Film Review: "Cry Freedom"

1.- Who was your favorite character from the film? Why?

I liked a lot Steve Biko. He is a character you can really feel and cheer for him. He was very clever and his speeches were really interesting, he had a kind of "wise aura" that felt similar to Mandela's. I also liked the character of Donald Woods, cause I think it's interesting watch how they put in the movies the perspective of the "white men", and I think this version it's a more balanced one.

2.- What was your favorite scen from the film? Why?

I think my favorite scene was the trial. It felt like a deja vu, of Mandela's trial in "Long Walk To Freedom", and as in that movie, it felt enormous emotional and touching. Because when they're defending themselves, they are also defending their causes and showing the judge (and therefore the south african people) all what's wrong with the apartheid. I think when revolutionaries are  ready to die for their ideals, the struggle appears stronger than ever.

3.- How does the film differ from the other films? Use the article from The Guardian to help you.

It was a relieve not to see much of the ANC in this movie hahaha, It's not that I didn't like their purpose, but it was only one side of the revolutionaries. In this film we get to know more of other parties we didn't see (much) in the other films. As the article says: "The ANC government has been criticised for claiming too much credit for South Africa's struggle history and neglecting figures such as Biko". It's really interesting to know more about the apartheid struggle and realize that the ANC wasn't the only party fighting back and that Mandela wasn't the only leader who planted inspiration in the people.

Film Review: "Catch a Fire"

1.- In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

To be honest, I didnt like much this film. I like the Patrick Chamusso's story, but I dont think this film was good enough to tell us that story. I think that  the script was over simplified, worried to tell us the story step by step, but dont try to surprise us. I didn't like the cinematography, it felt a little disorganized, and I think the film was over musicalized. And what more upseted me, was the film editing. It was to weird, almost randomly.


2.-Who was the character you like the most and the character you liked the least in the film?

The character I liked the most was Chamusso. I really like his story, I just feel the movie didn't do a great job portraying it. Chamusso had a great character development, and show us the change of mentality of many south africans who joined the fight against the apartheid. He's not a fighter, he becomes one. And that the interesting in the movie, the transofrmation into something that helps this revolution. And I dont know if there is a character I liked the least, but besides the actors behind Chamusso and NIc Vos, I didnt like much the performance of the other characters.


3.- What was the rolf of Samor Machel, the FRELIMO, and revolutionary mozambique in the struggle against the South African apartheid? Use examples of the film and the biography of Samora Machel.

Machel and the FRELIMO were a big support to the South African revolution, because they landed a hand to the south african revolutionaries, even trained some of them, in order to form better revolutionaries focus and fight back the racism in his country. The war against the apartheid needed allies, and they were some of them.

Film Review: Goodbye Bafana

1.- In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

I really liked this film. I dont know how faithful is to the real story, due to the complexity to understand the relationship between Mandela and Gregory now they're gone, but I liked to see this side of the story. I think the acting were great too, Joseph Fieness as James Gregory really achieved to show the internal struggle, this fight with himeslf and the doubt about what is right and what is not. 

Maybe the only thing I didn't like much about the film, was how the flashbacks were used. They showed an essential moment to James Gregory, but I think they didnt have the emotional impact it could have had.


2.- Who was the chracater you liked the most and the character you liked the least in the film? Why?

I think the character I liked the most is Mandela, but because Mandela is such a good character hahaha. I like wise characters, and Mandela seems to know everything about everything in every moment. It's interesting to see his time in prision more in detail and from a perspective of a "third person" and not being the protagonist.

The character I liked the least was Gloria. She was so superficial and cared so much about what the other people thought, added to the despicable of her sight of the black people. But I really hated her indefference to think about the problem; she didnt medidate or anything, she just hated the black people and this was normal to her, so she even tried to make her children thought the same way.


3.- How do de versions of James Gregory, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela compare between Goodbye Bafana and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom?

