El Norte

Genre: social drama

With: David Villalpando (Enrique Xuncax), Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez (Rosa or Rosita, his sister), Ernesto Gómez Cruz (Arturo, their father), Alicia del Lago (Lupe, their mother), Stella Quan (Josefita), Abel Franco (Raimundo), Trinidad Silva (Monte), Lupe Ontiveros (Nacha), Tony Plana (Carlos), Enrique Castillo (Jorge), Jo Marie Ward (Helen Rogers), Diane Civita (Alice Harper)

Director: Gregory Nava

Screenplay: Gregory Nava (story); Anna Thomas (writer)

Release: 1983

Studio: American Playhouse, Channel Four Films, Independent Productions, Island Alive, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10





‟The train only comes by once and this is it for you.”





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Story-line: when their father, a labourer, is targeted by the military because of his stand against poverty and exploitation, Enrique and Rosita flee Guatemala and head north to seek a better life in the United States.

Pluses: excellent performances by David Villalpando, Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, Lupe Ontiveros and a very credible cast, a mature, realistic and touching screenplay, fine direction and production values, beautiful cinematography by James Glennon, lovely music (Los Folkloristas) and appropriate costumes (designed by Hilary Wright).

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: with its sympathetic characters and sincere story about courage in spite of life’s brutality, EL NORTE is one of cinema’s smaller wonders and a very important social statement about refugees. In every aspect of their adventures, Enrique and Rosita are driven by the fear of repression, the pursuit of happiness and their will to survive. Gregory Nava’s film stands as a topical and worthy addition to any movie buff’s list of treasurable movies.





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Vanity Fair

Genre: period drama

With: Reese Witherspoon (Becky Sharp), Romola Garai (Amelia Sedley), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (George Osborne), Bob Hoskins (Sir Pitt Crawley), Eileen Atkins (Miss Matilda Crawley), James Purefoy (Rawdon Crawley), Douglas Hodge (Pitt Crawley), Jim Broadbent (Mr. Osborne), Gabriel Byrne (Marquess of Steyne) Rhys Ifans (William Dobbin)

Director: Mira Nair

Screenplay: Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet and Julian Fellowes (from a novel by William Thackeray, 1848)

Release: 2004

Studio: Focus Features, Tempesta Films, Granada Film Productions et al.

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.1/10





The Social Ladder and How to Climb It





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Story-line: London, the early 1800s. Becky, an orphaned girl of modest means, finds work as a governess and is noticed by several in good society.

Pluses: a splendid cast led by Reese Witherspoon as the plucky and ambitious Becky, Bob Hoskins (the delightfully vulgar Sir Pitt), Eileen Atkins and a magnetic James Purefoy, a solid, multi-character screenplay based on a classic piece of literature, one truly electric love scene, large-scale production values, beautiful cinematography and a satisfying ending.

Minuses: the pacing is a bit slow but unavoidably so, considering the many twists and turns in the story.

Comments: when you think about it, Becky Sharp has a lot in common with Scarlett O’Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND. Some critics have panned VANITY FAIR, calling it a regrettable mix of satire and romance and claiming that Reese Witherspoon lacked gravitas but I respectfully disagree on both counts; not all American actresses can manage British roles and, in this case, Reese Witherspoon does so with undeniable flair. Fear not… you will be thoroughly entertained by VANITY FAIR with its many surprises, romantic entanglements and engaging characters.





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