Released in 2004, The Motorcycle Diaries is a film based on the journal entries of the Cuban revolutionist, Ernesto"Che" Guevara. The film begins with a 23 year old medical student Guevara deciding to take a cross continent, South American motorcycle journey with his friend Alberto Granado, a 29 year old biochemist. The trip begins in Guevara's home town of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Throughout the long journey, Guevara begins to find himself and change his once well thought out ideals. Along the way he meets many impoverished people who have lost there jobs and been put down by Communism. The film makes it very clear that this journey allowed Ernesto Guevara to change his path of becoming a doctor, and instead become a leader and a revolutionist.
In the article, "Point of Departure: Travel and Nationalism in Ernesto Guevara's Argentina" by Eduardo Elena, Elena makes a clear point that from each country that Guevara entered he encountered similar reoccurring problems within each country. It is written in the article, that Guevara found it impossible, yet despite his best efforts to escape the Peronist-era political trends (Eva and Jaun Perona 's government that pushed urbanization, rural migration, and popular tourism.) Guevara felt that he was a different kind of traveler, metaphorically and literally, stating that he was not the average tourist and by coming in contact with all kinds of people during is journey, he was gathering more and more insight, helping him to fuel and influence his leftist take on a revolution.
In the article by Ann Zulawski, "The National Revolution and Bolivia in the 1950's: What Did Che See?", Ann writes that Bolivia was of a special interest to now "Che" Guevara, because the country was in a midst of a revolutionary transformation. Arriving in Bolivia in 1953, Che saw an opportunity to fight for the peasant and lower and middle class people. He felt the living conditions and labor conditions of the Bolivian people were intolerable and that the neglect by the Bolivian government and labor unions upon there own people and workers needed to be stopped. Zulawski explains in the article that when Che decided to return to Bolivia in 1966, there is no doubt he made some crucial mistakes that let to his downfall and ultimately his death. First, she states that he ignored the situation of the country being under military rule as well as the history of the working class which dated back to the 1930's. Also that if he would have not left Bolivia in the 1950's he would have had a greater chance of creating a counterrevolution, instead of waiting and returning ten plus years later. She explains that in 1953, Che recognized the power of the middle-class armed workers and how the MNR ( a group of organized middle-class university students who fought in the war) maneuvered to disarm them. If Che would have not ignored this when he returned in 1966, he would have been able to have more success.
The film The Motorcycle Diaries makes a clear depiction on how the the young Ernesto Guevara was changed and transformed into to the leader and revolutionist, "Che". It was what he saw and encountered on the journey that helped him decide his destiny and recognize his calling. Overall, this film was very good and can help someone who knows little about Che Guevara, to grasp a starting point in the learning of such a popular and well known historical figure.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Gabriela - Mas skin y arm pit hair
Released in 1983, Gabriela is a Brazilian film that tells the story of a woman who becomes a cook, a mistress, and eventually a wife for a bar owner named Nacib. The film is set in a coastal town in Brazil around the year 1925. The storyline aims to show the societal pressures and attitudes towards women and their sexuality during this time period.
Gabriela begins with the main character (Gabriela) wondering into a small coastal town in search for water during a drought. She meets a man named Nacib who is looking for a cook to work at his bar who decides to offer her the position. Soon enough, Nacib and Gabriela become lover's and Gabriela begins to gain much attention throughout the people of the town. All the attention that Gabriela is receiving becomes quite apparent to Nacib and he decides to ask her hand in marriage, hoping to change her status. For a while, the marriage flows steadily but Nacib begins to grow irritated with Gabriela's unenlightened ways. This becomes more and more apparent and before we know it, Nacib catches Gabriela in bed with another man. Nacib decides to annul the marriage, leaving Gabriela to fend for herself. The movie ends with Nacib accepting Gabriela back into his home and her becoming his mistress again.
This film makes it extremely apparent of the societal customs and attitudes towards the opposite sex during this time period. In the years between 1910 through 1930's it became common for women in Brazil to be murdered for committing the act of adultery. Whether it be the woman's husband, fiance, lover, etc. if he caught, knew, or even heard she had committed adultery, it was legal for him to kill her and the others involved in the act. Pretty quickly this became out of control and women decided they needed to take matters into their own hands. Quoted from a Rio De Janeiro newspaper "A Esquerda", it was time for women to stand up and fight against "masculine cowardliness which stalks to kill." Women declared they would result to violence, if something was not done to ensure their safety. In the beginning of Gabriela, Nacib finds a woman and the lover murdered by the woman's husband, who had apparently caught them in the act. Through out the movie, it becomes evident that nothing was going to be done to the man who committed the murders, clearly showing how society viewed adultery as well as murders committed out of passion and emotions.
Strategically setting this film in the 1925, the movie was able to show us, from the beginning when Nacib finds the mudered couple to when Nacib finds Gabriela in bed towards the end of the movie, that society was changing and that although Nacib could have killed them both, he decided against it.
Another quite evident theme noticed throughout the film, was there was little or no presence of law enforcement. The people handled matters of crime in their own ways. For example, when Nacib finds one of his workers stealing from him, he almost kills him but doesn't when he learns of Gabriela's cheating. Law enforcement and the judicial system in Brazil during this time, were overlooked quite frequently by society. Most likely this was because they had little presence but also because the views on committing crimes were biased. In the article "Getting into Trouble: Dishonest Women, Modern Girls, and Women-Men in the Conceptual Language of 'Vida Political" ,when talking about Vida Policial (a journal made public by the Rio police) it states "It was clear from Vida Policial articles that gender structured the conceptual system of criminological knowledge and that sexuality was a primary concern for law enforcement".
The films storyline and plot most definitely helped to characterize the perceptions of the Brazilian societies during the first half of the 20th century. It helped to show how women were depicted as well as how they thought of themselves within society. Overall, Gabriela, despite excessive nudity and cultural hygiene/grooming differences, is a good and interesting love story that displays many socially historical themes.
Gabriela begins with the main character (Gabriela) wondering into a small coastal town in search for water during a drought. She meets a man named Nacib who is looking for a cook to work at his bar who decides to offer her the position. Soon enough, Nacib and Gabriela become lover's and Gabriela begins to gain much attention throughout the people of the town. All the attention that Gabriela is receiving becomes quite apparent to Nacib and he decides to ask her hand in marriage, hoping to change her status. For a while, the marriage flows steadily but Nacib begins to grow irritated with Gabriela's unenlightened ways. This becomes more and more apparent and before we know it, Nacib catches Gabriela in bed with another man. Nacib decides to annul the marriage, leaving Gabriela to fend for herself. The movie ends with Nacib accepting Gabriela back into his home and her becoming his mistress again.
This film makes it extremely apparent of the societal customs and attitudes towards the opposite sex during this time period. In the years between 1910 through 1930's it became common for women in Brazil to be murdered for committing the act of adultery. Whether it be the woman's husband, fiance, lover, etc. if he caught, knew, or even heard she had committed adultery, it was legal for him to kill her and the others involved in the act. Pretty quickly this became out of control and women decided they needed to take matters into their own hands. Quoted from a Rio De Janeiro newspaper "A Esquerda", it was time for women to stand up and fight against "masculine cowardliness which stalks to kill." Women declared they would result to violence, if something was not done to ensure their safety. In the beginning of Gabriela, Nacib finds a woman and the lover murdered by the woman's husband, who had apparently caught them in the act. Through out the movie, it becomes evident that nothing was going to be done to the man who committed the murders, clearly showing how society viewed adultery as well as murders committed out of passion and emotions.
Strategically setting this film in the 1925, the movie was able to show us, from the beginning when Nacib finds the mudered couple to when Nacib finds Gabriela in bed towards the end of the movie, that society was changing and that although Nacib could have killed them both, he decided against it.
Another quite evident theme noticed throughout the film, was there was little or no presence of law enforcement. The people handled matters of crime in their own ways. For example, when Nacib finds one of his workers stealing from him, he almost kills him but doesn't when he learns of Gabriela's cheating. Law enforcement and the judicial system in Brazil during this time, were overlooked quite frequently by society. Most likely this was because they had little presence but also because the views on committing crimes were biased. In the article "Getting into Trouble: Dishonest Women, Modern Girls, and Women-Men in the Conceptual Language of 'Vida Political" ,when talking about Vida Policial (a journal made public by the Rio police) it states "It was clear from Vida Policial articles that gender structured the conceptual system of criminological knowledge and that sexuality was a primary concern for law enforcement".
The films storyline and plot most definitely helped to characterize the perceptions of the Brazilian societies during the first half of the 20th century. It helped to show how women were depicted as well as how they thought of themselves within society. Overall, Gabriela, despite excessive nudity and cultural hygiene/grooming differences, is a good and interesting love story that displays many socially historical themes.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
La ultima cena (1976) -Blog #2
The film La ultima cena (The Last Supper), depicts a historical recreation of a sugar cane plantation in Cuba towards the end of the 18th century. Despite the fairly accurate presentation of a slave uprising, the most captivating thing about this film, are the interactions between the owner, Count, and the 12 slaves he decides to reenact the "Last Supper" with. The supporting characters in the film, including the overseer and Catholic priest, are used symbolically to depict the different angles taken on slavery, through brutal force and religion. As well as a few other obvious key themes, including race and hierarchy, the film also depicts hypocrisy and a disposition towards kindness and compassion.
The main scene in the film is based around the story of the "Last Supper", when Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples dine together before Jesus is to be crucified. Hence the name of the movie, this scene lays the ground work and foreshadow for a slave revolt. The Count decides it is a good idea to reenact this with his slaves, comparably justifying his actions to Jesus. He provides food and wine, and asks the slaves what they like most about the mill. The Count then tells a story, explaining that happiness in life is sorrow and that enslavement should be embraced not hated. While this scene is pans out, the Count becomes considerably more and more inebriated. Because he is becoming more intoxicated with each sip of wine, the Count begins granting things he cannot ensure. He informs the slaves that they do not have to work on Good Friday and grants an older slave his freedom. This ties in most definitely with the themes of hypocrisy and good natured disposition. The Count so desperately wants to be good to his slaves, but by showing them what they could have and promising them things he did not mean, fails at this attempt. As well as undermining the overseer and hypocritically not backing up his word to the slaves, he systematically creates a slave revolt with his own hands.
Historically speaking, this film depicted many accurate images of the use of religion through slavery as well as the brutal force taken upon the slaves by the slave owners. In the article “Recasting Cuban Slavery” by John Mraz, John quotes from Robert Rosenstone, writing, “that in order for a film to be considered historical rather than just a costume drama, it must engage directly the issues, ideas, data, and arguments of the ongoing discourse of history”. La ultima cena does this extremely well through its portrayal of the slaved run sugar cane plantation and Spanish land owner. By interpreting the issues of the how exploitation through religion based justification occurred, the film is able to create a clear historical depiction of how things were, whilst maintaining character development and a defined story line.
La ultima cena, despite a less believable story line, captures through film, history at its best. Combining real believable events, for example, the Count granting freedom to an older slave, when the slave can almost no longer work anymore, and a slave rebellion that most indefinitely could have happened.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)