Starting with James Greogry, we get to see a lot more of him in this movie. In Long Walk to Freedom, he is such a secondary character that I would never had imagine he could be someone that important in Mandela's life. Though again, maybe he wasn't, but we don't know. 
I think the essence of the character of Nelson Mandela doesn't change much between one film to another, but I liked more the acting in Long Walk to Freedom, but well, is Idris Elba we're talking about. Also, in that movie we get to see a more intimate side of Mandela we don't see in this film. 
Finally, Winnie Mandela change a lot between the films, principally because in Goodbye Bafana we barely see her, just in a couple scenes and all of them in function to tell something about Nelson or James Gregory. In Long Walk to Freedom this doesn't happen; Winnie is a character as important as Nelson and we see her as a completely independent woman, who ended up buliding her own revolution aside from her husband.

Film Review: Mandela Long Walk To Freedom

1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

I liked very much the quick progression of the movie, because we saw a big period in the life of Mandela, and the movie have a limited amount of time to show it, but I think it’s done perfectly. Only in the end, I think everything is more rushed, and maybe it isn't very clear in terms of script (the part of the end of the apartheid and the ascension to power of Mandela)

2. In your own words, how would you compare the "various Mandelas;" the ones from the article and the one from the film?

I didn’t knew much about Mandela to be honest, so I did like to get to know his story better through the film, but after reading the article, I searched for more information upon this “myth” of Nelson Mandela, and realized that not everything was like shown in the film. I think the other Mandela, the “revolutionary one” it's a figure created mainly by south africans, and the other, the “myth” and the figure of Mandela as a benevolent and merciful idol, was conceived based on how the other countries perceived the South Africa situation.

3. What was the role that Winnie Mandela played in the film? Think about the contrast between her and the other ANC members.

Winnie Mandela had a big evolution through the years. She started supporting in everything her husband did it, but after he is taken to prison(and later so did she), she starts to “lead” the people who requested his aid, and gradually turning into a revolutionary with more violent ideals. Other ANC members wanted the same that Winnie, but did not share his way to get things done, because she was getting more and more radical, and even ended up killing her own people for the crimes of snitching.

4. How do you compare the role of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress in the struggle against the apartheid and in the post-apartheid South Africa to the Concertación and their role in the struggle against Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and in post-dictatorial Chile?

There is a similar situation, between the cases of the end of apartheid in South Africa and the end of the dictatorship in Chile, in the way that the transition was made, but also, in how in neither of the cases the situation got any better. Both countries ended up having a neoliberal system, much of the injustices committed during apartheid and dictatorship were never brought to justice, and both political parties were heavily criticized for not achieving on improve the national situation.

Jamaica Arise: The 75 Year History of the PNP (1938-2013)

Guidelines: Questions 1-4 will be answered in two paragraphs (3-5 sentences) and question 5 only needs to be answered in one paragraph. You can use examples from other materiales to help you (films and texts from class)

1. What was the role that the People's National Party (PNP) played in the anti-colonial struggle?

The People’s National Party was born in 1938, in a period of time when Jamaica was still oppressed by the colonists, almost treating the common people as slaves, so they stood up to do something. Following the example of Marcus Garvey and his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), the PNP wanted to create a better Jamaica, where everyone could live without any kind of oppression and abuse.

The PNP was a democratic political party who showed an anti-colonialist way to do things, so still in the actually is a party whose model is an example to the world to fight the fascist ways to rule a country.

2. What was/is the role of women throughout the 75 years of the PNP? (Give at least 3 examples)

The 1970’s were an important decade for women’s fight for his rights. Matching the third wave of feminism, in Jamaica were approved two laws or acts: the “Equal Pay for Men and Women Act” (1975) and the “Maternity Leave Act” (1979). So, together with this changes in the statues of the country, many women began to take important part in this changes and become important figures in many areas.

Beverly Manley Duncan was the first lady when Michael Manley was prime minister, and took that opportunity to do activism for women's rights and achieve a gender equality. Other important women are Valerie Mcneill, founder of the PNP Women’s Movement (alongside Beverly) and more recently, Portia Simpson-Miller, who became prime minister of the country, and president of the People National Party, fighting for women and minorities rights in both charges.

3. How did the implementation of democratic socialism affect the Jamaican people?

Jamaican people were kind of divided (maybe not in the same proportions) as is usual when there are two big ideologies. The Jamaican socialism wasn't communism, but where often mistakenly with it. It is true that the socialismo brinded many improvements in a lot of areas: education, economy, health, jobs, among others. But I think the people had fear of seen his country became communist and everything that implied being a communist country in those years, mostly having some other countries not wanting anything with them, specially the US.

