Over winter break I watched No by director Pablo Larraín (2012), and decided to include it in my upper-level culture course this semester. The film stars Gael García Bernal and is inspired by the real-life TV ad campaign (la franja) that lead up to the 1988 plebiscite that ousted Chilean dictator August Pinochet.
The film makes use of documentary footage from the ad campaign, which is virtually undetectable from the fictional story-line, thanks to fact that the rest of the movie was shot using only the technology of the 80s. With the grainy picture, the frequent over-exposed light (think home videos of the 80s), and the details of the wardrobe and set, the film allows the viewers to feel that they are viewing the events of Chile 1998 unfolding before their eyes.
The film has its critics, including those who rightly claim that it that it distorts reality by over-emphasizing the role the TV ad campaign played in the results of the plebiscite. However, when properly framed, and with this criticism presented to students, the film is appropriate for the Spanish-language classroom that wishes to study the dictatorship of Pinochet and Chile´s transition to democracy post-Pinochet.
The film has its critics, including those who rightly claim that it that it distorts reality by over-emphasizing the role the TV ad campaign played in the results of the plebiscite. However, when properly framed, and with this criticism presented to students, the film is appropriate for the Spanish-language classroom that wishes to study the dictatorship of Pinochet and Chile´s transition to democracy post-Pinochet.
Because I showed this film in an upper-level culture course the plan's organization is a bit different from other films that I have highlighted in this blog. It should be noted that this film is included in the new edition of the textbook Cinema for Spanish Conversation (Focus Publishing, 4th edition), which has a variety of excellent resources related to the film.
Previewing:
My students had already studied details related to the government of the dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1989), including the human rights violations that were inflicted on the citizens, in their textbook (Gac-Artigas, Priscilla. Hoja de Ruta: Cultura y civilización de Latinoamérica. 5th ed. New Jersey: ENE Academic Press, 2010.) . They also read information regarding the transition to democracy precipitated by the referendum of 1988. This textbook information will serve as the background information necessary to understand the context of the film. This information can also be found in other sources, including many of the film-reviews about the movie. This review from NPR gives a good high-level overview in English, and this article from The Telegraph interviews some of those who participate in the actual No campaign in 1988. If you are looking for detailed information in Spanish, the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile has a collection entitled Memoria Chilena which contains extensive information on Pinochet. The Bibliografía Nacional de Chile also has very interesting information on the panfletos of the dictatorship, including those used during the campaigns leading up to the plebiscite.
The New York Times English-language review is the most comprehensive that I have found. It discusses the controversy that the film has caused by those who believe it to be an over-simplification of the role the TV campaign played in the plebiscite, the adaptation of the movie from a play "El plebiscito" by Antonio Skármeta, the controversy surrounding the political tendencies of Larraín´s family and more. In the end, I had my students read this review, despite the fact that it is in English, as it is so comprehensive in its analisis of the film.
While viewing outside of class:
Students answered questions related to the portrayal of General Pinochet in the film, noting the difference in the portrayal of the Sí and the No campaigns. They also took notes on how the film portrayed the censorship of the press and political oppression under Pinochet and the themes presented in the No song La alegría ya viene...
Post viewing:
We devoted only one class period to this film, so our post-viewing activities were a bit limited. In addition to group-discussion of the comprehension / analysis questions, we also watched some of the original footage of the Sí and No campaigns are available on Youtube. We discussed the criticisms of the film, specifically what the film doesn´t show about the many other important aspects of the No campaign, and we briefly mentioned Chile's current president, Michele Bachelete, whom we will study in more detail later in the semester. Finally, students did a brief (15 minute) writing assignment in which they answered the question "Explica cómo esta película ayuda a recuperar la memoria colectiva de la sociedad Chilena."
Other information of interest:
References:
Gac-Artigas, Priscilla. Hoja de Ruta: Cultura y civilización de Latinoamérica. 5th ed. New Jersey: ENE Academic Press, 2010.
Gill, Mary McVey, Deana Smalley, and María-Paz Haro. Cinema for Spanish conversation. 4th ed. Focus Publishing, 2014.
