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The cinematographic disillusionment
of universal literature
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by Ana Luz Velázquez
May 20, 2002. |
Do I go see it or don't I? The uncertainty
arose from the fact that the mention of "The Count
of Montecristo" absolutely fascinates me, but the
movie versions I have seen have been terribly frustrating.
Nevertheless, my curiosity won out. But from the very
first scenes, the frustration returned and with it came
anger. I fidgeted in my seat, shaking my head, "No!
No!"
A little later, someone touched me
on the shoulder from behind. I thought they would complain
about my incessant fidgeting. It was a man, around 40,
a foreigner. He asked me in broken Spanish "No
le gusta?" (You don't like it?) "No!"
I answered. "A mi tampoco," he answered (he
wasn't enjoying it either) "y me voy ahora."
He got up and left the theater rather quickly. I should
have done the same, but the curiosity to find out up
to what point they would mess up that story made me
stay.
I realized that the rest of the audience
enjoyed it, I heard exclamations (in Spanish) like "Hey,
that's great!", "the Count is so handsome!"
"That's a good story!" And I felt sorry for
them.
Sorry because the fascinating and
true story of that jewel of universal literature will
remain forgotten by youngsters and adults in a country
that does not read - like Mexico. If they liked that
garbage, they would surely be captivated by the original
story …if they ever got to read it.
We know that film productions never
achieve the most faithful adaptation of a book's content,
but what they did to that story is unspeakable. The
only thing it had in common with the book was the names
of the characters. As far as the rest goes, they reached
truly gratuitous points. In the novel, the Count of
Montecristo set up his vengeance through subtle maneuvers
that required ingenuity and creativity. In the movie,
the villains fell easily and without much ado.
What is most upsetting is that those
stories created by genius are forgotten. What a pity
that Mexicans do not read, that youngsters do not read
and are fascinated with garbage like this. Are there
exceptions out there?
analuz@pvmirror.com
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