Reviews

I was a little surprised when this title appeared on television. In this country, after a long dictatorship filled with swastikas, concentration camps, mass assassination, and other atrocities, one not only analyzes things like the Third Reich or the life of Hitler in search of what happened here but also one is astonished to know what is the actual atmosphere after a movie like this is shown. That is why I consider that it is very problematical to play in a script that shows what dirty politics can end up in, and not show the complicated economical events, or simply say that there was a great depression or inflation and that explains the appearance of a demagogue or dictator, not to speak of the international context. Nevertheless the movie is entertaining although it mixes many historical events. The acting is very good but limited to the situations that are trying to justify different realities by means of philological outcomes. The music is very good, but at times one feels that we are looking at a film like Harry Potter. On the other hand the camera work is excellent, and so is the scenery and dressings.

This extraordinary film was, of course prohibited during the years that Argentina was ruled by the military dictatorship. Only one man, dared to show it in the middle of mass genocide. This teacher, Manlio Pereira, was the director of the only private film school during the late ´70s. Obviously the school received strange invasions of military spies, but Pereira not only continued to show this masterpiece, but also made a great ceremony out of it, speaking loudly and profoundly of what nazism meant, what were it terribly effects, and why Argentina has falled again in the taste for this awfull criminal behaviour. It is a shame that not always such outstanding names like these are remembered for this little great things.

The man who helped Mario Soffici make his long waited dream come true was called Neron Kesselman. This charming fellow was the head of the studios make up department for fifteen years. He began in the olden days helping to paint the bodies of the actors who played as indians in the "gaucho" films. He always with a gentle smile that they used to use orange powder on the bodies in order to obtain tanned skin in the black and white photography. He would do the work with two gigantic hand puffs. In the case of Mr. Soffici´s make up he began by skinning his head. In other words Soffici worked all throughout the production with his head balled. On the days he had to act as the serious doctor he would put a wig on him. On the other hand when he had to become the monster, Neron glued hair all over his head and face. In those days there weren´t many materials to use so he used to place wire in the actor´s mouth and painted parts of the teeth and lips with melted car tires. Without any place for doubt, this work and this film is one of the most succesfull and daring of the argentine film. Neron continued his days in the trade. He managed the argentine side of the Hollywood production called "Taras Bulba" with Yul Brynner which was filmed in Argentina. He was the head of the make up dept in Channel 7, one of the biggest television studios in latin america, and ended off his days giving classes to the young students of the now called special effects department. An honorable life for this artist who thought we would live up to be a sculptor.

Only the experience of knowing Lautaro Murua allows you to understand his unique quality of directing both film and actors in a very special manner. When he gave film clases he would really surprise the classroom by obtaining direction and acting results with the students. In La Raulito the results obtained by the actress Marilina Ross must be rated between the best in her carrer. Murua had more chances to act that to direct but nevertheless his performances are equally as good as most of his films. In 1987, he was very pleased to act in the feature De que estamos hechos by Leonardo Polverino, but lamentably after a couple of months, his timetable in theatre at night didn´t allow him to work in this feature film, which was mainly shot at nightime. One would think that a first class actor like Murua did´nt accept small budget productions but he leaves us many pleasant surprises, like a roll in Los traidores, directed by Raymundo Gleyzer.

This exellent film regarding a seclusion place where mentally instable characters live, is undoubtely a special vision of a curious situation that is typical in Argentina. Furthermore if we notice the year it was filmed in, and we realize that there was a dictatorship at that moment, we begin to interchange more personally with those characters relating their story with that of a "Caligari" of a "Brazil" situation, in the sense that one can express oneself under such terrible situations only by showing characters that go mad. In other words, the normal people of reality are really the questioned ones in such a authoritarian context. Mr Doria had already filmed two features that had strong problems with a terrifying censorship and in this movie he still finds the strength to film interesting and good quality stories. It is outstanding that this artist always stood firm in his creative convictions, even through those black years. His following career proves his authenticity as a master of moviemaking.

Mr. Gabriel Arbos manages both film direction and production in a very personal manner, thanks to years of experience as an assistant director. Although his first feature film as a director responded to an industrial proposal (where nevertheless he already demonstrated personnal skills as a intrigue master), "Campos de sangre" might be described as a more personal movie, which blends surprisingly both suspense and reality, now that the story is based on a true incident that took place in the Argentine province of La Pampa. Arbos, by the way, took great production efforts to shoot the film in location where the action took place and that is another compliment to the efficiency of the film.

Procesado 1040 was Cavallotti´s second feature. Although in the first one (which was a low budget production) he already displayed his skills as a director, proving that his long experience as an assistant director was well founded, in Procesado 1040 he managed himself in a very secure manner, despite the fact that now the production was in a mayor studio (Argentina Sono Film) and that the story was a very compromised theme about the real life in the state jails. Cavallotti always comented that it is quite a responsibility to shout action for the first time in a set full of experimented technicians. Throughout the years this film proved to pass the test of time, and many would still be surprised if today they would receive a script like this one and feel at ease to film something like this and pass censorship in Argentina.

Mr Rene Mugica, the director, always commented (with a smile in his face) that he carried this film on his back as if it were a heavy bag. In fact this film proved to be a highlight in his carrer and one of the most outstanding films in Argentine cinema. Mugica came from a family of theatre actors, and was well accomplished with the argentine novel. It is usefull to say that everytime a film-maker attempted to use a story from Jorge Luis Borges, it ussualy came to a flop. The director made a few modifications to the original story in order not to sacrifice the cinematographical rithm, but even Borges favourded the film when he saw it. Like in his fist feature (Hombre de la esquina rosada is his second one) Múgica uses infra-red film for the final in order to give it a ghostly atmosphere. It is a shame that the studio (Argentina Sono Film) who contracted him for the first time, never called him again for another film.

During the 70´s this documentary was used in Argentina as a example of what you can do with good film language. The use of present, past and even future in the story was analized as interesting editing, and the different changes of colour were considered outstanding. The sound also was considered as how to change the sequence by using different sounds, and obviously the absence of any text was considered by students in those days as the utmost in the documentary genre. The camara work was admired especially because in the days when the short was made, no steady-cam existed and everything depended on the capacity of the camareman.