The Impact of Literature on Latin American Films

By Rafael Ocasio -- Críticas, 8/15/2007

The powerful impact of literature on Latin American films is evident in the earliest silent cinema of Mexico and Argentina, which were among the first Latin American countries with important cinematic production. Even as early as 1914, Argentina produced a film version of José Mármol's seminal novel, Amalia. The involvement of the authors themselves in cinematic work has developed into a longstanding tradition. Writers often wrote for films, adapted their own works, or had an important role in film production. One such author is Francisco Defilippis Novoa, known for directing popular tango singer Carlos Gardel in his film debut, Blanco y negro (1919). Another is novelist and playwright Enrique Larreta, who adapted his play El Linyera (1933) into a film that found success in Argentina and was later distributed in the United States. 

The following reviews offer a retrospective look at some of the most popular Latin American writers whose literary productions are repeatedly made into films. Among the most famous writers are the Argentinians Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar and the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, all three members of the "boom" period, a high point of Latin American literature beginning in the mid-Fifties. Predating these authors is the Cuban writer Cirilo Villaverde, whose novel, Cecilia Valdés o La loma del ángel, was also adapted for film and later became an example of Cuban revolutionary cinema in the vanguard of sociopolitical activism.

Borges, known as the father of the contemporary Latin American short story, was heavily influenced by cinema and wrote film reviews for various Argentinian publications. Cortázar and García Márquez, renowned for their mastery of the fantastic and magical realism, stand out as the foremost Latin American authors whose works have been made into outstanding films, often in foreign, non-Spanish-language productions. García Márquez has been deeply immersed in the production of films, first as a film reviewer and later as a script writer (along with the Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes) for Mexican films in the 1960s. Today, García Márquez continues to support Latin American films through his collaboration with the Escuela International de Cine y Televisión (International School of Film and Television), a higher-education center that he helped found in Cuba in 1986 and where he still teaches.

Presagio. (Omen) (Mexico, 1974) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 118 mins. Facets Video. 2006. DVD $24.99. DRAMA

With a script by Nobel prize winner Gabriel García Márquez and directed by Luis Alcoriza, this film explores the effects of popular superstitions on an isolated village in an unnamed Latin American country. After years of drought, the inhabitants struggle to survive in a desert wasteland, depicted in a manner that echoes the literary style of Mexican Juan Rulfo, a master of the contemporary Latin American short story whose writings influenced García Márquez. The town's boring routine comes to a halt aftera midwife accidentally breaks a bottle, a tool highly regarded as a magical aid in her trade, and solemnly claims that "something terrible" will soon befall the town. When farm animals die, the township attributes it to the omen, and soon havoc spreads as the people search for the supposedly human source of the evil. As a study of the psychology behind mass hysteria, the film falls short, principally because the plot seems to lead nowhere, centering instead on events that eventually precipitate the inhabitants' illogical decision to abandon their town. Characters like the town's matriarch, who is ultimately responsible for its destruction, bear García Márquez's trademark, but others are barely developed and fade into the hysterical crowd. Recommended for collections of films inspired by García Márquez's works.

Cartas de mamá. (Letters from Mother.) (Spain, 1980) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 60mins. Films Media Group. VHS. $89.95 DRAMA

A television production for Radio Televisión Española, this film is a fairly close rendition of a short story by Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar (1914–84). Borges, the first to publish a Cortázar story, had high praise for Cortázar's use of fantastic plotlines situated within normal settings and affecting ordinary characters who eventually accept the extraordinary happenings as natural. The storyline is simple: The newly wed Luis and Laura depart for Paris after their wedding in Buenos Aires, leaving behind Luis's aging mother. As the story unfolds, it is clear that they feel guilty not about leaving the country but about the reason they left. Luis's brother, Nico, had been dating Laura, but when Nico fell ill, Luis started keeping company with Laura. They fell in love and hid it from Nico, who eventually died. When the couple leaves for Paris, their only contact with Buenos Aires is through Luis's mother's letters. Things seem to be going well until, strangely, the mother announces that Nico sends greetings. A bizarre series of events lead to an enigmatic, open-ended resolution to the mystery behind the "ghost" of a dead brother. This film offers an accurate psychological picture of the newlyweds' relationship, though the pace may seem too slow for today's audience. Recommended for film collections emphasizing Latin American literary works.