Hirmas, María Eugenia. “The Chilean Case: Television in the 1988 Plebiscite.” Television, Politics, and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America. Ed. Thomas E. Skidmore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
Neira, Camila Cárdenas. "“Mi alegría es distinta a la tuya”: No La Película y las transformaciones del signo histórico."
Previewing:
My students had already studied details related to the government of the dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1989), including the human rights violations that were inflicted on the citizens, in their textbook (Gac-Artigas, Priscilla. Hoja de Ruta: Cultura y civilización de Latinoamérica. 5th ed. New Jersey: ENE Academic Press, 2010.) . They also read information regarding the transition to democracy precipitated by the referendum of 1988. This textbook information will serve as the background information necessary to understand the context of the film. This information can also be found in other sources, including many of the film-reviews about the movie. This review from NPR gives a good high-level overview in English, and this article from The Telegraph interviews some of those who participate in the actual No campaign in 1988. If you are looking for detailed information in Spanish, the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile has a collection entitled Memoria Chilena which contains extensive information on Pinochet. The Bibliografía Nacional de Chile also has very interesting information on the panfletos of the dictatorship, including those used during the campaigns leading up to the plebiscite.
The New York Times English-language review is the most comprehensive that I have found. It discusses the controversy that the film has caused by those who believe it to be an over-simplification of the role the TV campaign played in the plebiscite, the adaptation of the movie from a play "El plebiscito" by Antonio Skármeta, the controversy surrounding the political tendencies of Larraín´s family and more. In the end, I had my students read this review, despite the fact that it is in English, as it is so comprehensive in its analisis of the film.
While viewing outside of class:
Students answered questions related to the portrayal of General Pinochet in the film, noting the difference in the portrayal of the Sí and the No campaigns. They also took notes on how the film portrayed the censorship of the press and political oppression under Pinochet and the themes presented in the No song La alegría ya viene...
Post viewing:
We devoted only one class period to this film, so our post-viewing activities were a bit limited. In addition to group-discussion of the comprehension / analysis questions, we also watched some of the original footage of the Sí and No campaigns are available on Youtube. We discussed the criticisms of the film, specifically what the film doesn´t show about the many other important aspects of the No campaign, and we briefly mentioned Chile's current president, Michele Bachelete, whom we will study in more detail later in the semester. Finally, students did a brief (15 minute) writing assignment in which they answered the question "Explica cómo esta película ayuda a recuperar la memoria colectiva de la sociedad Chilena."
Other information of interest:
- Spanish-language interview (8 minutes)with director Pablo Larraín in which he talks about his use of cameras
- Spanish-language review of the film from the site Historia y Cine.
- This review/news article, in Spanish, has many quotes from Pablo Larraín and Gael García Bernal about the movie and the movie making process.
Gac-Artigas, Priscilla. Hoja de Ruta: Cultura y civilización de Latinoamérica. 5th ed. New Jersey: ENE Academic Press, 2010.
Gill, Mary McVey, Deana Smalley, and María-Paz Haro. Cinema for Spanish conversation. 4th ed. Focus Publishing, 2014.
Hirmas, María Eugenia. “The Chilean Case: Television in the 1988 Plebiscite.” Television, Politics, and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America. Ed. Thomas E. Skidmore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
Neira, Camila Cárdenas. "“Mi alegría es distinta a la tuya”: No La Película y las transformaciones del signo histórico."
Thank you for the many links to further information to support the teaching of this film. In this unit, my high school students produce an iMovie of their own commercial using many of the techniques and persuasive language introduced in the film. This is another great opportunity for students to practice speaking skills while engaging the creativity and energy of high school students.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Mary! Thanks for sharing. I might give your idea a try with my students.
DeleteGreat idea, Mary! Thanks for sharing. I might give your idea a try with my students.
DeleteThank you for your many links and information in teaching this film. At the end of this lesson, my high school students produce an iMovie of their own commercial using the persuasive language and techniques used in the film. This provides another opportunity for students to practice their speaking skills with focus on intonation and inflection along with appropriate grammar forms.
ReplyDelete