MARUJA (1959)
A film from Puerto Rico
Last week we celebrated the so-called "discovery" of our island, or rather Columbus' arrival, so I felt it was appropriate to watch a local film, and more appropriate, to "discover" something classic, and that I did.
Maruja is one of the first feature films filmed and produced here in Puerto Rico that achieved some level of popularity. The film follows the titular character (Marta Romero), a young woman that everybody in town is smitten with; something that she takes advantage of, despite being newly married to an older, humble barber.
For numerous reasons, economical, sociopolitical, etc. the film industry here hasn't been as successful or prolific as other Latin American or Caribbean regions. As a result, many local projects are often unfairly dismissed as "lesser". Maybe that inherent "low self-esteem" about our own "products" is why I was pleasantly surprised by this, or perhaps it was really that good. The direction by Oscar Orzábal Quintana was for the most part clean and fluid, with some great choices in terms of shots, framing, cinematography, and mise en scene.
The story, despite some typical romantic melodrama of the era, also managed to be quite good and a bit ahead of its time. Despite being almost two hours, the film is engaging and the pace feels breezy. There are also a couple of twists towards the end that really caught me off guard. Maybe the last act that follows is hindered a bit by the aftermath, but not very much. The performances are mostly OK, with Romero being the standout. But Axel Anderson, as one of her wannabe paramours, also shines.
What saddens me is the following: This film was released 60 years ago, and it barely gets mentioned here, let alone elsewhere. The only place where I could find it was on YouTube, via some uploaded videos by some random movie fan like me. Like it, there have been tons of local films that have came and went, with few or no support at all from the local media/TV stations, the government, or anyone. As a proud Puerto Rican and a cinephile, I wish there were more efforts put in place to distribute and promote our art and culture. One can only hope.
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