Review: TANGO
Starring: Miguel Angel Sola, Cecilia Narova,
Mia Maestro, Juan Carlos Copes
Juan Luis Galiardo
Directed by: Carlos Saura
Review by: Joy Wyse, the SILVER Screen Critic
This is a foreign language film, with subtitles. That doesn't matter at all. You could enjoy this movie just by listening to the music. The name Lalo Schifrin is synonymous with wonderful music. Add the tango to it and you have a mesmerizing combination. The world-renowned cinematographer Vittorio Storaro [Apocalypse Now] has centered on various close-ups of feet, the piano, etc. The color is vivid. Everything about the movie is great - except for the story.
There are so many things going on that the plot is impossible to follow. It jumps from real life, to imagination, to memories, to history, and back and forth. Miguel Angel Sola portrays Mario Saurez, a director who walks with a cane. We're never certain whether the leg injury is permanent or not. Cecilia Narova is Laura Fuentes, a dancer who was either his wife, his girlfriend, or his dancing partner. She is lovely and is a fabulous dancer, especially when she is with Juan Carlos Copes who portrays Carlos Nebbia, an older dancer who continues to do what he loves…the Tango.
Mia Maestro is cast as the new young dancer, Elena Flores, a `friend' of Mario's investor, Angelo Larroca [Juan Luis Galiardo] who convinces Mario to give the girl a chance. He gives her more than that! They have some fairly torrid love scenes despite the danger that they face if Angelo discovers their affair. Again, even that is confusing. He imagines things, and some things actually occur. It's just impossible to know which is which. Luckily, most of these scenes are done in dance, the Tango. This is more like a ballet or an opera than a movie with music and dancing. It's beautiful. I wouldn't mind seeing it again, but I know that I want to get the CD of the music. I give it a B.
SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES.
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