Hollywood production assistant alerts movie boss about Chico Mendes story

Producer Peter Guber ( Rain Main - Gorillas in the Mist) learns about the Chico Mendes story from this Memo.

Assistant reports to Guber that insiders are rigging the competition for movie rights.

Once the competition for the movie rights got underway, Chico's inner circle of friends created the Chico Mendes Foundation . They made Chico's widow Ilzamar the President of the Foundation. They then formed a four person committee to decide who should be granted the rights to make the movie. The four persons were Ilzamar Mendes (the widow), a former priest named Gilson Pescador, Mary Allegretti, and an Washington based environmentalist named Steve Schwartzman from the Environmental Defense Fund. Behind the scenes, however, was a British documentary filmmaker named Adrian Cowell who was involved with Chico before the murder. Adrian had links to British producer David Puttnam through another pal, Chris Menges.

Peter Guber drops out of race for the movie rights

Sensing the game has been rigged by Adrian Cowell and Steve Schwartzman toward a deal with David Putnam, Peter Guber sends this letter and drops out of the race for the Chico Mendes rights.

Ilzamar Mendes makes surprise move - sells rights to Brazilian company

Chico's widow Ilzamar, along with Gilson Pescador, also felt ecologist Schwartzman and filmmaker Cowell were rigging the movie rights game toward English producer David Puttnam. In a surprise move, Ilzamar exercises her legal rights to Chico's life story and makes a deal with Brazilian production company, J.N. Films. Ilzamar says she wants a Brazilian company to tell Chico's story.

Ilzamar's deal rejected by Chico's former colleagues.

When Ilzamar Mendes decided to sign a contract with JN Films, she infuriated the other members of the Chico Mendes foundation. Perhaps more angered than anyone else was Steve Schwartzman of the Environmental Defense Fund. A Hollywood lawyer representing the interests of Steve Schwartzman and the "Deliberative Council"( aka everybody except Ilzamar) announces Ilzamar did not have the authority to make a deal on Chico's movie rights.

Peter Guber re-enters competition to make Chico Movie

Mr. Guber, upon hearing of Ilzamar's deal with JN Filmes makes an offer to become a partner on the project.

Times article announces Guber/Peters to make Chico movie

After making a deal with JN Filmes, Peter Guber announces his company will make the movie.

JN films lawyer complains about Environmental Defense Fund

Still angry about the turn of events, EDF ecologist Steve Schwartzman accuses Chico's widow Ilzamar of stealing all the proceeds from the movie rights sale to JN and Peter Guber. In this doc, a lawyer representing JN Films responds to Mr. Schwartzman's allegations. The lawyer also demands a halt to EDF interference in JN's film project.

Peter Guber exits from Chico movie project

Peter Guber sold his company to Sony and became Chairman of Sony Pictures. Upon taking this new job, he was forced to leave behind the "Chico" movie project with Warner Brothers (who put up the money). Warners then turned the project over to producer David Puttnam - leaving Ilzamar at the mercy of her enemies. In this letter to Ilzamar, Peter apologizes for his exit.

Environmental Defense Fund activist refuses to cooperate with Chico movie screenwriter

Producer David Puttnam hires writer William Mastersimone to prepare a script on the Chico Mendes. In this document, Mr. Steve Schwartzman of the Environmental Defense Fund, who worked very closely with Chico Mendes 1985-1988, refuses to cooperate with the screenplay writer for the new Chico movie. Mr. Schwartzman makes clear there will no cooperation until certain political demands are met. Those demands, as additional documents make clear, ultimately leads to clandestine money payments to Chico's colleagues, hiring Adrian Cowell as a consultant, and reneging on all agreements with Chico's widow- Ilzamar.

Producer David Puttnam buckles - Censorship charged

In this letter, lawyers for the Brazilian production company who were the rights holders of the Chico Mendes movie complain to film producer Peter Guber about producer David Puttnam. Puttnam, the letter claims, quickly succumbed to political pressure and censorship imposed by Schwartzman

Producer David Puttnam attempts to censor Time Magazine about Amazon (avail soon)

Schwartzman's victory in regaining a controlling edge over Chico's story was nothing more than a sad illusion. Behind the scenes, producer Puttnam was selling out the entire environmental movement. In this bizarre letter, Puttnam asks his boss at Warner Brothers, Terry Semel, to put pressure on Time Magazine ( the owner of Warner Brothers) to censor any negative environmental news about Brazil and the Amazon. Puttnam felt he needed this to help make the Chico movie in Brazil. This shows how little environmentalists like Schwartzman understand the "real" media - a media they naively think they can manipulate to bring about political changes.

Producer David Puttnam links up with Ecuadorian Oil Company to help make movie

Another piece of bizzare evidence indicating how big media really works. Mr. Puttnam who was the Environmental Defense Fund's movie producer of choice (and the reason why Ilzamar Mendes split from the Schwartzman/Cowell propaganda machine) is seen here offering pieces of the Chico project to oil interests in Ecuador. The irony of a mogul like Puttnam attemtping to make a "save the rainforest" movie with the help of Ecuador's biggest rain forest destroyers is left to your imagination.

Warner Brothers Abandons the Chico movie project.

After years of effort and almost 8 million dollars, Warner Brothers allows the rights for Chico's life story to expire and drops all plans to make the movie. In this document, they alert JN Films that no further payments will be made.

"Chico Mendes Rubber Tapper Movement Near Death" - Miami Herald

Testament to the millions of dollars wasted on Chico "the Movie", the Miami Herald published this article on the ninth anniversary of Chico's death.

NOTES

The Chico Mendes "save the rain forest" movie was eventually made as a cable movie by HBO - a sister company of Warner Brothers in the Time Warner empire. HBO, however, refused to re-negotiate a rights agreement with Ilzamar or the Rubber Tappers. Ilzamar sued. Warner Brothers and HBO assigned 4 lawyers to the case. It was battled out in a Glendale, California courtroom. Ilzamar lost the case on technical grounds. Time Warner spent more on lawyers than Ilzamar was asking for. HBO also spent lavishly on promoting the cable movie, but it received little attention. Chico's Rubber Tapper movement is worse off today than before the ecologists and moviemakers became involved.

Check out this cartoon from Brazilian Press about the Chico Movie. Click Here

An observer once noted, "The history of the Amazon is filled with periods of exploitation followed by periods of neglect. From what we have seen in making "Rubber Jungle, " the environmental concern for the Amazon rain forest in the early 1990's , while well intentioned, was nothing more than another chapter in this familiar cycle .