941  Tango in movies

Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 20:35:23 -0800
From: luda_r1 <luda_r1@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Tango in movies

Hola listeros,

Saw "Frida" the other day. Nice tango scene in it.
It's the biography of Frida Kahlo, the Mexican
painter.

I'm looking for other movies that have tango scenes in
them, but not tango movies in and by themselves, like
"Tango Lesson". I know them all.

There's "Scent of a Woman", "Last Tango in Paris", and
"Murder on the Orient Express."

What else is out there? I'd love to see the version of
"Blood and Sand" with the Valentino tango segment in
it, but can't find it. Does anyone have any
suggestions where to look? Please write me privately.

Luda

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 06:35:59 -0000
From: John Ward <jmward@BUN.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango in movies

Yes I know Luda almost certainly means Argentine tango, but here is a note
about a Finnish movie all the same.

"Onnen maa" (happy land) directed by Markku Pvlvnen 1993 and available on
DVD. Set in and around a rustic dance hall where nothing but tangos are
played, it is described as a nostalgic comedy; although with a vicious
duffing-up (off-scene fortunately) of the hero and the death of the
grandfather it is hardly Carry On Tangoing. But it is a pleasant, and
allegedly accurate, picture of the rural tango scene in the 60's. Tangos
sung by veteran tango star Reijo Taipale. Unusually for a modern film, it
has a scene with two children smoking.

It is the supporting programme of a two-film DVD. The main feature is
"Badding", which is about the adventures of reluctant rock star Rauli
"Badding" Somerjoki. All he wants is to be left alone to read comics, but he
is chased across the idyllic Finnish countryside by detectives and others
and manhandled onto the stage by heavies. Although the music is described as
rock, I would call it middle of the road. I liked it. No tango content
though. Both films have English subitles.

Another Finnish film is "Tango kabaree" which is not available on DVD, only
on non-subtitled VHS. Described to me as "a bit surreal", I found it totally
incomprehensible. I forget the director, date, and actors, though I could
probably find out if anyone is actually interested.

Currently on Finnish TV is a soap opera "Iskelmd prinssi" set in a similar
locale and time period to "Onnen maa". Every episode has a different tango
star making a guest appearance. When I was there over Christmas the guest
was Arja Koriseva, the greatest of them all. There is also a tango-related
commercial for a spread consisting of half butter and half margarine. A
tango is playing, and a woman cannot make up her mind between two equally
attractive toyboys. So she dances with both of them at once.

Remember the days before video, when movies were available on Super-8 for
those rich enough to afford them? I once rented "Blood and Sand" and it had
the tango sequence. This would have been in the 70's. It might be worth
looking on eBay or similar sites to see if any copies still exist.

John Ward
Bristol, UK

Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 07:46:16 -0800
From: Tanguera Alegra <tanguers_alegra@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: New tango in movies

Larry Duke wrote

>I just wish that

somebody made a movie that would show the world this
new exciting way of dancing that old tango.

I would have thought that the Veron/Salas/Naveira combination in 'The Tango Lesson' was a formidable expression of nuevo tango.


Do not write to me personally, unless requested. All other mail will be deleted, unread.

Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 14:58:45 -0500
From: sharon gates <sharon7301@NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Re: New tango in movies

Tanguera Alegra <tanguers_alegra@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>I would have thought that the Veron/Salas/Naveira combination in 'The Tango Lesson' was a formidable expression of nuevo tango.
>

From what I've heard, some 90% of the dances created by the above-mentioned trio, never made it into the movie. Also, as the cliche says, "it takes two to tango", but we never saw any of the female representatives of the new tango, with whom these talented men could really show their stuff.

Sharon.

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