Era of Independence
Lucia:
This
film sets the historical context of this era primarily by the clothing and
scenery. The women are mainly dressed in European style clothing and are
covered from head to toe at all times of the day. The only woman who isn’t
dressed in this same style is Fernandina, who is dressed in rags. The scenery
is filled with large homes and is mostly populated by wealthy, white, women
because the men are off fighting battles. The women spend their time in church
and sewing hammocks and other similar items for the men at war.
Still from Lucia, 1969
Image courtesy of New Yorker Film
This picture shows the difference between the two lifestyles
and clothing of the women.
This still of the movie shows the style of the large house
that Lucia lives in.
This portion of the film, which is highly melodramatic, creates
a stark difference between what occurs inside and outside of the wealthy
households. When the women are gossiping about what caused Fernandina to go
insane the camera angles and music changes drastically to emphasize the
differences between the two worlds. The wealthy women are sheltered and safe in
the space that was made for them, and they never wish for anything more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbV_b-WzqSI
At 5:10 in this clip shows the different filming styles used to portray the very different worlds the two classes of women come from.
This
Lucia values love and familial relationships. Over the course of the film her
focus is shifted to only Rafael. She modifies her opinions about the war and is
no longer as open about them as she once was. She eventually unknowingly gives
away the position of Felipe and the other independence supporters, who were
hiding at the cafetal, which leads to Felipe’s death. Lucia is so shaken over
her betrayal of her brother that she stabs Rafael out of grief and anger,
essentially aligning herself with the Cuban aristocracy’s side of the war.
This part of the film seems to set
a tone for the other two parts in regards to gender roles and the treatment of
women. For Fernandina the world is a scary place. She is maltreated by
everyone. The intent of this is to show the conditions for women, especially
those without money or status. Another
intent of this portion of the film is to show Cuban nationalism and represent
the history of their independence.
Communist
Construction Era Lucia:
This
portion of the film uses clothing, settings and scenery to depict historical
context. This Lucia is a hard-working, pants-wearing, sexual woman. She goes to
work every day with truckloads of other women in the fields that surround her
home. She knows how to do many different jobs and is extremely independent. The
small shacks that everyone lives in are the exact opposite of the massive homes
that were featured in the era of independence. The parties held in the town are
filled with liqueur and cigars and the families are getting ready to open their
homes to literacy teachers. The Regional Committee for the Defense of the
Revolution meetings are led by people of African descent, which would have been
unheard of in the independence era.
This picture features one of the Regional Committee for the Defense of the Revolution meetings held in the town. You can see that the meeting is being led by Flavio, a man of African descent.
Lucia
represents hard work and determination, while Tomas represents old ways and
traditions. While both are highly
motivated to work, Tomas is extremely traditional (and abusive) and insists
that Lucia remain in the house with the windows and doors shut. This drives
Lucia crazy and eventually. her need to work wins out over her love for Tomas.
In this slapstick comedy portion of the film Lucia and Tomas have an epic
argument and chase scene and it is unclear what the final outcome of the major
disagreement is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeR8sWv06QU
Beginning at 6:00 minutes this clip depicts how jealous and old fashioned Tomas is. He is enraged over the site of his new wife dancing with another man, and starts a fight.
The
intent of this portion of the film is to show how far gender biases have come
and the evolution of social classes. Tomas represents the old ways of Cuban
history. Flavio states near the end of the film that women are no longer treaded
the way he treats Lucia and that he should allow her to work and earn her
share. This portion of the film also highlights the importance of all the jobs
done by rule workers, and how important they are to Cuba as a whole. All the
people working hard in this part of the film seem much happier with themselves
and their lives than those in the independence era. The creators even ended the
film with a laughing child to represent the hope for new generations.
I
believe that Lucia was a good film,
although intent and message of the film were biased.
References
Lucia Powerpoint
Barbara Weinstein, “Lucía: Inventing Women’s History on Film” in Based on a True Story Latin American History at the Movies
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