So that’s how they danced then...

I am mightily relieved when I finally saw how Gardel and his sidekick danced on stage. It is nothing like the stage tango you see nowadays and is pretty much what we call salon tango. It's only a few walking steps, some rockings, and some nicely judged turns. But it's all done with such feline grace, such timing and such wonderfully close connections. It maybe odd for a film that has tango in its title to exhibit only around 1 minute of dancing, but it has demonstrated beyond all doubt what tango dancing is about. For now, we will turn to the rest of the film and go back to the dancing later.

“Tango Bar” is a big production by Paramount and it looks good. The cinematography and compositions are very professional. The sets look well made and you get a full orchestra on the soundtrack. Even though it’s made in 1935, it’s still pretty easy on the eyes. You can see (and hear) where your ticket money has gone into.

The acting is very effective all round, including Gardel. In fact, Gardel reminds me of Chow Yun Fat, with his slick back hair and slightly cocky manner. This is a bit of a surprise as good singers are rarely good actors (hey, “Who’s That Material Girl?”, for example). That said, I haven’t seen Gardel’s other performances and maybe he’s only playing himself. The supporting casts all delivered enjoyable performances and they are all helped in no small measure by the language of the movie, Spanish. I can only understand the subtitles but what pleasure to hear these people talk.

As far as I am concerned, the bane of modern cinema is the close up and the reaction short. Whenever some important dialogue is spoken, the audience would be place right before the nose of the actress. This doesn’t happen here since I guess the necessary equipments haven’t been invented at that point in history yet. However, actions are effectively staged by the director and the audience can take all in from a 3rd person perspective.

The biggest problem for the modern audience, I guess, would be the cultural divide and that is manifested in the script. Take Ricardo, the character played by Gardel, for example. He would be a great case for psychological profiling. When Ricardo was rejected by the heroine on his first visit to her cabin, guess what he said. He threatened her with stalking. I know these are supposed to be Latin types and the concept of sexual harassment has not been invented yet but I am still surprised the heroine is not more than just a bit irritated.

More puzzling behaviour from Ricardo await us in the plot. When a gangster turns up demanding to be paid off due to some complications from the heroine, Ricardo appropriated money from the show business, which he is supposed to be an employee or a partner. He then proudly announces that this is to save the business from bad reputation. However, when the heroine finds out, Ricardo runs off. On paper, this is moronic and believe me, this plot line still struggles when coupled with the heated emotions on display when seen on screen. There are more of these in the script but let us be charitable and attribute all these to the fact that this movie is made in a very different cultural space-time zone and let us remind ourselves of the good points.

First of all, the singing and songs are magnificent. It’s worth seeing the movie just to catch Gardel singing three tangos at his prime. ‘Por Una Cabeza’ is given a powerful rendition – again, let’s forget the silly lyrics – and it’s not a surprise that this tango reappears in the 90s movie “The Scent of a Woman”. And then, there’s the dancing. It may not be as spectacular as modern audience would expect but it demonstrated that nothing celebrates the possibility of the togetherness of 2 persons as well as a Tango.

Related Items:

1. Tango Salon: La Confiteria Ideal - A new tango documentary

Related Links:

1. Todo Tango

Last update: 21-06-2007 11:00