Amada

SetinHavanain1914,animportantperiodinthehistoryofCubaasitmovedfromfeudalismtoanewsocietythatwouldbeforevermarkedbyothersignificantworldwideeventsandthegrowinginfluenceoftheUnitedStates,Amada’sportrayalofthedownfallofthewealthyVillalosafamilyhasagreatdealofpotentialforpoliticalandpersonalintrigue–mixingromanticpassionsandimpossiblelovewithgreedandnakedambitionintoanexplosivecombination.Itsperiodclassicismanddepictionofanaristocracythatiscaughtupinitsownintrigues,unawareoftherealsocialchangesgoingonintheworldoutsideinevitablyevokesDeSica’sTheGardenoftheFinzi-Continis,butthefilmstrivesalsoforthedecadentcharacterofVisconti’sL’Innocente.WhereasVisconti’streatmentofGabrieleD’Annunzio’sliteraryclassicsimmeredwithitsrepressedemotionsandasenseofawiderimpendingtragedyinitspersonalmelodrama,HumbertoSolás’sbodice-rippingMillsandBoontreatmentoftheseissuesinAmadahoweverfeelsfaintlyridiculousandunbalancestheunderlyingsocialcontextofthefilmthatshouldunderpinit.<br/>　　<br/>　　TheVillalosafamily’swealthhasbeenfoundedonslavetrading,butsincethedeathofherfather,Amada’saging,blindmotherhasallowedtheirHavanaestatetoslipintodecline,failingtocollecttherentfromtheirimpoverishedtenants.Amada’shusbandDionisio,aLiberalpoliticianseekingcandidacyfromhisparty,hashisgrandambitionshoweverandreliesonherfamily’snameandmoneytofurtherhiscareer.Togetherwithhissecretary,withwhomheishavinganaffair,andthecomplicityofthefamily’shousekeeper,DionisioplanstoconvincetheoldwomantosellofftheestatetoAmericaninterests.Amadaisundernoillusionsaboutherhusband–itisalovelessmarriage–butsocialrulesandexpectationspreventherfromrespondingtotheadvancesofherhandsomecousinMarcial,arevolutionaryjournalistwhoplanstoexposethewholecorruptsystemofthesocietytheyliveinandtakeAmadaawayfromitall.<br/>　　That,asI’msuretheoutlineindicates,shouldbeafairlyexplosivemixofloveandlife,ofblindidealismononesideandlyingduplicityontheother,ofpoliticalambitionandprinciplesrunningupagainstsocialrealities.Theproductionvaluesatleastmatchthecontent–theirwealthfoundedonadarksecretpast,Amadaandherfamilyliveinthefamily’smansionofafadingglamourthatisshroudedindarkness,thelightandrealitiesoftheoutsideworldbarelypiercingthegloom.Intothisenclosedworld,rottinginitowncorruption,unabletoseebeyondandescapethebondsofitspast,Marcialrepresentstherevolutionthatisgoingtosweepthroughit.TheproblemwithSolás’streatmentofthishoweveristhatallthisisexplainedtoyouinflorid,declarative,heavy-handed,expositional-orsimplyjustbad-dialogue.Youdon’tneedtoworkanyofthisoutorattempttounderstandthecharactersorwhattheyrepresent,sincetheyaremorethanhappytotelleachotherandbyextension,theviewer;Amadabemoaningherfate–“Youdon’tknowwhatitisliketobeawoman–aslavetothewhimandwillofothers.Nolifeofherown.Shecanonlyescapewithinhermind.Inherfantasies”;andMarcialexplicitlyrevealinghisrolestatingthat,“Iproposeanarchy,sothathumansarefreedfromtheirchains,frompaternalism,fromoppression”.Whenalltheyreallywanttodoisgetitonwitheachother,thesekindsofdeclarations-accompaniedbyagonizinglooks,furtivegrapplingandasweepingscore-comesacrossasquitelaughable.<br/>