Danzón

DANZON (dir.María Novaro) Julia is a long distance telephone operator in Mexico City who has a passion for the official dance of Cuba, The Danzon. When her partner disappears, she travels to Veracruz to try and discover what happened to him. The film becomes a tender and affectionate journey of self-discovery which leads to a reaffirmation of her sexuality. The various colorful and quirky characters that she meets change her life in subtle, yet fundamental ways. This is not exactly a 'Chick Flic', but Maria Novaro has crafted a film in which femininity is celebrated and revered in an honest and creative manner. A color saturated 35mm print makes this a delight to see-the absolute antithesis of the stark and clinical look of digital photography. Winner of numerous awards.

It´s a great movie

I saw this movie 13 years ago in a premiere in the former cinema picasso, from then and now I see over and over again this movie.

This movie talks the life of julia (maria rojo) his behavior in the job (operator phone) his daughter, and his principal passion the dance calls "DANZON".

Every wednesday she goes to dance with a friend and she meets with his partner in dance carmelo, One day he don´t return to dance and then julia are looking for him (she thinks he has a problem with the mexican laws and he runs away to veracruz), she´s sad by the notice and she runs to veracruz for make a search for him.

In this movie we looking in a frame the old mexican rairoad calls "EL MEXICANO" and all the city of veracruz.

She meets new people, new friends (specially a man dressed like a woman)a hooker, the owner of the hotel and a younger man when she discover she´s still atractive by the men (the russian guy, carmelo, the young man).

The movie take´s a trip in the life of julia before and after and finish when she leaves veracruz and meet again carmelo and they dance

If you have the oportunitty to see the movie in tv or dvd or vhs SEE IT because it´s the few mexican movies made perfectly

my qualification 10/10

"Danzon" is a "chick flick", no doubt. Directed by a woman, its main star is a woman--and it is concerned mainly with woman's issues. The setting is contemporary Mexico City. The danzon--a slow, graceful dance of l9th century Cuban origin--is the force that brings the heroine Julia together and her long time competition dance partner Carmen. When Carmen vaporizes, Julia heads for the coast--Veracruz--to search for him. Once there, she meets a series of unique characters, which add up to a wonderful viewing experience. I feel that Julia also meets herself there--discovering her real value as a woman and human being. When she returns to her job in Mexico City, she's a changed woman for numerous reasons--all good. A strong subtle movie.

Like the title says, The Dance ! According to wikipedia: "Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba. It is also an active musical form in Mexico, and is much loved in Puerto Rico as well. Written in 2/4 time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance." In the story, Maria Rojo is Julia, who likes to dance. when she's not dancing, she's working or looking after her daughter in Mexico City. but then Julia's dance partner goes missing. and everyone has their own idea of what might have happened to him. so Julia goes off to VeraCruz to look for him! a fun scene where Julia reads all the ships names in various languages as she walks along the piers. she makes some great new friends, and has a grand adventure. and we get to see some great scenery of VeraCruz. directed by Maria Novaro. Written by Beatriz Novaro. Maria born in 1951. Beatriz born in 1953... sisters? it's fun.

Julia is a middle aged phone operator in Mexico City who divides her time between her job, her daughter and the "Danzon": an elegant, romantic Cuban dance popular in Caribbean Latin America.

Julia wants to taste one great romance in her life before she feels she will have lost what's left of her beauty. Like a ritual, each Wednesday Julia dances the Danzon with the dashing, mysterious and still handsome Carmelo in the old "Salon Colonia". They've danced for years but barely know each other.

One night Carmelo disappears without a trace. Suddenly bereft, Julia abandons well-regulated obligations and responsibilities and sets off on a long distance odyssey, searching for her missing cavalier. These comic, touching and ultimately triumphant adventures lead Julia to a deeper comprehension of the meaning of life and true happiness.