The film "Tierra del fuego" is exactly as the isolated Patagonia community in which it is set. On one hand, it is a wonderful kaleidoscope of ethnicities, nationalities and languages. On the other, it is messy and confusing. I thought Ornella Mutti was excellent as Armenia. I can only applaud the bravery of Tamara Acosta (she plays Indian princess Mennar), dignified and serious despite having to perform fully naked the majority of the film. I also thought that Jorge Perugorria was wasted once again. The success of "Fresa y Chocolate" proved to be a double-edged sword. It discovered a very talented actor. However, he kept being offered histrionic, larger-than-life characters in films below his talent. Julius Popper is no exception. "Tierra del Fuego" is worth watching for one scene alone: the Galician bagpiper Silveira (Nancho Novo), playing for his life in the middle of an isolated, windy marsh. "If you ever stop playing", Julius Popper threatens him, "I will kill you". When Silveira finally collapses after thirty hours, the Indians rescue him, thinking he has magic powers ("He captures the wind and transforms it in music"). I was not surprised that the image of Silveira playing the bagpipe in the marsh was the poster of the film. He is representative of so many Galicians (like myself) who once left their motherland in search of a better life. I wish that the whole film had been about him. The flashbacks about his life would have fitted better had this been the case. I hate the abrupt and unsatisfactory way in which the film solved his subplot.
I have not read the book in which this film is based, but I would certainly love to (especially if Silveira's story has a bigger arch).
I have not read the book in which this film is based, but I would certainly love to (especially if Silveira's story has a bigger arch).