Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Watching  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen  for the fist time, one might think of it as touching, funny, slightly inane, and somewhat unexpected. I should add delightful as well. There are some thoughtful and undeveloped undercurrents of some serious topics here, but this is a movie to just sit back and enjoy.The film was adapted for film by Lasse Hallström, from British writer and author Paul Torday's 2006 debut novel  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen , which won the 2007 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing.We have a plan dreamed up by a visionary sheik played by Amr Waked, and the sheik has the financial resources to turn a Middle Eastern desert into a recreational utopia for sport fishermen. Our sheik seems to be a New Age mystic of sorts, who is given to letting loose with a bit of inspirational gibberish at times... and for this viewer, this just adds to the story. Add in Kristin Scott Thomas's depiction of Patricia Maxwell, the British prime minister's press secretary, and she snaps her dialogue with a real tone of severe icy disdain.The sheik is an avid fly fisherman who has an estate in Scotland, and he visualizes a prodigious water management project that involves the construction of a salmon run in which the salmon can swim upstream to spawn. He declares that this will bring his preferred leisure activity closer to home and will also help his people. The sheik's plan is proposed to the British government by his assistant, Harriet (Emily Blunt), and Patricia Maxwell sees this as a perfect opportunity to distract the public from the conflicts in the Middle Eastern conflicts, resulting in political points for her boss.Dr. Alfred `Fred' Jones (played by Ewan McGregor) is a British fisheries expert is approached to assess the feasibility of the idea, which would involve importing thousands of North Atlantic salmon from Britain to Yemen. He believes this plan to be ridiculous and impossible to carry out, and he dismisses the idea. But Patricia has done her research and has found that two million British voters are fishing enthusiasts, so she pressures Fred's boss to force his participation in this scheme.However there's an uproar that follows when British fishermen learn that their salmon stock will be depleted. The only solution to this dilemma is to use farmed salmon, which have absolutely no river experience. Then comes the big question as to whether farmed salmon will follow their wild brethren's instincts and head upstream.Fred is an unhappily married bureaucrat whose cold wife of two decades leaves him for months at a time to conduct her business in other places. He develops an undeclared romantic attraction to Harriet, but her boyfriend Robert (Tom Mison) is fighting overseas. She receives news that Robert is missing in action, and she falls apart.There's a perfunctory subplot where the sheik becomes the target of an assassination plot by Islamic extremists, but the biggest moment of suspense has nothing to do with terrorism: it comes when the farmed salmon are released into the waters of their new home. Will the farmed salmon follow their wild comrades' instincts and head upstream, or will they just swim around in complete confusion? And will Fred and Harriet and Fred get together? You'll have to see the film for those answers.If anyone wonders about the impact of this movie, a May 2012 article in The Telegraph (UK) noted that the Yemen Tourism Promotion Board had been "inundated" with requests about the country following the film's release, and that salmon fishing isn't actually that popular in the Western Asian country, though there are sea fishing opportunities there.  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen  can be quirky in places, but if you liked  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  or  Love Actually , then you'll probably enjoy this film. For this viewer, it was better to just sit back and enjoy it, and as a result, I'm hooked.10/28/2012

If you like improbable, slowly developing love stories that wax and wane a bit before coming to fruition, then this is a nice was to spend ~90 minutes. The biggest thing I took away from this movie was that Ewan McGregor is QUITE the fine comedic actor. I have not seen all of his movies - a few - but never a comedic role. He pulled off the "lost in the clouds - and detail - scientist" quite well. His timing and use of his voice (articulation and volume) was perfect thanks to skill and good direction. Emily Blunt - what can you say? She is beautiful - stunning - in a unique and intoxicating way. He eyes are gorgeous. Her subtle and different versions of her smile, conveyed her feelings in each moment perfectly. I loved the movement of her head...her expressions...when she and Fred (McGregor's character) take an evening swim in the river, and Fred asks whether there was a possibility of them being more than work colleagues...to have a relationship? Her expressions range from mildly, soulfully pained, to obligated to reply, to being touched by Fred's words and emotion, and then shyly/coyly looking down and away, and looking back up saying her gentle "yes" when she fully acknowledges to herself that she has unexpectedly strong feelings for Fred. A very unique story which was just the backdrop for a love story to develop. There WAS one rather gross "editing" error at the end of the movie: After the disaster, and Harriet (Blunt) tells her soldier love that she wants to say goodbye to Fred, sees the soldier boyfriend stand waiting at the truck, and he closes the door to the truck, and stands outside of it. When he realizes that Harriet is going to stay to continue the work and "be with" Fred, the camera returns to the soldier boyfriend's disappointed expression standing along side the truck, but...the truck door is wide open now as he climbs in defeated and disappointed. AND...just before going to say goodbye to Fred, Harriet gives the truck driver her bags to put in the truck. The defeated soldier gets in the truck, and the truck drives away...with Harriet's bags in it!!!

Extraordinaria película, en la línea de otros productos del fantástico director, como La casa de las normas de la sidra, y otras.Grande sobre todo por la naturalidad y sencillez con que son narrados los hechos.Perfecta en su desarrollo, con magníficas actuaciones de todo los actores, y en especial de los dos protagonistas.Los grandes momentos de la vida, muchas veces transcurran de la manera más plácida y silenciosa.Y las cosas suceden a veces cuando menos las esperamos.La belleza de la vida, como en el cine, puede estar en cualquier cosa, y en cualquier plano.El cine más épico contado de la manera más sencilla, sin darse importancia, tocando la fibra del espectador, como el melodrama más intenso.Y sin complejos: una mirada, un atardecer, o un primer plano de un par de manos unidas, sigue funcionando como el primer día.Bogard y Ford estarían orgullos.Hemingway lo comprendería.Cine del bueno, buenísimo, y para todos.

Película muy bonita, que nos da idea de la gran mentira de los políticos algunas veces. Estupendos actores. Hay que verla.

No es una película muy conocida pero para mí tiene un punto maravilloso por la interpretación del gran Ewan McGregor que hace un ejercicio de contención al interpretar a este británico que parece estirado pero es un amor.La recomiendo para el que no la conozca.

Una comedia encantadora con un punto de romanticismo que nos anima a perseguir nuestros sueños. Basada en un obra de Lasse Halstrom, el mismo autor de Las normas de la Casa de la Sidra. Totalmente recomendable.

ES UNA PELICULA MUY OPTIMISTA DE CON TESON TODO SE PUEDE CONSEGUIR EN LA VIDA POR DISPARATADA QUE PUEDA SER LA CUESTION