Danzón

Maria Novaro has made a mini-specialty of what might be called the "women's road movie." (She has described her later "Without a Trace" as "Thelma and Louise" with a happy ending.) Danzon gives us Julia, a 40-ish telephone operator and single mother of a sulky teenager, who leaves her Mexico City routine when her dance partner--about whom she knows little more than his name--seems to disappear. The movie opens up into lush panoramas when Julia reaches Veracruz, a metaphor for her own blossoming self-discovery. The soundtrack alone--old-fashioned "danzons" (Mexican dance music imported from Cuba)--is worth the rental price.

"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.

The main character goes on a long journey to find Carmelo, her danzon partner, after he fails to show up for their weekly dancing date. She believes that dancing is the only bright spot in her life. On her journey, she makes new friends and has an affair with a younger man. She returns to find Carmelo at home, and realizes that she doesn't need him the way she thought she did. Julia's life has an excitement even without this man.

It was a good film. I watched a subtitled version which was helpful but as always you lose alittle of the content that way.

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

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.