Cecilia. (Cuba, 1981) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 127 mins. First Run Features (The Cuban Masterworks). 2007. DVD. $99.95. DRAMA

In a free adaptation of Cuban author Cirilo Villaverde's notable anti-slavery novel, Cecilia Valdés, this film makes Cecilia more of a revolutionary fighter than the disengaged social climber characterized in the novel. As in the novel, Cecilia is a beautiful, almost white mulatta living in a marginal neighborhood of Havana, daydreaming about marrying into a white, upper-class family. Her strong desire to "improve the race" makes her cold to the love of Pimienta, a hard-working black man who has failed to convince her to marry him. She does agree, however, to help him carry out secret revolutionary activities, particularly after she wins the love of Federico, the son of a rich owner of land and slaves. Federico agrees to participate in subversive activities because, while he won't marry Cecilia, he is willing to make her happy. Surprisingly, the film ignores the fact that Cecilia and Federico are half-siblings, which, more than the social and racial divisions between them makes their love impossible. Some of the film's scenes reveal the underground world of Santería in an exploration of Cuban customs reminiscent of Villaverde's costumbrista literary style. The director of the film is the reputable Cuban director Humberto Solás, well known as one of the initial members of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Art and Cinema, or ICAIC), founded by the revolutionary Cuban government in 1959. His cinema is well known for its strong elements of political activism. "The Cuban Masterworks Collection" also includes Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's Las doce sillas ("The Twelve Chairs"), Julio García Espinosa's Las aventuras de Juan Quin Quin ("The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin"), and Humberto Solás's Amada and Un hombre de éxito ("A Successful Man"). 

Con el amor no se juega. (Don't Fool with Love) (Mexico, 1991) color. Spanish (English subtitles). Facets Video. 2007. DVD $29.95. DRAMA

Three love stories make up this collection, based on scripts by Gabriel García Márquez, the master of magic realism. The films El espejo de dos lunas ("The Two-Way Mirror"; 1990) and Ladrón de sábado ("Saturday Night Thief"; 1992) center on the theme of achieving love in spite of, or maybe because of, unusual circumstances. In El espejo, co-scripted with Mexican Susana Cato, García Márquez explores love with a touch of magic realism. A young Mexican woman, soon to be married, falls in love with a 19th-century revolutionary soldier trapped in an antique mirror. Their love seems doomed…or is it? In Ladrón, coscripted with Mexican Consuelo Garrido, a middle-aged woman surprises a common house burglar in her home. She falls in love with him, and he returns her love when he realizes that she is his favorite radio personality. In Contigo en la distancia ("Far Away"; 1991), co-scripted with Cuban writer Eliseo Alberto, a dissatisfied married woman receives a love letter from an old boyfriend, a letter written 20 years ago, asking her to run away with him. The first two films were directed by Mexican Carlos García Agraz and the latter by the late Cuban Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. This collection is highly recommended for any film collection boasting works by literary authors.

Emma Zunz. (Spain, 1993) color . Spanish (English subtitles). 52 mins. Films Media Group. 2001. DVD. $149.95. DRAMA

This film is based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, the most influential Latin American story writer of the mid-20th century. Published in Borges's seminal collection, El Aleph (1949), "Emma Zunz" is the intriguing tale of a rather unusual murderer, Emma, and her decision to kill Loewenthal, whom she blames for her father's suicide. The film adheres to the original plot, beginning with a presentation of Emma, a rather mysterious 19-year-old woman. Outwardly fearful of men, she is in reality sexually active with sailors from nearby docks. The film focuses in detail on Emma's whereabouts before she decides to kill Loewenthal, and her unimportant, quotidian actions become central images in Borges's existentialist view of the ultimate purpose of life. Ultimately, Loewenthal's death is in vain, because he dies before confessing to Emma why he betrayed her father. This film is a close representation of the short story and may seem too slow for today's audience. Recommended for larger collections of Latin American films.