | "War" | Milan Cheylov | Paul Aitken | November 27, 1999 |
| 11 | "Eyes in the Dark" | John Bell | Heather Conkie | January 22, 2000 |
| 12 | "The First Stone" | Unknown | Alison Lea Bingeman | January 29, 2000 |
| 13 | "The Devil's Army" | John Bell | Unknown | February 5, 2000 |
| 14 | "The Finding" | Unknown | Unknown | February 12, 2000 |
| 15 | "Escape" | Clay Borris | Paul Aitken | February 19, 2000 |
| 16 | "Home" | T.W. Peacocke | Malcolm MacRury | February 26, 2000 |
| 17 | "The Pale Horseman" | Steven Luppino | Unknown | April 15, 2000 |
| 18 | "The White Witch" | Steven Luppino | Unknown | April 22, 2000 |
| 19 | "Circle of Fire" | T.W. Peacocke | Heather Conkie | April 29, 2000 |
| 20 | "Babel" | Ross Clyde | Unknown | May 6, 2000 |
| 21 | "Wild Child" | Steven Luppino | Unknown | May 13, 2000 |
| 22 | "A Bible and a Gun" | Ross Clyde | Unknown | May 20, 2000 |
Production
[edit]I’ve always been interested in what would happen with the culture clash of modern folks running into people who live outside of civilization. We thought this series would be a good way to explore the issue of the intrusion of modern society into the (rain forest) environment
In April 1998, Peter Benchley inked a deal with Atlantis Films to develop the show.[5] Benchley came up with the idea for “Amazon” while vacationing in the Caribbean when he stumbled across centuries-old buttons and other artifacts buried in the sand.[5]
Each episode of the series cost $1.2 million.[6] The total cost of the series was $26 million,[7] making it one of the most expensive television series ever made.
The show started airing on WIC Television in October 1999.[8]
Home media
[edit]Alliance Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Canada only on 22 February 2011.[9] This was soon followed by the release to the rest of the North American market.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Alliance Atlantis, Betafilm, Eyemark Entertainment and Wic Announce The Start-Of-Principal Photography on 'Peter Benchley's Amazon". Alliance Atlantis Communications. April 15, 1999. Archived from the original on October 8, 1999. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
- ^ "Peter Benchley's Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. May 6, 1999. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025 – via Gale Research.
- ^ Rob MacGregor. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Ghost Tribe". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
- ^ Karlin, Susan (September 17, 1999). "Bugs in Computers Keep Real Insects Employed". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c Littleton, Cynthia (April 1, 1998). "Atlantis enters 'Amazon' syndie skein with Benchley". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ "Amazon TV set an indoor jungle". Edmonton Journal. December 1, 1999. p. 38. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Atherton, Tony (July 29, 1999). "Tyler's awesome Amazon adventure". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 25. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Swedko, Pam (October 18, 1999). "On set: Peter Benchley's Amazon". Playback. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
- ^ Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
External links
[edit]- Official website (archived)
- Amazon at IMDb