The two films screened in curator Margarita de la Vega-Hurtadoยs CINEMATHEQUE: Latin American ยThird Cinemaย program at Rice Universityยs Media Center are classic examples of agitprop filmmaking at its best and/or most blatant. Shot between 1966 and 1972, Chircales (Brickmakers), by noted Colombian filmmaker Marta Rodriguez, is a not-too-subtle indictment of socioeconomic injustice as we bear witness ย and thatยs what her camera etches so indelibly ย to the grueling poverty and degrading conditions of life for the Castaรฑeda family, straining to get by in the shantytown farms south of Bogotรก where they make bricks. The documentary is harsh, fierce, grubby and ineffably sad as the entire family struggles daily to survive, caught in a web of virtual slavery. (The Israelites had it easier in Egypt.)
The short Now (1965), by Santiago Alvarez, Cubaยs preeminent documentarian, is exactly what youยd expect from this ย60s filmmaker who glorified Castro. His trenchant view of U.S. race relations ย he ironically juxtaposes archival pix and footage of civil rights marches against a background score of Lena Horne singing protest lyrics to the tune of ยHava Nagilaย ย packs an expected wallop since itยs made entirely out of exclamation points. 7 p.m. 6100 Main. For information, call 713-348-3138 or visit www.ricecinema.rice.edu. Free.
Thu., Feb. 19, 7 p.m., 2009
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2009.
