An Animated Tango
You may recall a post that I wrote quite a while ago on tango scenes in movies. I just love the tango, but unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity, time or money to learn it. The closest I can get to the tango is to watch others perform this wonderfully expressive dance. Maybe one day…
Anyway, yesterday, while stumbling, I came across such a fabulous animation called En Tus Brazos which I just had to share with you all. I think it is such a moving piece of artistry, in which the love between the husband and wife is so beautifully rendered through the passionate imagery of the tango. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Is there something that you would love to learn, but for one reason or another, haven’t got around to it yet?
Lives Less Ordinary 
mrswebby replied:
wonderful film! i would like to learn the tango!
January 4, 2008 at 10:50 pm. Permalink.
organicsyes replied:
Thank you for sharing this moving piece…something I have not tried yet…hmmmm…still thinking, but getting back to dancing would be a wonderful change in routine!
Susan
http://www.organicsyes.wordpress.com
January 4, 2008 at 10:56 pm. Permalink.
Damien replied:
Cute cartoon. Maybe Sarah and I will try that someday. When she can drag me out on the floor 😉
January 5, 2008 at 12:49 am. Permalink.
Gilllian Piggott replied:
Yes, I liked this. But there are a number of issues here. Firstly, would it not have been tremendous to see actors (and it would have to be first rate actors – Ralph Fiennes/Juliet Binoche) – playing the roles of the couple? I find animated characters, especially when trying to delineate complex human issues and emotions, uncanny and unconvincing. Moreover, the animated version opens up the issue of sexist images/stereotypes of women. As an ex-dancer myself, I don’t exaggerate when I say that not even the most hard-working dancer, say Sylvie Guillem, has the anatomically-exaggerated physical shape of the woman depicted here. This alas trivialises the idea that the experience of sexuality involves not two ‘perfect’ beautiful beings, but real people whose sexual attractions are far more varied and textured than the ruthlessly sexist and bland images of men and women that culture – including older cultures that gave birth to such art forms as Tango and Salsa – mostly seems to perpetuate. This wouldn’t matter, of course, if it was a little cartoon about not very serious issues. But, this animation is attempting to be moving, to be discussing human experience. Surely the two issues I raise – it needs real actors and needs to be less naive in its sexist stereotyping – therefore stand? Perhaps whoever directed The Motorcycle Diaries, or Ken Loach should have directed this story as a short film. Then real human beings, trying to cope with complex melancholy experience could have been better explored – with the grit and warts that is involved in such experience.
This is not to say that there weren’t some real moments of animated artistry in the film. I especially loved that evocation of stage scenery, when the couple’s ballroom interier is shifted – like a stage flat – into a backdrop of the city space. Lovely. And lovely music too.
January 5, 2008 at 12:44 pm. Permalink.
dilan replied:
Great story.
If you get inspired by watching/listening tango i highly recommend two audio visual pleasures that you can award yourself with two things:
Saura’s movie “Tango, no me dejes nunca” – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120274/
and
the tango nuevo channel of last.fm radio
http://www.last.fm/listen/globaltags/tango%20nuevo
Enjoy 🙂
January 5, 2008 at 12:45 pm. Permalink.
amypalko replied:
Glad you liked it, Mrswebby 🙂
It’s funny, isn’t it, Organicsyes, how we tend not to make room in our lives for dancing, when it has the potential to bring such pleasure into our lives. I think 2008 might be the year when I try and dance more.
I bet Sarah doesn’t have to drag you, Damien! If you make it over to Scotland at some point I’ll need to take the pair of you to a ceilidh. Then you wont be able to drag yourselves off the dance floor!
You raise some interesting points, Gillian, concerning the exaggeration of the male and female forms. However, I would beg to differ that it would be a ‘better’ film had it been acted by actors rather than in its current animated form. Sure, it would be a different film, but better? But then, I’m a big fan of animation and I think this film is technically brilliant. The use of the reflections and shadows alone is masterful, and the stylised aesthetic is just beautiful, in my opinion. I don’t know… maybe there’s something further to look at here concerning the gender roles played out in the film, their exaggerated forms, the emphasis on reflections, and the story of the dance? Anyway, thank you for your well considered response, Gillian. You’ve given me a lot to think about!
Thank you so much for those recommendations, Dilan. I’ll most certainly follow those up 🙂
January 5, 2008 at 5:05 pm. Permalink.
Penelope Anne replied:
Ballroom dancing…always wanted to learn, just don’t have the physique for it…and now the health or stamina.
January 5, 2008 at 9:14 pm. Permalink.
amypalko replied:
When I watch ballroom dancing on the TV I have such a yearning to get up and give it a go, Penelope. The professionals always make it look effortless, don’t they!
January 7, 2008 at 12:37 pm. Permalink.
In Defence of Animation « Lives Less Ordinary replied:
[…] of Animation Posted by amypalko under Creativity As regular readers may recall, I recently posted a video clip called En Tus Brazos, which was an animated short about a tango dance between a husband and wife. […]
January 23, 2008 at 2:18 pm. Permalink.
toni replied:
Oh my, that was amazing. I got shivers watching it. The storytelling was so subtle and beautiful. Sigh. Thank you for sharing this!
January 30, 2008 at 1:25 am. Permalink.
Wifely Steps » Blog Archive » When was the last time you danced with your spouse? replied:
[…] to Amy for the […]
February 1, 2008 at 1:02 am. Permalink.