CABEZA DE VACA
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: The story of Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer shipwrecked off the coast of Florida in 1528, who performed the incredible feat of traveling (by foot) from Florida to the Pacific coast of Mexico, an eight year journey of hardship and adventure. The director put more emphasis on ethnographic details than on story-telling, and the film reflects this. An interesting film nonetheless.
Mexico (English subtitles), color, 1990, 112 minutes. Director/Writer: Nicolas Echeverria. Screenplay based on the book "Naufragios" by Alvar Nunez.
In 1528, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, the treasurer on a Spanish expedition to the New World, was shipwrecked on the coast of Florida, with several other men from the expedition. This began an eight-year journey, on foot (no horses in those days; horses were introduced later) across the new land of America, to the Pacific coast of Mexico. It's an incredible (true) story, although the film appears to have quite a bit of fiction mixed in with the facts.
The film begins with Cabeza de Vaca arriving in a Spanish settlement in Mexico. Then, thru a long flashback, the story unfolds. It begins with the shipwreck in Florida. The shipwrecked men find wooden trunks from their ship, amidst evidence of cannibalism. The men are attacked by Native American tribesmen, and Cabeza de Vaca becomes a slave to a shaman/sorcerer. Cabeza de Vaca views his fate in spiritual terms, and becomes something of a shaman himself. The shaman recognizes his spiritual power of healing, and sets Cabeza de Vaca free. The story continues as he heads west alone....
This is the first feature film by director Nicolas Echeverria, who is an ethnologist and has done a number of documentaries. His knowledge of Native American culture shows in the detailed, interesting view it provides of the Native American tribes that Cabeza de Vaca encounters. These are not the "Hollywood Indians" of old westerns, nor do these cultures resemble the DANCES WITH WOLVES images. Rather, it is a view of Native Americans before the influx of the white man. So, there are no horses (as horses were introduced by Europeans), and the Native Americans live in primitive hunting and gathering societies that are very close to the stone age in terms of technology.
I think the film is worth seeing for the view it gives of early Native American culture. However, the film has a number of flaws, some of which detract from the story. The film is the story of the outward journey of Cabeza de Vaca, and his inward journey as he becomes a faith healer of sorts. His interaction with Native American shamanism is the driving force in the story, and the story is not told very well. Some of the editing is abrupt, and there are huge gaps in the story. In one scene, Cabeza de Vaca is being set free in Florida; in the next scene he is walking in a snowstorm in what appears to be the West. Further, we see only 3 different tribes in his long journey across America.
One serious technical error deserves mention. In the scenes that are supposedly taking place in Florida, there are mountains in the background! As one who grew up in Florida, I can guarantee that there are positively no mountains in Florida. (The Florida scenes were filmed in a mangrove swamp, possibly in Yucatan).
Although the abrupt editing and faith healing subplot detract from the film, it is still worth seeing for the view of early (before the arrival of the Europeans) Native American cultures. The film is rather interesting, though I didn't find it to be very entertaining.
Distribution: The production credits for the film list a number of financial sources which suggest that the film will get wide distribution. These include American Playhouse Theatrical Films, implying an "art house" run in the U.S., possibly followed (2 years after theatrical release) by broadcast on PBS television stations in the U.S.; Channel 4 Television (England; possible television broadcast), Television Espana (Spain television), etc.
Print Source: Ventana Films; 2021 Rosilla Place; Los Angeles, CA 90046.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU .
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