MovieChat Forums > El Lobo (2004) Discussion > great film,but did all of ETA dress like...

great film,but did all of ETA dress like people in the film?

posted 18 years ago by ib011f9545i
6 replies | jump to latest

I liked this film,loved the soundtrack,DEEP PURPLE HIGHWAY STAR used during the chase scene.
I think that people who know little of Spanish/Basque history might find the story confusing.
I have read a bit about this so was a little less confused than some people might be.

One thing amused me in this film,all the guerillas had hip clothes,leather jackets,beards,long hair,and the girls were beautiful,so if you were a Spanish fascist secret policeman it would be easy to catch the ETA people,just look for the hippies.
I take it that in reality the guerillas dressed like everyody else so as to blend in with the majority.
I also wondered if it would be hard or easy for a Basque speaker to pretend to be a non Basque spainish person?

[–] DextermeetsCooper 18 years ago

It don't see any problem with the way they dress. it is a film but there's is something to it as well. It is like hip hop nowadays. Some trends originate in crimminal activities, but it is a far cry yo say that just because you dress like that you are a criminal. By the way, beards were then stigmatised. You were frown upon by police if you grew one.

As to the language. It is ok. The Basque acent can be disguised easily. It is like doubting that a new yorker cannot pass himself off as a californian.

[–] carmen78 18 years ago

It was the 70s, most of people used to dress like that.

[–] chus07 18 years ago

Basque speaker??? The great majority of people that live in the Basque country, don´t speak Basque, they all speak castillean. you could tell by the accente that they are from the Basque country but they could also be from navarre since they have the same accent. Plus that are many baque people living all over Spain that are not terrorists, just like there were many people who dressed like that, so those wouldn´t be good ways of trying to spot a terrorist

[–] raowg 17 years ago

I have friends who are Basque. You have it correct it, the way to identify them is from their accent when then they speak castillion. Also, the basque language is starting to grow now that Franco is out of control. I know that they my friends cousins are required to take it in school or can take it in school as some sort of elective.

[–] WatchingTheScreen 17 years ago

Well, the basque language is like gaelic: a lot of people want to speak it, but only a few get used to it. As the Irish, any Basque can learn the language, but it doesn't means that everybody speaks it. And yes, Basque accent is really easy to disguise. I'm andalusian and my accent is stronger than Basque, but I can speak with castillian accent easily. Anyway, a lot of Basque people who are against the independence have exactly the same Basque accent. I don't know if protestants and catholics have the same accent in Northern Ireland, but if the answer is yes, that's what happens in the Basque Country.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

I think that people who know little of Spanish/Basque history might find the story confusing.
I have read a bit about this so was a little less confused than some people might be.

I think you're right. I don't think there was any form of introduction/narration outlining the history of the conflict, but luckily for me, even though I'm not Spanish I'd read about it and knew who was who.

I didn't have an issue with the clothing at all. It seemed perfectly normal for the times as were the hair styles and vehicles.

I really liked the film and appreciated the fact that the director actually took a pretty much apolitical approach to the whole thing. That's why it worked so well.