Borges Film – Borges, el eterno retorno
- At September 25, 2018
- By Great Quail
- In Borges
- 0
Borges, el eterno retorno
Borges: The Eternal Return
1999, Argentina, 45 min.
Directed by Patricia Enis & Fernando Flores
Notes
Produced by the Fundación Internacional Jorge Luis Borges for the Borges Centennial, Borges, el eterno retorno was developed in Argentina with the cooperation of Borges’ widow, María Kodama. Rarely straying from the time-honored documentary formula, Borges: The Eternal Return combines archival photographs, Borges interviews and lectures, film clips, and numerous interviews with talking heads. The documentary is jauntily framed by Astor Piazzolla’s “El tango,” and includes several dramatic poetry readings, often performed over montages of various artistic quality.
One of the highlights of the documentary is the interview with María Kodama, which is accompanied by dozens of color photographs of her travels with Borges. It makes a nice companion to Atlas; although why the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” plays softly in the background, I’m not entirely sure. (What’s even more unexpected and puzzling is the sudden clip from The Wall, the 1982 movie based on the Pink Floyd album!)
Despite a few odd creative choices, Borges, el eterno retorno is a solid documentary, and it’s a shame there’s not a version with English subtitles. In 1999 it was awarded the “Revolución y Cultura” Magazine Award at the Havana Film Festival.
Additional Information
Borges, el eterno retorno — You can watch the entire documentary on Vimeo in the original Spanish.
L’eternel retour — YouTube features a low-quality version of El eternal retorno subtitled in French.
IMDB Page — The Internet Movie Database features a sparse profile of El eternal retorno
Author: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 26 September 2019
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