The Books and the Night
An approach to Borges through the recreation of some of his works and the staging of various aspects of his thought and life. "This film... seeks to evoke the figure of Jorge Luis Borges and intern th…
The Books and the Night
An approach to Borges through the recreation of some of his works and the staging of various aspects of his thought and life. "This film... seeks to evoke the figure of Jorge Luis Borges and intern the viewer within the Borgean universe. It is not surprising that with such an ambitious premise you find practically nothing of what you are looking for. It is also likely to place more than one bystander in a state of near-lethal boredom.2 It is, at times, a successful recreation of the Borgean universe. A simple, shy, baroque Borges, who says he writes by symbols to keep himself hidden. A misanthropic Borges, whose destiny should be literary ... Bauer is encouraged to 3D animation wherever he needs it, as for example in the endless fall of his protagonist in the labyrinth of infinite time and space of a library ... Walter Santa Ana performs a memorable performance as old Borges. His good work does not lie in his concern for physical or gestural similarity, but in being able to transmit Borges's feelings and thoughts from his voice. There is no affection for the character or irreverence: it is as if they had put him in a machine to make documentaries. Hit the special effects without losing the intimate and conversational atmosphere shown throughout the film. Hit the right selection of stories and poetry by the writer. The approach to the life and work of a great writer has always been a very strong temptation for filmmakers as different in their styles as in their nationalities. The vast majority of the time, these films fail at a crucial point: transferring literary writing to cinematographic writing that accounts for the essence of the writer and his work. This film by Tristán Bauer (the director of "After the storm", "Cortázar" and "Evita, the grave without peace") seeks to evoke the figure of Jorge Luis Borges and take the viewer into the Borgean universe. It is not surprising that with such an ambitious premise you find practically nothing of what you are looking for. It is also likely to place more than one spectator in a state of near-lethal boredom.
The Books and the Night
Documentary
Film Details
An approach to Borges through the recreation of some of his works and the staging of various aspects of his thought and life. "This film... seeks to evoke the figure of Jorge Luis Borges and intern the viewer within the Borgean universe.
It is not surprising that with such an ambitious premise you find practically nothing of what you are looking for. It is also likely to place more than one bystander in a state of near-lethal boredom.2 It is, at times, a successful recreation of the Borgean universe. A simple, shy, baroque Borges, who says he writes by symbols to keep himself hidden.
A misanthropic Borges, whose destiny should be literary ... Bauer is encouraged to 3D animation wherever he needs it, as for example in the endless fall of his protagonist in the labyrinth of infinite time and space of a library ... Walter Santa Ana performs a memorable performance as old Borges.
His good work does not lie in his concern for physical or gestural similarity, but in being able to transmit Borges's feelings and thoughts from his voice. There is no affection for the character or irreverence: it is as if they had put him in a machine to make documentaries. Hit the special effects without losing the intimate and conversational atmosphere shown throughout the film.
Hit the right selection of stories and poetry by the writer. The approach to the life and work of a great writer has always been a very strong temptation for filmmakers as different in their styles as in their nationalities. The vast majority of the time, these films fail at a crucial point: transferring literary writing to cinematographic writing that accounts for the essence of the writer and his work.
This film by Tristán Bauer (the director of "After the storm", "Cortázar" and "Evita, the grave without peace") seeks to evoke the figure of Jorge Luis Borges and take the viewer into the Borgean universe. It is not surprising that with such an ambitious premise you find practically nothing of what you are looking for. It is also likely to place more than one spectator in a state of near-lethal boredom..