Miss Mary

Set in 1938 pre-peronist Argentina, the film tells the story of an English governess, Miss Mary (Julie Christie), and her experiences while caring for three children at an Estancia (ranch) of a wealthy, aristocratic landowner. The isolated location and hermetic existence of the family leads Miss Mary into a liaison with the eldest boy, who has fallen in love with her. This serious indiscretion on her part has lasting repercussions among members of the family.

Starring: Julie Christie, Sofia Viruboff, Donald Mc Intire, Barbara Bunge, among others. Directed by: Maria Luisa Bemberg.

I recommend this movie for people that wanna know how was the way of life of people who lived in the argentinian field (estancias), through an intense part of our history. It is interesting to see how aristocratic argentine people was educated in european cultures, in this film you will see that the governess only talked to the children of the main family in english.

Another language that was frequently learned in the upper class was French.
You will find a little “slow” the timing in this film, but do not forget that was filmed in 1986!
I hope you like it.

The Mission - "La Misión"

The movie is set during the Jesuit Reductions, a programme by which Jesuit missionaries set up missions independent of the Spanish state to teach christianity to the native, in this case, particularly the Guarani indians community .

It tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), who enters the South American jungle to build a mission to convert a community of Guarani Indians to Christianity.
He is later joined by a reformed Portuguese mercenary, Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), who sees the Jesuit mission as a sanctuary and a place of forgiveness for his murder of his brother.
The mission, which was once under Spanish protection, has been handed over to the Portuguese while the Vatican (represented by Papal emissary Alta Mirano) has ordered the Jesuits to withdraw from the territory above the falls.
Eventually, a combined Spanish and Portuguese force attacks the mission, failing to see the simple life of the Guarani as anything but threatening (contrary to Father Gabriel and Mendoza).

This movie was filmed at the Iguazú Falls (1986), Misiones Province. You can also visit at that province, the ruins of San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa María la Mayor which lie at the heart of a tropical forest. They are the impressive remains of five Jesuit missions, built in the land of the Guaranis during the 17th and 18th centuries. Each is characterized by a specific layout and a different state of conservation.

The Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis in Argentina and Brazil (1983-1984) were declared as World Heritage by UNESCO, considering as having outstanding universal value.

Movies are culture

Movies promote culture in every sense of the word (besides of course, of books). They show how a culture lives, eats, get dressed, their insiders codes, and also they are a way to criticize or promote a way of thinking.... Sometimes you can learn some history, facts or a non reveled situation that maybe will make you think a little more about it... could this had happened? I´ve heard it sometimes, but off the record...
The "Movies" label is to suggest movies that illustrates native and argentine culture. How was our way of living (and sometimes still is), to understand and enjoy argentine history and culture.
For Spanish language students, movies will help them to practice the language, and learn new lunfardo vocabulary.




Photo1: Miss Mary / Photo2: The Mission.