Raphael Alphonse

On this occasion, somewhat unlike today’s festive atmosphere, I will comment on the film adaptation of a novel by Gabriel García Márquez that left me absolutely unsatisfied. I realize that now that it’s threatened with a series adaptation.”A hundred years of loneliness with the distant hope that the same thing does not happen.

Speaking of the Colombian’s masterpiece, a street anecdote tells us that Anthony Quinn was interested in buying the rights to it, which the author always refused, but in the case of him he told him that he would accept a million dollars to fund the Latin American revolutions; then, the extraordinary -and capitalist- Mexican/American actor of Irish origin, gave up his attempt.

And it’s not that García Márquez ignored the seventh art, on the contrary, he studied cinematography in Italy and chaired the Foundation for New Latin American Cinema. In Mexico, he wrote the extraordinary screenplays of “There are no thieves in this town.“time to die” and “The Golden Rooster”; the last two, in separate collaborations with the talented writers of Carlos Fuentes and Juan Rulfo himself.

Although, so far, “A hundred years of loneliness he got rid of the passage through the screens; the one who was not so lucky was “Love in the Time of Cholera”, a novel of conflicting loves which, according to García Márquez, are a faithful reflection of the love of their parents.

According to the novel of the same name,Love in the Time of Cholera” (2007) was directed by Mike Newell, produced by Scott Steindorff who, in love with the story, pursued the Colombian Nobel Prize for years until finally, for three million dollars, he obtained the film rights , in exchange for the (broken) promise not to make the typical Hollywood movie.

Rejected by Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman, among others, Steindorf made the decision to form a cast favoring “Latin” figures – in the sense that Hollywood understands the concept – which ended up playing against the film.

John Leguizamo, actor of undeniable talent, but unrepentant swallows years, fails to embody the proud and haughty father of Fermina Daza and even less considering that he does not look much like the actress who is supposed to be his daughter, the beautiful and discreet Giovanna Mezzogiorno. Benjamin Bratt, best known in Mexico for playing the young cop in the gang drama »blood against blood », is far from the image of the privileged and sophisticated Dr. Juvenal Urbino. The last straw was that there was no way to hide the overwhelming personality of the now Oscar winner Javier Bardem, to make way for the melancholic, scary and dreamy Florentino Ariza.

Finally, the standard bearer of all this Latin selection could not be other than Shakira, what harm she does to the film with her scratchy and imposed gurgles, installed in the most vulgar pop of which the Colombian is capable.

All of the above creates an at least disappointing experience for those who have read and enjoyed this novel; but as the old man said, “If worthwhile things were done easily, anyone would do them.”