Feature film
The First Charge of the Machete
La primera carga al machete
Manuel Octavio Gómez · 1969
Synopsis
October 1868, at the start of the Ten Years' War. The insurgents hold Bayamo, and a Spanish column led by Campillo and Quirós sets out to retake the town, while Máximo Gómez's troops prepare. Wounded Spanish soldiers, inhabitants of Bayamo and peasants answer as if to reporters; the officers dread an inspection from Madrid, and a troubadour, played by Pablo Milanés, comments on events.
Context
Gómez abandons, by his own admission, classical narrative for an “información directa” inspired by reportage: simulated interviews, handheld camera, and Jorge Herrera's highly contrasted black and white, imitating the footage of the early days. He would later judge that this style put the public off. The music is by Leo Brouwer and Pablo Milanés. Presented at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 1969, the film led Sylvie Pierre, in Cahiers du cinéma, to say that it belongs to direct cinema about events a century old.
Who it is for
A historical film in Spanish, in black and white; the reportage manner and the contrast of the image take a little time to get used to.
Prizes and reception
Gold selection medal and the Luis Buñuel prize of the Spanish critics at Venice in 1969; Belgian jury prize at Louvain.