El Estuche (The Case) 1998 – Aterciopelados

Posted on October 9, 2023 by observationblogger — 5 Comments
El estuche - Aterciopelados | HABLAMOS DE MÚSICA
Founding members of Aterciopelados (The Velvet Ones) – Andrea Echeverre & Héctor Buitrago

It is not a commandment to be the diva of the moment (wow)
Why work for a sculptural body?
Do you want to feel all eyes on you?
And trigger whistles when passing?

Look at the essence, not the appearances…
Look at the essence, not the appearances…
The body is just a case and the eyes are the window
 Of our soul imprisoned

(Oh! but) look at the essence, not the appearances…
Look at the essence, not the appearances…
90-60-90, adds up to two hundred and forty
Figures that should not be taken into account
—- (A crude English translation of the first 2 verses and 5th of El Estuche – ‘The Case’)

El Estuche (The Case) is the second song to feature here from Aterciopelados (The Velvet Ones) after their first entry Bolero Falaz which topped the 1000 most important songs of Colombian rock. Their music fuses rock with a variety of Colombian and Latin American musical traditions. Since the 1990’s they have soaked the radio waves in not just their home country Colombia, but México, España, Venezuela, Argentina and Chile. Aterciopelados have always held a special place in my heart because they are from my adopted home city – Bogotá.

A blogger friend Manuel from Venezuela wrote the following about Aterciopelados:

Without a doubt, Los Aterciopelados marked the beginning of rock in Latin America with their own style and worldwide recognition. They were regular visitors to Venezuela because of the proximity and since their songs were popular. Andrea, the singer also had success as a solo artist, winning Grammys on several occasions.

El Estuche (The Case) comes from Colombian rock duo’s fourth studio album Caribe Atómico released in 1998. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Performance in 1999.

In 2001, Aterciopelados was recognized by the writers of Time magazine as one of the top 10 contemporary global bands (outside of the United States), which included U2 and the Rolling Stones. In 2006, the magazine wrote that “Aterciopelados’s true skill lies in its ability to take north-of-the-border musical styles … and breathe new life into them, all while giving them a distinctly Colombian sheen.”

Jessica Duque commented about El Estuche (The Case):

I love this song, I am a person with a disability, and I always represent myself in this song, look at the essence not the appearances, I am a woman with a lot of courage.

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Growing Pains (2022) – Tough on Fridays

Posted on October 8, 2023 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

Yesterday, I travelled early to my children’s school for their festival of dances. On the Transmilenio (a bus rapid transit system that serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia), I plugged the earphones in and put the Music collection on autopilot. Out came today’s featured track Growing Pains by Tough on Fridays. I loved it and heard it a few more times on the trip. I was perplexed how it hadn’t already featured here. The guitar strum which gathers momentum in Growing Pains and maintains its grip is akin to Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under, but the vibe is a more equable and sensitised here. Also consider this: Seventeen Going Under has 30 million views on YT whilst Growing Pains 30 views. Yes, you did read that correctly.

After doing some digging, I realised I first heard Growing Pains on Jeff’s web site, so I’ll turn this article over to him as a gesture of my appreciation.

I enjoy discovering and supporting indie artists and bands, so I write reviews of their music or articles about them to help promote them to a wider audience – Eclectic Music Lover

Hailing from Georgetown, Texas, not far from Austin, grunge pop-rock trio Tough on Fridays have been on an upward trajectory since forming in 2017. Now consisting of Caleigh Oceguera on vocals & guitar, Carly Fairchild on bass & vocals, and Chris Schreck on drums, they’ve garnered an enormous base of loyal fans through their memorable music, relatable lyrics and high-energy live shows. Blending elements of indie, alt-rock, pop and grunge, they create their own unique style of edgy rock ‘n roll. Since 2017, they’ve released numerous singles and EPs, which culminated in the release of their outstanding debut album A Fantastic Way to Kill Some Time, in September 2020 (my review has been viewed more than 1,100 times, making it the fourth most-viewed album review I’ve written.)

