Machete (1958)
Welcome to Puerto Rico, we have machetes and dreams…
“But at least I had a machete…a machete and a dream.”
So I was happily searching for Othello adaptions available on Netflix and suddenly found the following description:
Before I delve further I must say: whoever understood this was a “take on Othello” seems to have seen or read an Othello not written by Shakespeare. I would love for him or her to direct me to the Othello they read so my life can be complete.
Also: Puerto Rican actor extraordinaire Juano Hernandez shows how good he was by turning some very bad material into something that resembles honest wit.
Kurt Neumann and Carroll Young (direction and script) and cinematographer Karl Struss try to bring film noir drama and aesthetics into the Caribbean, but it seems they had to make some deals with the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico and Central Aguirre and maybe even Puerto Rico’s Tourism Board to be able to shoot here because they give us some pretty awful product placements and even direct and laughable mentions of the aforementioned hotel and how beautiful Puerto Rico is.
(To my fellow spanish speaking, island dwelling or recently diasporic boricuas: esto es como la proto-película de Vicente Castro y demuestra que tan temprano como en 1958 ya el Gobierno local intentaba usar a “Hollywood” como la carta de presentación de Puerto Rico a los gringos. Triste que en “los 2010" sigan haciendo lo mismo porque no funcionó con Machete ni tampoco con The Rum Diary…También hay un número de baile “jibaro” que puede ser descrito como proto-especial del Banco Popular…)
And what a script!!! Heavy handed symbolism goes nowhere (or perhaps everywhere), motivations are non-motivations, intentions are just stupid and really, is just all very very stupid…
Apart from Juano’s performance, Karl Struss (he won the first Oscar ever for cinematography at the first Academy Awards for “Sunrise”, directed by F.W. Murnau) has some nice shots going on here, but they don't amount to much because the movie just goes nowhere and seems to have been shot in a hurry alternating in three or four locations totally missing the point of filming on an island.
But despite the abysmal flaws I am wholeheartedly recommending you watch this movie for two reasons.
First, this film falls in the so bad is pretty fun category, so if you are in the mood to watch something in that vein you can't go wrong here.
Secondly, and more importantly, if you are Puerto Rican, or of Puerto Rican descent, or just plain curious about the last of the “sugar cane years” imposed to Puerto Rico by the United States via their we-know-what-is-better-for-you-no-seriously-we-are-here-to-help-not-in-a-million-years-we-are-opressing-you-please-don't-call-it-imperialism policies and you also enjoy dissecting the constant inaccurate portrayal of life in our island, this movie will be perfect for you.
Perfect because you will understand how Machete is a prime example of the complete whitewashing of a culture and the complicity of negating the economic and political oppression of a complete population under the guise of entertainment.
An on that note, I give you a potential reading of this movie that is ridden with SPOILERS, so be sure to watch the movie first and then come back.
Here I go:
I guess if you let your mind go free (or get really drunk) you could read this movie as a cautionary tale of the evils of imperialism and the necessity of colonials to get together and be a strong family to overcome these evils, not by force, but with time and patience.
In this reading every character become an analogy of sort: The blonde “fire” woman is obviously the Imperial power deceiving the population with lust disguised as love.
The older plantation owner is the tired and friendly colonial who is blind to the evils of the empire.
The Mayordomo is the wise "magic negro" that can see the doom brewing from afar but won’t interfere.
Carlos is the new generation: respectful of his Government but bold and careless.
Miguel is greedy and the instigator that will doom the whole nation.
Only through the real love of the caregiver will they survive the greedy and lustful Imperial power.
Only by resisting the imperial charms Carlos will find the glory and the chastity of the motherland portrayed by lovely Rita.
The ending marks this blatantly by letting us see Carlos riding proudly alongside the patriarch while our Mayordomo tells Rita that she will heal Carlos eventually.
What do you think? What other potentials readings are brimming inside this mess of a movie?
