Film: Chico & Rita
Year of production: 2010
UK Release date: 9th May 2011
Distributor: Icon
Certificate: 15
Running time: 94 mins
Director: Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba
Starring: Mario Guerra, Limara Meneses, Eman Xor Oña
Genre: Animation
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Spain/UK
Language: Spain/English
Review by: Mary Igoe
Academy Award winning Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque) pals up with Spanish artist and designer Javier Mariscal and Cuban musician Bebo Valdés to provide the world with an animated historical account of the Cuban/American jazz scene from its amalgamation in the 1940s. With such talents in every corner from conception, can the project prove a success or does it flounder in an overload of expertise?
The story begins at the near-end, with aged Cuban composer Chico (Eman Xor Oña) have the past evoked on hearing an old song on the radio that he wrote a long time ago for his true love, the feisty but sensuous Cuban singer Rita (Limara Meneses).
The two met in the late ‘40s, when Latin jazz was coming in to its own, taking the music scene by storm. They quickly establish a fiery on/off love affair, equipped with all the passion and jealousy a young Latin couple can muster, resulting in a squabble which sees Rita leaving for New York, her talent spotted by an enamoured American music mogul.
When Chico’s friend, Ramon (Mario Guerra), persuades him to leave for the big apple also, Chico tries to unite with Rita, but alas the two are doomed for a lifetime of ill-fated meetings.
Rita eventually hits the big screen becoming a star, while Ramon finds success as agent and sends Chico travelling all the big cities in the world playing gigs as pianist for Dizzy Gillespie’s band.
When he returns to New York, Chico once again tracks Rita down in the hope of a reunion, and just when it looks like the two will finally get it together in holy matrimony, providence plays an ugly hand in the shape of Ramon’s greed. After all, the man who could ruin his new-found career is the man who has always been in love with Rita, the enamoured American music mogul.
And so the scene is set and we return to the beginning of the film, where Chico in his old age laments the perfect union that never was. But with space left on the reel for a few more scenes to take place, what will Chico do next - and will there be a happy ending?
It can’t be the easiest thing in animated film to get an audience to really care for 2D characters who can barely express a frown line, let alone depict authentic ‘human-imation’. Nevertheless, the charismatic Chico and Rita have the audience rooting for them from the beginning. It’s hard not to get involved in the romance and passion the two feel for each other – and their musical talents - so successful is the characterisation.
Of course, the two Latin lovebirds aren’t the only protagonists in the film; the music and capital city settings are entities in themselves. And so they should be, with designer Mariscal and music maestro Valdés running the show. Indeed, the backdrop of 1940/50s Cuba is evidently a rich time to portray on screen, visually and musically, and neither department fails in living up to expectations.
The story itself is rather flat, and in no way complex enough to pass as a non-animated film. Saying that, it does touch on the politics of the time, with racial segregation and Cuban revolution in the background. It also has elements of humour - a lot surrounding the ever-exuberant and cheeky Ramon - and you can’t help but crack a smile during Chano Pozo’s funeral fit with a jolly Rumba crooning band.
The danger of over-simplification in the telling of the story is narrowly missed with the added trick of utilising flashbacks. Luckily, they ‘complexify’ the narrative by unraveling a tale, as opposed to dictating a predictable romantic account.
And so we do finally get to the animation. It’s possible to regard the drawing as underdeveloped and rudimentary, as it certainly has been described by some. The lines are basic, and block colour abounds, but with a film that is as rich in music as animation, it is somewhat fitting that softer lines and simpler visuals balance the energetic fusions of its Latin jazz accompaniment. Another ploy in the film that helps turn cartoon in to aesthetically respectable medium is the clever camera presence within the illustrations. As Rita walks through the streets of Havana, we follow her from a distance, as if the action is really taking place.
The music is ever-present and heavy in jazz particulars, which might prove too much for some, although jazz connoisseurs should revel in the representation of its origins.
What Chico & Rita lacks in story depth, it makes up for in audio and visual extravagance. The passionate on/off love affair that lasts decades will capture most viewers’ hears, whilst the animation will keep the rest curious. It’s not often a 2D animation as good as this comes along. MI
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