In the two years since, they’ve released several singles, the latest of which is “Growing Pains“, which dropped August 15th. The song has a pleasing folk-rock vibe, highlighted by Caleigh’s lovely strummed guitar work, while Carly and Chris keep the lively rhythm on their bass and drums. The subtle piano keys are a nice touch, adding to the song’s melodic sound. Caleigh’s slightly echoed vocals have a vulnerable quality, providing a rather melancholy undercurrent to the track as she plaintively sings the lyrics directed to a former loved one that she’s moving on from the relationship: “Growing pains. Sick of hearing how I’ve changed. Cause I’ve outgrown you, I don’t need you. Cause I’m pulling all your weight. Done cleaning up the mess you’ve made. You always made./ Am I bitter? Just feeling better.” It’s a wonderful, beautifully-crafted and masterfully-arranged track that nicely showcases Tough on Fridays’ continued growth and musical maturity.

References:
1. Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 18 – Black Bear Kiss, The Metal Byrds, Tough on Fridays – Eclectic Music Lover

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Double Dare (1980) – Bauhaus

Posted on October 7, 2023 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

‘This song is a challenge to be true to yourself and your ideas’ – Don’t cower in night fright

‘Daring fake politicians to actually act like real people instead of the conservative little muppets they can be’ – In the void they stare, they never, they never dared to dare

– Double Dare – Song Meanings

I like the eerie, distorted sound, and strange vocals of Double Dare. It’s wonderfully atmospheric and dramatic. I love how unhinged it is. In a gothic sense it could transpose as a warning of the darkness which will envelope if cowardice and mass hypnosis of a mainstream narrative is left to unfurl causing senseless harm to the most vulnerable and hysteria in the broader population – When gutless leaders in the Mainstream (Government, Press and Multinationals) are left to exert unprecedented power and control through their unrelenting campaign of fear without opposition.

I dare you to be real
To touch
To touch a flickering flame
The pangs
The pangs of dark delight
Don’t cower
Don’t cower in night fright

Don’t back away just yet
From destinations set
I dare you to be proud
To dare to shout aloud
For convictions that you feel
Like sound from bells to peal

I dare you to despise
Bureaucracy and all its lies
In the void
In the void they stare
They never
They never dared to dare

I dare
I dare
I dare you

Double Dare was released as the first song from the British Gothic rock band Bauhaus‘s debut album In the Flat Field. Known for their dark image and gloomy sound, Bauhaus are one of the pioneers of gothic rock, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia, and funk.

Following a 30-date tour, Bauhaus went to Southern Studios in London to record their first album. The band had a clear conception of how they wanted the record to sound; hence, they opted to produce it themselves. While most of the album was completed with the planned release date of September 1980, the group found it difficult to record a version of Double Dare as good as the one they performed on disc jockey John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 programme. Bauhaus applied to the BBC to use the Peel session version, but due to obstruction from the Musicians Union, the process took over a month.

The album was met with a negative response from critics, but topped the UK Independent Albums Chart and made the UK Albums Chart for one week, peaking at No. 72.

References:
1. In the Flat Field – Wikipedia
2. Double Dare – SongMeanings

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All The President’s Men (1976) – Alan J. Pakula (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on October 6, 2023 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

Ben Bradlee: You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a shit. You guys are probably pretty tired, right? Well, you should be. Go on home, get a nice hot bath. Rest up… 15 minutes. Then get your asses back in gear. We’re under a lot of pressure, you know, and you put us there. Nothing’s riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys fuck up again, I’m going to get mad. Goodnight.

All the President’s Men is is one of the slowest burn political dramas I have ever seen and it doesn’t even have a significant pay off since it only covers the first seven months of the Watergate scandal; from the time of the break-in to Nixon’s second inauguration on January 20, 1973. I don’t know how many times I revisited it in my early adulthood trying to put all the jigsaw pieces together as if it were a whodunit detective story. I agree with Roger Ebert who wrote: ‘It provides the most observant study of working journalists we’re ever likely to see in a feature film‘.

