Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1971
Sentinels of Silence
Buy Sentinels of Silence now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Sentinels of Silence' is a 1971 short documentary film on ancient Mexican civilizations. The film was produced by Manuel Arango, and directed and written by the filmmaker Robert Amram, and is notable for being the first and only short film to win two Academy Awards.
Plot
'Sentinels of Silence' provides an 18-minute helicopter-based aerial visit across the archeological ruins in Mexico including Teotihuacan, Monte Albn, Mitla, Tulum, Palenque, Chichen Itza and Uxmal. The films narration details pre-Columbian Mayan culture, focusing on its achievements in mathematics and astronomy, and then questions how and why the Mayan society seemed to disappear, leaving behind its structures as the eponymous silent sentinels.[http://library.valleycollege.edu/Audiovisual/Catalog/Subject_Guide.php?&AV_SubjectID=71&AV_ItemID=975 Learning Resources Division of Valley College]
Production
'Sentinels of Silence' was released in two versions, with Orson Welles providing the English-language narration and Ricardo Montalban providing the Spanish-language narration.[http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:43730 Allmovie] Both versions included a symphonic score by Mariano Moreno. Paramount Pictures acquired this production for U.S. theatrical release.
Academy Awards
'Sentinels of Silence' won two Academy Awards in 1972; one for Best Short Subject and one for Best Documentary Short Subject. This was the only time that a short film won Oscars in two categories. Afterwards, the Academy changed its rules to prevent documentaries from competing against narrative films in the Best Short Subject category.[http://www3.oscars.org/79academyawards/rules/rule19.html Academy Award rules]
Home video and non-theatrical release
'Sentinels of Silence' was released on VHS video by ALTI Publishing in 1990 under the new title "Sentinels of Silence: The Ruins of Ancient Mexico."[https://www.amazon.com/Sentinels-Silence-Ruins-Ancient-Mexico/dp/B000B8PWX6 Amazon.com page] To date, the film has not been made available on DVD. Although the film is no longer in theatrical circulation, the government of Mexico continues to present the film in non-theatrical screenings at its embassies and consulates around the world.[http://www.embamexsing.org.sg/culture/festival.htm Cultural events schedule, Mexican Embassy in Singapore]
There is, however, a DVD edition distributed by Mexico Antiguo, for sale only in Mexico.
See also
* Orson Welles filmography
References
Buy Sentinels of Silence now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1971