A Painting Breathes

I don't know if many of you remember the 1995 movie "A Walk in the Clouds" or not, and if you do, if you would even consider it a good movie. My husband and I both enjoy and love this movie, and every time I revisit it, I come away with the same sense of beauty that I experienced the first time I came for a visit, many years ago now.

It has what my husband calls a fable like quality, a fairy tale if you will. It is a movie that exudes old world charm that is refreshing to find these days. Every frame is a painting coming to life. And for a few precious moments you find yourself, along with the characters, walking within it's frame. Beauty, Family and Life are the words that come to the forefront of my mind when I reflect on it.

The dignity of this lovely mexican family brings to mind eras long past. Their sense of family and tradition is a reminder of how much things have changed. There is a sense of belonging, like a tree's  roots, that is planted deeply within their world and customs, rooted to the land they cultivate and nurture. Their world is threatened by the arrival of change in the form of a young man named Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves), a young man, a "gringo", who is introduced to them by their daughter Victoria as her husband. The act of marrying a "gringo", and of doing so without their consent or knowledge, is viewed as an act of disrespect by Victoria's father, Alnerto Aragon, played by Giancarlo Giannini. This, coupled with a deeply rooted fear of change, brings out a churning anger and disdain towards the unsuspecting Paul, an orphan in life, who envies Victoria her family, including the rage-fully protective nature of her father's love. 

There are complexities to this story surrounded by and within gentleness and passion. It is a story filled with characters and humor. The incomparable Anthony Quinn (Zorba The Greek, La Strada) plays Victoria's grandfather, the irrepressible Don Pedro. When Anthony Quinn is in a frame, you can not take your eyes away from him, his whole being exudes life. There is a nobility to each character in this film, a nobleness born of depth and personality. A film does not have to have the same metal as a "Sophie's Choice" to be filled with depth, it can be found in the romance, in the cultural mixes, and in the history of it's characters. One of the characters of this movie is it's imagery. There are so many beautiful images in this movie, but one in particular stands out to me, the image of the waving of the butterfly and angel wings, within a backdrop of evening, lanterns and grape vines. It is a visually stunning scene, and one can only imagine how much more it must have been in the mind of the one who envisioned and created it. It will call out to the artist within all of us.

This is one of my personal favorites, and if you need a little uplifting then open this one up, and like a box of chocolates, bite into it, and relish the burst of flavor that explodes in your mouth and being.

Happy viewing!