All the President’s Men is based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists investigating the scandal for The Washington Post.  In 2010, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Frank Wills, the security guard who, in 1972, discovered the break-in at the Watergate complex, played himself. He had been fired from his Watergate job a few days after the break-in, although no reason was given for this. The one day he spent (in 1975) playing himself in this movie was his first day’s work since that had happened. As for the aftermath, Wills found himself unemployable as security guard due to his act and he lived in extreme poverty until his death on September 2000 from a brain tumor.

IMDB Storyline:

In the run-up to the 1972 elections, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward covers what seems to be a minor break-in at the Democratic Party National headquarters. He is surprised to find top lawyers already on the defense case, and the discovery of names and addresses of White House fund organizers on the accused further arouses his suspicions. The editor of the Post is prepared to run with the story and assigns Woodward and Carl Bernstein to it. They find the trail leading higher and higher in the White House.

Interesting Trivia from IMDB:

  • Nothing was allowed into the script unless it had been meticulously verified and confirmed by independent sources.
  • The two lead actors memorized each other’s lines so that they could interrupt each other in character. This unsettled a lot of the actors they were playing opposite, leading to a greater sense of authenticity.
  • Hoffman and Redford visited The Washington Post‘s offices for months, attending news conferences and conducting research for their roles. As the Post denied the production permission to shoot in its newsroom, set designers took measurements of the newspaper’s offices and took many photographs. Boxes of trash were gathered and transported to sets recreating the newsroom on two soundstages in Hollywood’s Burbank Studios at a cost of $200,000. The filmmakers went to great lengths for accuracy and authenticity, including making replicas of outdated phone books. Nearly 200 desks at $500 each were purchased from the same firm that had sold desks to the Post in 1971. 
  • While meeting with Carl Bernstein, Dustin Hoffman noticed that Bernstein smoked so much that there were traces of cigarette ash on all of his shirts and ties, so he made sure that was included in the movie, as well as the line directed at Bernstein, “Is there any place you don’t smoke?”

References:
1. All the President’s Men (film) – Wikipedia
2. All the President’s Men – IMDB

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Donna (1958) – Ritchie Valens

Posted on October 5, 2023 by observationblogger — 3 Comments

Donna first learned about Donna when Ritchie called her and told her that he wrote a song for her. He sang her the first part of Donna. She said: “of course I cried. It was just very, very touching. He didn’t tell me he was going to record it“.

Ritchie Valens had several hits, most notably La Bamba, which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens at just 17 years old transformed the song with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had an American number-two hit with today’s featured track Donna. He had a high-school sweetheart at school named Donna Ludwig to whom he dedicated the song.
I became familiar with this song where their romance was portrayed in the 1987 biopic – La Bamba.

Ritchie Valens was born Ritchie Valenzuela but after Bob Keane, a Del-Fi record label exec, discovered him he had Ritchie change his last name to make it more whitewash “radio friendly”.

I was attracted to him because he was such a nice man, er…I mean, because he was a nice boy. He didn’t swear. He didn’t get drunk.” When he left high school to pursue his music career, they decided to keep an open relationship, essentially. Whenever he’d be back in town, they’d get together. Donna told The Post that he would even allude to them getting married someday. Ludwig’s parents disapproved of her dating a Hispanic man.

Unfortunately, Ritchie never had the chance to propose. On Feb 2, 1959, 17-year-old Ritchie died in a plane crash (just eight months into his music career), along with Buddy Holly (who featured in our last music post) and J.P. The Big Bopper. Donna was only 16 when Ritchie died. Valens’ version was positioned at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart when Valens died. Three weeks after Valens’ death, the song peaked at No. 2. 

[Verse 1]
I had a girl
Donna was her name
Since she left me
I’ve never been the same

[Chorus]
‘Cause I love my girl
Donna, where can you be?
Where can you be?

[Verse 2]
Now, that you’re gone
I’m left all alone
All by myself
To wander and roam

[Chorus]
‘Cause I love my girl
Donna, where can you be?
Where can you be?

