On Tue, 23 Apr 2002 17:49:44 -0700, Devine, James wrote: >speaking of Argentina, pen-pals may enjoy the >recent movie from Argentina, "The Nine Queens" >(in Spanish, with subtitles). >It's an interesting film about con artists, >including some mild social commentary. One thing >is how much Buenos Aires looks like a North >American city... JD
Four Recent Films from Argentina In the opening scene of Fabian Bielinski's "Nine Queens," Juan (Gaston Pauls), a young conman, has been caught in the act at a Buenos Aires convenience store. Just as the proprietor is about to call the cops, a shopper announces that there is no need to call the cops since he, a plainclothesman, has been tracking the conman for some time and will now deliver him to the police station personally. As soon as the two leave the store, we discover that the "cop" is really a fellow con artist named Marcos (Ricardo Darin), who, when happening on the encounter, decides to rescue a comrade. As the two stroll down the streets of Buenos Aires, we soon discover that Marcos intends to take the greenhorn under his wings and train him in the finer arts of swindling. With some reluctance, Juan decides to apprentice himself. Mostly, what bothers him is the utter amorality of the teacher who is not above conning members of his own family, including his beautiful sister who works at a downtown luxury hotel and who despises him. It is at this hotel where the house-of-mirrors plot of "Nine Queens" unfolds. There, a wealthy guest becomes the target of an elaborate "sting" concocted by the two. It involves the sale of very rare postage stamps--the nine queens--and the high-stakes measures necessary to convince the buyer that they are real. Ultimately, "Nine Queens" is less about plot than it is about character. The fresh-faced Juan is relatively guileless in comparison to the demonic-looking Marcos. As they sit down to plan out their various scams, the apprentice keeps threatening to break things off and return to his less ambitious--but more innocent--ways. Suffice it to say that the audience is being "stung" as the film progresses toward its unexpected climax. As in Herman Melville's "Confidence Man," none of the characters is really as they appear, especially the apprentice. Nor are the various events that move the plot along, including a bank failure. Whether or not, Argentineans regarded this witty film as a commentary on their own society is difficult to say. In a country in which theft is sanctioned at the highest level of government, we must allow for that possibility. http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/culture.htm -- Louis Proyect, [EMAIL PROTECTED] on 04/23/2002 Marxism list: http://www.marxmail.org
