First Scenes Of The Film Show Camila example essay topic

The film "Camila" was produced in 1984 and directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg (1922-1955). Based on the true story of Camila O'Gorman, an Argentine woman who falls in love with a priest in 1840's Buenos Aires, this story dealt with the terrifying reign of Juan Manuel de Rosas. Camila is from an influential family and is betrothed to a Rosas loyalist. She is passionate and daring, just like her grandmother, and reads books that have been censored by the ruthless Rosas. When she falls in love with Father Ladislao, the two flee Buenos Aires and assume new identities as school teachers in a small village. During a party, a priest from Ladislao's old church recognizes Ladislao and turns them both in.

They are both executed by firing squad even though Camila is pregnant. The director, Maria Luisa Bemberg was a famous director known for attracting actors like Iman ol Arias who were already established in their careers. Her most famous films are "Camila" (1984), "I, Worst of All" (1990), and "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1990) (Mcclendon). Many of her films, including "Camila" had similar themes.

She often criticized patriarchies and authoritarianism by telling stories of courageous women who dealt with historical events that had direct effects on women. Camila's father, Adolfo O'Gorman, represents a more intimate version of Rosas. He brings the terror of the government into her home, reminding her daily that she should do only as a respectful and loyal socialite woman is expected. He is obsessed with moral obligations as outlined by the Catholic Church, and also loyalty to family, church, and state. However, the family's loyalty is meant for the male head of the house. The first scenes of the film show Camila playing with kittens, then cuts to the servant who is carrying out her orders to drown the kittens.

This scene immediately develops the cruelty the film will display within the O'Gorman family and the terror of the Rosas regime. Later, he scolds her at the dinner table, in front of guests, for questioning Rosas's laws and ideals. Taken to extremes, he even turns her unto Rosas when she elopes. d also represents the order of repression in the movie. Rosas oppresses the men unfairly, and then they go home and do the same to their wives and daughters.

Camila is also inspired by her grandmother, Ana Perichona. La Perichona was known to be a "friend" of Santiago de Liners, a re conquistador of Buenos Aires (Cagliani). Her father discouraged her relationship with her grandmother and correctly assumed she would follow in her footsteps. Her death was an important event for Camila because it forced her to think of the value of life and how her grandmother had spent hers.

From her last conversations with her grandmother, she knew La Perichona remembered her affair fondly, not regretfully. This influenced Camilla by encouraging her, however discreetly and briefly, to follow her heart. Though her character is only seen briefly, her presence affects the whole story. Camila, the main character, rebels against all social guidelines for her class, gender, and background. She reads censored books and has no faith in Rosas, which contrast deeply with her fianc'e's blind loyalty to Rosas.

The real Camila O'Gorman was born in Buenos Aires in 1928. The main action of the story occurred when she was 19 years old, and on August 18, 1848, she became the first woman to receive capital punishment. The character Camila and the woman Camila both held fast and never showed repentance over their actions. There are many instances of foreshadowing in the film. When her father points out Lidaslao's failure to wear the required red ribbon symbolizing loyalty to Rosas, two things are foreshadowed: her father will turn them in, and they will never be able to conform to the rigid rules that Argentine society and Rosas place on them. Also, the bookseller's execution foretells Camila's punishment for her passion.

Several scenes display the cinematic methods used to display themes in "Camila". When Camila is trying to enter the church to plan her wedding, she is greeted by the head of the bookseller and a weeping loved one with a bloody cloth. The shot is from overhead, allowing the viewer to see a variety of action. The dark uniforms of the guards contrast with the clothing of the onlookers. Artificial lighting is used to show the devastation of Camila and to separate her from the rest of the crowd. This "emphasizes the upper classes disregard for the social crisis of Rosas and foreshadows Camila's tragic end" (Barrera).

Also, the people fill the right side of the screen and seem to go on farther than the audience sees. This represents the vast influence of the Rosas regime. Another important scene is when Camila goes to confession and professes her love for Ladislao. Only her face is seen, surrounded by the edges of the confession screen. This displays how trapped she is and how helpless she is to stop her love or to fight Rosas. When the view switches to Ladislao, two things are important.

The outline of the confession scene shadowed on his face represents the bars that will confine him both when he elopes and must hide, and when he is arrested. Also, half of his face is shadowed and half is lit. The light side shows he love for God and loyalty to the church (Barrera). The shadowed half shows the side that feels guilty because he knows he is sinning by loving Camila. So, he too feels torn and helpless. After they escape, there is a scene when Ladislao has snapped at Camila and sits on the bed with her to console her and explain his thoughts.

They are dressed in white, as is all the bedding and tapestries. This is ironic because they are confronting their sins together. Also, the shadows show that they both, but especially Ladislao, are torn between their love for each other and for God (Barrera). She also asks to confess to him, which blurs the line between seeing him as a husband and lover and as a man of God. He seems hurt to even think about his past as a priest. And she, by asking to confess to him, is displaying her longing for their past, pure, love.

The final scenes are equally important. When Ladislao is shot, he is in the front but is blurred. Camila, who is in the back, is in sharper focus. This emphasizes her pain and helplessness. The dimmer lighting of the whole scene creates a more somber mood. Finally, they are layed together in a coffin.

The overhead shot suggests many things. The most important is that they are in equal focus because they will be together forever. The contrast from the white clothing emphasizes the blood, and represents Rosas victory by forcing them to wear his color even in death. The film is very accurate and can be seen as a dependable account of Camila's life. The mistakes are few but include the deletion of Camila's two eldest brothers. A critical viewer would wonder why they would send their only remaining male heir, Camila's younger brother Eduardo, into the priesthood.

Also, Rosas had ordered the expulsion of all Jesuits from Buenos Aires in 1843, four years before Ladislao arrived. So, he was probably not a member of that order (Barrera). One final discrepancy was the method and time of escape for the two lovers. In reality, they left at night on horseback, not during the siesta in a carriage (Barrera).

As related to the time period and Latin American Studies, the film deals deeply with the mandates of Juan Manuel de Rosas. He was the governor of Buenos Aires, Argentina, but never the president. He was a wealthy landowner who used terror to control his people. During his oppressive dictatorship, kidnappings were common, there was a very strict curfew, males were accepted as dominant, and the families of unruly subjects could visit loved ones decapitated heads on spikes in the square.

Red was indeed the color of the ruling party, and obsessive adherence to the mandate to always wear read was not optional, but mandatory for life (Wilson). Other details like the lace scarves worn to mass, the banned books, the frequency of mass, and the clothes were customary for the time period. Because "Camila" was released shortly after the end of the Argentine Proceso, it was clearly a timely criticism of dictatorship in Argentina. The real story of Camila occurred in a time following a brief bout with democracy. This film could be seen as a cautionary tale in terms of warning against ever returning to that form of government. If this, indeed, was Bemberg's intentions, she was a brave, courageous woman that would have made a great character in one of her own films.

Bibliography

Barrera, Adriana, et al. Cinergia Movie File: Camila. 10 Apr. 2001.
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Cagliani, Martin. Argentine Women. University of Buenos Aires. 15 Feb. 2005.
McClennen, Sophia. Bemberg, Maria Luisa. 15 Feb. 2005.
Wilson, Bobbie. Camila O'Gorman. 2003.
Wilson, Bobbie. Styles of Camila. 2002.