References:
1. Donna (Ritchie Valens song) – Wikipedia
2. Ritchie Valens and His High School Sweetheart Donna Have the Most Tragic Love Story – Distractify

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The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 43) – The Crusades, Zionism & Golda

Posted on October 4, 2023 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Christian Latin Church between 1000 and 1200 AD (medieval period) to retake land in the Middle East from Muslims. It was intended to conquer Jerusalem. Many drummed up support by using ‘in the name of Jesus Christ‘ as a rallying cry.

Zionism

Zionism is a nationalist movement that emerged in the 1880’s to espouse support for the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, a region roughly corresponding to the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition.

Golda Meir

Yesterday, I had the good fortune to see the above movie Golda starring Helen Mirren as Golda Meir.

Golda Meir was an Israeli politician who helped found the state of Israel in 1948 and later served as its 4th prime minister and first and only female head of Government. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 and died in Jerusalem,1978.

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Oh Boy! (1957) – Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Posted on October 3, 2023 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

If I was to go back to the dawning of it all, I guess I’d have to start with Buddy Holly. Buddy died when I was about eighteen and he was twenty-two. From the moment I first heard him, I felt akin. I felt related, like he was an older brother. I even thought I resembled him. Buddy played the music that I loved – the music I grew up on: country western, rock ‘n’ roll, and rhythm and blues. Three separate strands of music that he intertwined and infused into one genre. One brand. And Buddy wrote songs – songs that had beautiful melodies and imaginative verses. And he sang great – sang in more than a few voices. He was the archetype. Everything I wasn’t and wanted to be. I saw him only but once, and that was a few days before he was gone. I had to travel a hundred miles to get to see him play, and I wasn’t disappointed.

He was powerful and electrifying and had a commanding presence. I was only six feet away. He was mesmerizing. I watched his face, his hands, the way he tapped his foot, his big black glasses, the eyes behind the glasses, the way he held his guitar, the way he stood, his neat suit. Everything about him. He looked older than twenty-two. Something about him seemed permanent, and he filled me with conviction. Then, out of the blue, the most uncanny thing happened. He looked me right straight dead in the eye, and he transmitted something. Something I didn’t know what. And it gave me the chills.

The 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of Bob Dylan’s 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature speech

Last weekend the family and I were repeatedly bludgeoned with the first verse of Buddy Holly’s ‘Oh Boy!’. When my 8-year-old daughter Katherine first heard it, it was love at first listen. She tried to mimic Buddy, but it was an indecipherable, rambling mess. ‘Oh Boy!’ 😟

I told her, if you’re going to sing Buddy then get it right. So, we pulled apart each line until she understood its meaning in Spanish. The line Kathy-Path (my nickname for her) had the hardest time with was ‘You don’t know what you’ve been a-missing‘. But we broke it down on Sunday morning over a hearty Colombian breakfast and walk to the park until she nailed it. Even my son Jesus Mateo got in the act (see image inset).
Oh Boy! is the third song to appear here from Buddy Holly after his previous entry – Heartbeat.

[Chorus]
All of my love
All of my kissing
You don’t know what you’ve been a-missing
Oh boy (Oh boy), when you’re with me
Oh boy (Oh boy), the world can see
That you, were meant, for me

[Verse 1]
All of my life
I’ve been a-waiting
Tonight there’ll be no, hesitating
Oh boy (oh boy), when you’re with me
Oh boy (oh boy), the world can see
That you, were meant, for me
Stars appear and shadows are falling
You can hear my heart a-calling
A little bit a-loving makes everything right
I’m gonna see my baby tonight

[Chorus]
All of my love
All of my kissing
You don’t know what you’ve been a-missing
Oh boy (Oh boy), when you’re with me
Oh boy (Oh boy), the world can see
That you, were meant, for me

Most of the following are excerpts of the Wikipedia article below:

It was written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty. The song was included on the album The “Chirping” Crickets and was also released as the A-side of a single, with Not Fade Away as the B-side. The song peaked at number 10 on the US charts, number 3 on the UK charts in early 1958, and number 26 in Canada. The song was originally recorded as a demo by Sonny West and Petty presented West’s demo to Buddy Holly with the intention of Holly recording the song.

