Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The readings for this week were alright, I liked reading about Cantiflas. I found it interesting to learn that Mexican cinema comments more on socioeconomic differences and cultural issues. The film tonight felt ahead of its, in my opinion. In terms of camera angles and some of the acting, it felt more real than many films of its time, even from where there were more resources for film, like the states. It was also nicely shot, the still shots for a while, the connection between the two entertainers, it all felt more palpable, and timeless in some aspects. I didn't entirely comprehend all of the dialogue, but from what I could understand, I really felt a connection between the two male protagonists.
Cuando estaban borrachos por la mayoria del tiempo, pensaba que este fue un comentario en como la clase social mas abajo maneja su lugar an la sociedad. Para el sueno, no comprendi por que el sueno era tan largo, o que el sueno realmente significaba. Por que fue el baile tan larga y que significaba la novia cantando por mucho tiempo? Eran las palabras que cantaba de ella importante al sueno, y la idea y tema de la pelicula?
In the reading "the Formation of a National Cinema Audience," I found an interesting note on page 73: "Where the church had previously been one of the few public spaces in which different sectors of society would have encountered one another in their leisure time, the cinema represented a new point of contact in this hierarchical society." It's so fascinating how Mexican cinema came to be a bridge between the social classes, as well as a major commentary on the disparity between rich and poor. It's always great to see film as a means to enlightenment and understanding of human nature, instead of some cheesy, lowest common denomonator film that helps to form drool on the side of one's chin while watching it, ie "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

3 comments:

elena said...

About the dream...I never really understand what people are saying when they sing, so I'm not sure if the girlfriend's lyrics were significant, but in general I just figured that the point of the dream was to show off more of the cast's talent. It seemed like the point of the whole movie was to entertain, because there really wasn't much of a plot, so the only reason that makes sense to me of why there's such a long dream is to entertain more...but I could be wrong, and there could be more significance that I don't understand because the language in the movie was a bit too fast for me.

Yuhan said...

Hahaha Rose I love the example you gave! I was thinking about similar things when I was reading the article too. I find the media nowadays often has more negative impact on its audience rather than positive ie) all the nudity and materialistic values shown in music videos. ALSO! I found the movie a bit difficult to understand since they all talked so fast =p

Jon said...

Dreams are also occasions in which people reveal their fantasies and their fears. In some ways, then, surely Cantiflas showed both his desire to be part of the cabaret, among the fancy members of the club, but also his fear that even if he were able to make it there, he wouldn't be recognized, especially by those who were once closest to him.