4. How does the PNP justify privatization and its role in creating a path of neoliberal reforms in Jamaica?

They said it was necessary. They had to deal with the inflation, deficient budget and the changing currency. Jamaica had to leave that crisis behind, and be able to end that economic recession. So they had to privatize some things, but were able to return to an stable economy after that.

5. How do you compare the role of PNP in the film, Ghett'a Life (Lenny Thompson, Derrick's Father) versus the documentary?

I think in Ghett’a Life we can see the dirty side of the PNP. They wanted to please the mafia, there is a little bit of corruption, they were not concerned really about the people, if not in what they could earn of them. But in the documentary, we can see a little more; of course is not a perfect and completely clean organization, as every political party, but we can understand a little more of the political history of Jamaica, unlike in the film, where we only see what is useful to the story, given that is a fiction.

"Ghett'a Life" Film Review

1. Who was your favorite character (s) from the film? Why?

My favorite character from the film was Big Toe. I mean, he is like the definition of best friend. He was always covering Derrick in order to help him achieving his dream, even when it was a dangerous thing to do because of the pression of the dons and the gangs. He also helped Dawn when she was injured, and even when Derrick was mad at him, he still supported his friend.

2. How does the film compare to the other Jamaican films from the 70s? (Besides visual effects, think about the plot and character development).

I think this film is more rich in its characters and its development. In the other movies, the main character was the most important and all the other characters were almost incidentals. Many of the characters of the others movies just appeared in a pair of scenes and had zero development. Derrick is the protagonist in this film, but I think there are a lot of characters more interestings and more developed than him. In the other had, I think the plot is way more understandable and legible, because in the other films it was a little confusing to keep up with the story.

3. How are woman portrayed in this film? Is it a little or big advancement compared to the films from the 1970's?

There is a pretty big advancement in the role of the woman in this film, compared to the other films we saw. Dawn Thompson was one of the main characters of the film. In fact the plot couldn't advance without his participation, unlike the other films in which the women played only secondary roles and weren’t very important for the development of the story. Dawn is a very relatable, charismatic and powerful character, a thing  we couldn't see in the other old jamaican films. The other female characters in the film are more like “this secondary characters”, but yet they are way more relatable and have much more participation compared to “The Harder They Come” and “Rockers”.

"The Pain Tree" Story Review

1. Who is your favorite character from the story and what kind of background do they come from? Why? (Use examples from Michelle Cliff's essay, If I Could Write This in Fire, I Would Write This in Fire)

I liked Larissa sooo much. I really did. She was a black working class woman who always stood up against life adversities, and I value that so much.I think in this story you can see much of the class or race divisions Michelle Cliff talked about in his essay. In fact, Lorraine-Larissa relationship was pretty similar to Zoe-Michelle's. But in this case, I really hated Lorraine for never saying to Larissa what she really think not only of her, but of the social system in which they lived.

2. Why do you think Lorraine’s mother mocks the workers that want independence from England?

Because she definitely don't want to lose all his privileges she obtained because of her inherited social position and his lighter skin. If Jamaica gets the independence, his life would never be as easy as it was back then; she didn't even care of the colonial oppression, because she had converted into an oppressor too.

3. What is a “pain tree” and how does it play a role in the story?

A pain tree is a tree in which Jamaican people hammer nails into it, in a metaphor to transfer their pain into the tree, and release all the suffering.

In the story, Larissa attend to this pain tree and Lorraine found out. The pain tree showed the difference between classes, because not all people suffer the same way; the pain tree was for oppressed people, and had a story about abusses, and Lorraine knew it at the moment his pain didn't leave her by hammering a nail into the tree, and had to wait several years to finally understand why she was in pain in the first place.

4. What is the meaning of the line “people like me would always inherit the land, but they were the ones who already possessed the Earth”?

I think Lorraine said that because the natives possessed the earth. And the conquerors steal those lands and distribute them between those who had their favor: the jamaican oppressors. And even when she didn't knew at first, Lorraine was an oppressor too, and that I have to recognize to her: She does an excellent auto critic about it, about how the same jamaicans  became oppressors, some in a passive way (like her) and other in an active way (like his mom), about how some of his own people had to suffer for years, and about how the colonialism destroyed the peaceful life his ancestors and all the “people who possessed the earth” had.