On the BBC’s Classic Albums series in 2019, West said, “I had a decision to make whether to say I want to do it myself and I said ‘No, I want Buddy to do it‘, it can’t hurt anything and if it didn’t work I could go back and do it myself someday.” It was subsequently recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets between June 29 and July 1, 1957, at Norman Petty Studios with Holly singing lead vocals.
I have presented below the original studio recording and Buddy’s live appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.

References:
1. Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song) – Buddy Holly

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25/9 – 1/10/23 Cake, Excess Deaths, A.I. Hitchens (on J.B Peterson) & The Goonies

Posted on October 2, 2023 by observationblogger — 13 Comments

Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.

This Poem is about Cake
Poem at Theodora Goss: Poems

If I didn’t care
what the world thought,
I would eat all the cake.

What cake?

I don’t know, any cake.
Every cake. All the cake ever.

But no, I mean what kind of cake
specifically?

Chocolate cake, made
of equal parts flour and cocoa, frosted
with chocolate ganache, as rich
as a miser. Or angel cake, held together
by whipped egg whites and prayer, topped
with glazed strawberries. Or maybe
lemon drizzle, just sour enough
for a summer afternoon in Virginia,
or one of those Viennese tortes
named after Hapsburg princes, with layers
of coffee cream and walnuts, studded
with history like a museum.
Or maybe even
wedding cake with piped icing roses,
like a moonlit garden. Or birthday cake,
or the cake we eat at funerals, mixed
from sad memories and pineapple chunks.
Or the cake my mother made
every Christmas.

I would eat it slowly,
slice by delicate slice, until I had eaten all of it.
And then I would start on the next one.

Isn’t that just a bit, I don’t know,
frivolous? You’d spend your entire life
eating cake.

Then let me start over again.
If I didn’t care what you think . . .

(The image is Strawberries and Cakes by John F. Francis.)

Excess Deaths Debate in Parliament
Video presentation by Dr John Campbell

A.I. Christopher Hitchens on Jordan Peterson
Audio presentation at Hallerd

“Excuse me Dr Peterson but i believe you have dropped your lobster”.

This video is an imagining of what Christopher Hitchens might say about Jordan Peterson. Everything is AI generated except for the photo. This video is a parody, using Christopher Hitchens’ recognized style for lighthearted pop culture commentary.

Reely Bernie Favs: The Goonies (1985)
Blog article at Reely Bernie

With the crisp coolness of fall in the air, I figured it was time to dig out my Goonies CD. (Not the amazing soundtrack with Cyndi Lauper, mind you, but the Dave Grusin film score.) Without a doubt, the “Fratelli Chase” scene is the most inspiring, uplifting film motif of my life. (You have heard it in many television commercials, I’m sure.) All my life, I have associated this disjunct, playful melody to the autumn season and a memory of me crossing the neighborhood creek with my best friend when we were kids. We would explore the places no one else would dare go, and this was the music that played in my head.

The Goonies celebrates 80s pop culture, embraces the energy and adventure of 13-year-old Oregonians, and captures the Spielbergian spirit of discovering the unknown. It was a babysitter standard and my coming-of-age companion.

news on the march the end
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I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (1967) – Nina Simone

Posted on September 30, 2023 by observationblogger — 11 Comments

Nina Simone. I used to cross paths with her in New York City in the Village Gate nightclub. She was an artist I definitely looked up to. She recorded some of my songs that she learned directly from me, sitting in a dressing room. She was an overwhelming artist, piano player and singer. Very strong woman, very outspoken and dynamite to see perform. That she was recording my songs validated everything that I was about. Nina was the kind of artist that I loved and admired.
– Bob Dylan (Musicares Person of the Year 2015 Award)

If there was ever a song which exuded the sound the album title conveyed, then surely it must go to today’s featured track – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by the late-great Nina Simone. This widely played version of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement anthem was recorded by Nina Simone in 1967 on her Silk & Soul album. Her voice brings forth such a poignant representation of the words in this song.
I Wish I Knew was written by American musician Billy Taylor. Taylor’s original was recorded in 1963, and released on his Right Here, Right Now! album.

