Borges Film – Borges, el eterno retorno

Borges, el eterno retorno
Borges: The Eternal Return

1999, Argentina, 45 min.

Directed by Patricia Enis & Fernando Flores.

Comments

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.

Despite a few eccentric creative choices, Borges, el eterno retorno is a solid documentary. 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. [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: 28 August 2024
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