Canoa

Based on a true story, this movie shows the great differences within Mexico rural and urban areas. Modernity could not be accepted in the rural areas, basically because the ignorant peasants were dominated by certain groups, including, like in this movie, the Catholic Church. Let's remember that the students massacres that had happened in 1968 and 1972 were still fresh in the minds of many Mexicans. Those students had been accused by the Government,of being Comunists. In this particular movie 5 young students of the Capital's State University decide to climb a volcano. Because of bad weather they have to stay overnight in a little village besides the Volcano. The local Priest assumes that they are Communists coming to agitate in his territory and accuses them with the people of trying to close the Church. The mob tries to lynch them. The beauty of this film resides in the fact that fanaticism is shown at its maximum level so as to make us think where this can lead us in our lives. This is true of the corrupt authorities, the Priest that uses Religion to maintain his privileges, the village people that mix Religion and fanaticism, etc. It is a great sociological study of the consequences of these extreme attitudes.

This was a hard film to watch .. not because it was a bad movie or something but because the story it was telling .. and what made it even harder is the fact that it was based on a true story .. a great movie that will leave you shocked, angry and vindictive but as a viewer satisfied.

I watched Canoa when it first came out to the movie theaters; I was around 15 and I had lived the 1968's student movement. Tlatelolco massacre was fresh in our minds and hearts and while not referring directly to it, Canoa catches that feeling with honesty and courage. This two qualities are always present in Cazal's work, but this film is his master piece.

We have also tho see Cazal's films in the context of the Mexican cinema of the moment, along with the work of Arturo Ripstein, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Jorge Fons and many other talented filmmakers. In Mexico their work tend to be overlooked mostly for political reasons.

Mario de la Garza

This film is part of the beginning of the New Mexican Cinema, based in a true story and made like an example of the uncertain time in Mexico after 1968 and how can be influenced a entire town against a group of people whom their only sin was; be a student.

This is a very hard hitting examination of mob violence and, in my opinion, the best study of a corrupt small town ever put on celluloid. In the perceptive, emotionally wrenching hands of director Felipe Cazals the poor, prejudiced, ignorant, hostile, theocratic village of Canoa makes the town in "Fury", as well as the desert hamlet of Black Rock, look like gated communities in comparison. Particularly in the film's second half, as a Carmelite sister blares anti communist propaganda into a loudspeaker and a very ugly crowd starts to form and an awareness among the five victims of their danger grows, the viewer begins to feel as scared and helpless as they. And the orgy of murder and torture that results is as realistic a look at the effects of crowd hysteria as I have seen on the screen.

After stating the above, any criticisms I may have would be on the captious side. Still, I would have liked the first half to move at a more rapid clip with fewer scenes of the five university workers hanging out together and joking. One such scene would have made the point that these young people are innocents being led to the slaughter. Also, I found the talking head/interview device both intrusive and un necessary, especially the last head, a cynical peasant who I'm sure Cazals intended to be an effective counter weight to the unenlightened citizens of Canoa but who comes across, to me at least, as more of a wise ass, know it all. A minus.

PS...To Alicia Malone: Can we please have more great films from Mexico on TCM Imports? I cannot recall when the last one before this was shown.