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 |
| Countries 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 |
| Production companies | Alliance Atlantis WIC Entertainment Beta Film GmbH Eyemark Entertainment (1999-2000) (season 1) King World (2000) (season 1) |
| 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. 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.
Premise
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
- 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
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fallen Angels" | Jon Cassar | Peter Benchley | September 26, 1999 |
| 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" | Luc Chalifour | Alison Lea Bingeman | January 29, 2000 |
| 13 | "The Devil's Army" | John Bell | Rick Drew | February 5, 2000 |
| 14 | "The Finding" | Scott Summersgill | Heather Conkie | 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" | Gordon Langevin | Heather Conkie | April 15, 2000 |
| 18 | "The White Witch" | Craig Pryce | Paul Aitken | April 22, 2000 |
| 19 | "Circle of Fire" | T.W. Peacocke | Heather Conkie | April 29, 2000 |
| 20 | "Babel" | Ross Clyde | Malcolm MacRury | May 6, 2000 |
| 21 | "Wild Child" | David Stratton | Paul Aitken | May 13, 2000 |
| 22 | "A Bible and a Gun" | Ross Clyde | Malcolm MacRury | May 20, 2000 |
Production
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. 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.
Each episode of the series cost $1.2 million. The total cost of the series was $26 million, making it one of the most expensive television series ever made.
The show started airing on WIC Television in October 1999.
Home media
Alliance Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Canada only on 22 February 2011. This was soon followed by the release to the rest of the North American market.
References
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 3 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
- Official website (archived)
- Amazon at IMDb