Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The House of the Spirits

While watching the movie yesterday in class, I saw many similarities to 100 Years Solitude, especially when it came to magical realism. Most of the magic is involved with Clara. She has obvious magical powers, as seen when she is moving things around with her mind. During the first scene in the movie, she moves the vase without raising a finger and also has people waiting in lines to get some type of advice from her. She also has the ability to predict deaths. She also just decides to not speak for a certain period of time. Another similarity between the two is all the secret love affairs. In 100 Years of Solitude, there are a lot of examples of incest, and while the affairs in The House of the Spirits are not full of incest, they are very secretive. An example of this is Pedro and Blanca; they have a secret meeting place each year and are having a constant affair, without her father knowing. Another similarity I saw was the hacienda that the family was living in. Much like the Buendia's house, it started off as barely anything and transformed into a very successful place for the family to grow and thrive in. What other similarities did yall see during the movie?

8 comments:

Ravin S said...

There are so many similarities, but just as Mrs. Quinet said, these could be similarities to Latin American culture as a whole.

I thought that the magical powers of Clara were somewhat underrated in the movie. She used her powers only a few times, but no one really takes her seriously. I mean when she moved the vase, they would just say Clara not now. I thought that was strange.

Again with the house, I thought it was very similar to the one in 100 Years. It started off small and was just being built when Esteban arrived. He built it into his empire, but then everything he knew began to crumble. His wife died, his daughter was against him, and he was left with no power. As this was happening, he moved out of the hacienda and it became dilapidated. The movie ends with the remaining characters at the house (just like Aureliano traps himself in the room). It also doesn't seem very hopeful for human kind, likewise to 100 Years.

alyb said...

I definitly agree there are many similarities to 100 Years of Solitide. Ferla really reminded me of Amaranta with her choice to live a secluded life without a husband. The two were very similiar in that they both choose to take care of their families instead of living a life for themselves and getting married. I also thought Clara was a lot like Ursula in that they both "ran" the household and kept everything in order. Even when things went badly both were there for their families.

Ravin S said...

Yeah I agree with Aly, Ursula and Clara have similar roles in 100 Years and House of Spirits. I believe this is representitive of the Latin American culture. There is usually a strong female mother in many households. They often are the glue for the family when the father is out working long hours. The characters are also very similar in that they are level-headed and keep the other characters in check. Ursula with Jose Arcadio Buendia and Clara with Esteban.

alyb said...

Also I would like to add that jose Arcadio and Estaban ere very similar. Both wanted to become something great and it essentially led to their destruction. At first they both achieved great things but they soon declined. Also both were dependent on their wives for support and understanding.

Christine Catinis said...

ferla is similar to amaranta in that they both lived very solitary lives. amaranta decided to be a virgin and even sewed her own funeral shroud. unlike amaranta, ferla didn't choose to be a virgin but had to because of her loyalty to her family. however, both women had a devotion to their families (ferla wanting to be with her brother and her care for her mother and amaranta wanting to be like Ursula).

sara pendleton said...

I agree with yall and also think that Claras daughter was a lot like Meme. She is sent away to school so that she can be kept with "dignified" people of her own class but ends up a modern woman who falls for what at least one of her parents consders "beneath" her while the other parent actully encourages the relationship. Both romances end pretty tragically; Pedro remains in hiding while Meme's mechanic ends up paralized. Both couples meet in a secrete place which in both cases has to do with water (I'm not sure if that water is important but it could be I guess); Meme's meeting spot is a shower, Clara's daughters meeting place is down by the river.

Mallory said...

I like aly's comparison between Jose Buendia and Estaban. They both had long paths to their final destinations. Both worked very hard to make the place that they live in a beautiful and warm house to hold a family. However both become so involved with their work (science for Jose and government for Estaban) that it ruined their lives.

sara pendleton said...

I just noticed I have a ton of typos on the comment I just posted. This keyboard isnt mine and its really terrible to type on. I don't know how to fix my comment but I'm sorry if the screwed up spelling/grammer bothers anyone (because it's definatly bothering me lol.)