I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
I wish I could say all the things that I should say
Say ’em loud, say ’em clear
For the whole round world to hear

I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart
Remove all the bars that keep us apart
I wish you could know what it means to be me
Then you’d see and agree
That every man should be free

I wish I could give all I’m longing to give
I wish I could live like I’m longing to live
I wish I could do all the things that I can do
Though I’m way overdue, I’d be starting anew

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free is the second song to feature here from Nina Simone after her mesmerising Ain’t Got No, I Got Life (1968). My 2019 article doesn’t do that song the least bit of justice, but the one thing it does have going for it is Nick Cave’s account of Nina in two short videos. I consider both videos compulsory viewing for any contemporary music enthusiast.

The following was information was sourced from the 2nd Wikipedia article below:

Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.

The sixth of eight children born into a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where, despite a well received audition, she was denied admission, which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree.

References:
1. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free – Nina Simone – Wikipedia
2. Nina Simone – Wikipedia

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The Mission (1986) – Roland Joffé (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on September 29, 2023 by observationblogger — 20 Comments

My father had a penchant for classic cinema and as a boy he would introduce me to movies that mostly went over my head and coerced me to sleep (which perhaps was ‘his mission’ all along).
Citizen Kane, Casablanca, All The President’s Men (←most likely next week’s featured movie) and today’s featured film The Mission were four such movies. Regarding Kane, I normally made it to the snow scene: “what the kid needs is a good thrashing.” and Mrs. Kane responding, “That’s why he’s going to be brought up where you can’t get at him.” before drifting off. With age came maturity and a shrinking sleep window. I began to appreciate these movies and understood why he sat me down to watch them.

The Mission is shown regularly on the Film & Arts channel here. It is a British period drama film about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America. It won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for seven Academy awards. The Mission presents Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson in their formative acting phase before going onto bigger things (in the commercial and mainstream sense) as sole protagonists. Regarding Robert De Niro he was already well established and credentialled in Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Interestingly, the director of those two movies and De Niro’s sidekick – Martin Scorsese went onto to do a film comparable to The Mission story and history of the Jesuits with his – The Silence (2016).

IMDB Storyline:

The film is set during the Jesuit Reductions, a program by which Jesuit missionaries set up missions independent of the Spanish state to teach Christianity to the natives. It tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), who enters the South American jungle to build a mission and convert a community of Guaraní Indians to Christianity.

My favourite movie starring Jeremy Irons is the scantily recognised Waterland (1992) which featured here at ‘Friday’s Finest‘ in October 2019. The Mission is another where Irons is left to strut his stuff. To me, he is a bit like Anthony Hopkins in that regard. If he is well cast and switched on, there are few actors who can match him, but if he is miscast like I think DeNiro is here in The Mission then mediocrity can rear its ugly head. I saw some scenes from The Mission recently as I was doing house chores, and I couldn’t help but feel that DeNiro’s performance was wooden and out of place in this. I might need to see it again (in its entirety) to make a fairer assessment.

The following contains extracts from Wikipedia article below:

The Mission is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. A significant subtext is the impending suppression of the Jesuits, of which Father Gabriel is warned by the film’s narrator, Cardinal Altamirano, who was once himself a Jesuit. The film’s climax is the Guaraní War of 1754–1756, during which historical Guaraní defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid. For the film, a re-creation was made of one of the seven missions, São Miguel das Missões. The traditional range of the Guarani people is in what is now Paraguay between the Paraná River and lower Paraguay River, the Misiones Province of Argentina, southern Brazil once as far east as Rio de Janeiro, and parts of Uruguay and Bolivia.

Interesting Trivia from IMDB:

  • Robert De Niro was one of the few who did not became ill with amoebic dysentery.
  • Many of the people who played the natives were indigenous South Americans who spoke little English. They were given free reign to say whatever lines they wanted. According to popular rumor, they are cursing up a storm in a few scenes.
  • The film was released four years after its uncredited source book “The Lost Cities of Paraguay” by Father C. J. McNaspy was published. McNaspy also acted as a historical consultant to the film, which was loosely based on McNaspy’s work.

References:
1. The Mission – Wikipedia
2. The Mission – IMDB

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