Film: Humberto Solas' "Lucia"

Paper Summary:

This paper describes a battle scene, in Humberto Solas' 1968 film "Lucia" in which the clumsiness of the interaction speaks loudly to the process of creation in historical films. The author points out that, by using this interaction, the ways in which "Lucia" attempts to manipulate the past and understand its complex relationship with both the present and future becomes apparent. The paper relates that the chaos and complexity of these epic scenes' vast compositions seem to pulse with the frenetic disorder of reality of a late 1960s movie set rather than the reality of the 1895 revolution. The paper concludes that, as a pro-revolution Cuban filmmaker operating under the dictates of Fidel Castro's communist regime, Solas created a film that says almost nothing about the 1895 revolution but speaks very loudly about 1968.

From the Paper:

"As a young man, Humberto Solas participated in Cuba's communist revolution. Although the communist regime waged a fierce purge of gay Cubans, he managed to keep his sexuality off of the government radar and soon became a prominent filmmaker. Considering Solas' support of revolution, and the fact that the government censored the output of Cuban artists, it makes perfect sense that Lucia would have a pro-revolutionary message. This logic is borne out: the Spaniards are portrayed as aggressors, and the only one afforded dialogue is the heartless and conniving Rafael."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aufderheide, Patricia. "Lucia." The American University (Online), 1992. www.library.american.edu/subject/media/aufderheide/lucia.html
• Biskind, Peter. "Lucia: Struggles with History." Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media (Online). Reprinted from Jump Cut, no.2, March 1974, pp 7-8. www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlineessays/JC02folder/lucia.html
• Sayre, Nora. "Lucia." The New York Times (Online). http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9E0DE6DC1130E036A05752C0A9659C946590D6CF&oref=slogin

More papers on Film: Humberto Solas' "Lucia":

• Essay # 73379 : "The Quintessential Horror Film: "King Kong"
• Research Paper # 61789 : "Women in Film Noir"
• Analytical Essay # 69742 : "Film History Summary"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: