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What was Arau thinking when filming Zapata???

posted 20 years ago by davcure
2 replies | jump to latest

As a mexican, it pains me terribly to see dead and gone the prestige acquired by Arau with "Como agua para chocolate", but it pains me even more to see this awful and disrespectful portrayal of a national hero in the hands of Arau. Terrible actors, worse screenplay, unforgivable historical lies and a total waste of ten million dollars.

Lame high-school-level effects, and so many ridiculous supposedly mystic references (all mixed up and wrong) that make this movie an involuntary comedy, promising to turn a macarena-dancing nahuatl old witch character into a sad, sad stain in a previously good Arau's resumé.

I would have preferred Arau to publicize his movie as a satyre... That might have (and I repeat, MIGHT HAVE) saved his reputation, but it is unadmissible to let him play with the image of a national hero, and make a long, very bad videoclip for Alejandro Fernández out of this "movie", and make us mexicans be sorry for it to be seen overseas.

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 1966nm 20 years ago

Having encyclopedic knowledge of Zapata’s history, I went to this one with high hopes produced from the trailer. The mystic references I considered poetic elements. When I saw that the men of Zapata were caring cartridges that didn’t much their arms, and the prostitutes were shooting high velocity Mauser carbines in a way that using real ammunition would probably brake their wrists, I said “well, you see that in Hollywood some times also”. The persistence in making most of the scenes in that destroyed building was really very annoying. But in the end I had to ask my wife who is a Mexican, if there was some underground connection with Marcos and the Zapatistas to find something to hold on. Really, nothing can save it.

Why the revolution needed a martyr in the eyes of a 21st century viewer? The people did not get their land after all and Zapata’s death changed really nothing.

Why the Mayas (I guess) did recognized him as the Messiah they were waiting for? If nothing else, he failed to make the difference.

The interests for girls and horses of the elegantly dressed poor farmer, was a surprise to me, as his personal vendetta with Huerta was!

As for the fest of the dead, it strongly reminded me of the last scene of Kusturica’s UNDERGROUND. Only that was a good scene, that made sense.

I am sorry. I have to admit that I tried hard but I cannot find any excuses for this film. It’s just bad.

8(

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