cherson@fsleng.DEC (05/21/85)
Last night I saw El Norte for the first time, it happened to be on "American Playhouse" on PBS. My reaction was that this film should have won every award there was to win. It was that powerful. Every emotion that could be displayed in a movie was there and done in such a style that should impress someone for years to come. Does anyone know if El Norte won an academy award in any category? David Cherson
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (06/09/85)
EL NORTE
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
EL NORTE is a full-length film (in fact over two hours long) made
predominantly for showing on PBS's AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE, but also released to
theaters, a course similar to that of TESTAMENT. It is the story of a
brother and sister who must flee Guatemala and, lured by the enticing images
in BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS and by stories of how rich life must be in the
U.S., head north. The story is in three parts. The first shows how Enrique
and Rosa lose their parents because their father protests the rich
landowners stealing their land. In the second part they travel through
Mexico to reach El Norte. The final and longest part shows their
experiences in the U.S.
I think that I was pre-conditioned by reviews of this film to expect it
to be predominantly about how bad it is in the U.S. for illegal immigrants.
That theme is certainly present in the film. Enrique and Rosa have a very
hard time in the U.S., but if the film is saying anything, it is that U.S.
law should allow more immigrants in legally. Life in the U.S. is not the
bed of roses that Enrique and Rosa expected, but there is little doubt that
they made the best decision by coming to the U.S. The worst parts of their
experience in this country were results of the immigration laws, not from
any callousness or cruelty by U.S. citizens. In fact, when Enrique and Rosa
are happiest in the film, it is because they are succeeding in the U.S. For
the serious problems they do have we see that help is given to them, either
free or at a price they can afford. The film is, in short, surprisingly
pro-U.S.
One other thought comes to mind while watching EL NORTE: if this story
was supposed to be typical in some way of the experiences of people trying
to get into this country, it is unconvincing. The typical people with the
background shown probably would have failed to get to their destination (and
probably did), but certainly would not have gotten in. Then there would
have been much less of a story. Enrique and Rosa had the unlikely luck to
be able to find just the right person in Mexico who owed a favor to someone
they knew in Guatemala. This seems less than likely.
EL NORTE, which was nominated for and lost one Oscar--Best Screenplay-
-is better than at least two of the films nominated for Best Picture last
year. And it comes free on television. If you missed it and it is on
again, watch for it.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper