Tango

The director of the film Tango uses light, color, dance, music, rhythms, and sounds to tell a story without using words.  The power of dance really shines in this film.  The majority of the film does not include speech, rather music and dancing to tell the story.  When two people are dancing together, the rhythm of their bodies in synchronization with the music and with each other is amazing.  I found the scenes with just two people (or three as is the case in the scene with Laura and Elena performing the trio) rather than a group to be the most intense because of how intense the dance was.  In addition to the dancing and music, the lighting helps to tell the stories as well, from switching from dark to light and back to dark, or several colors on one stage to set the mood.  In this movie, the music and dancing definitely make it possible for the viewer to know what is happening in the scene, and no speaking is necessary.  That in itself is amazing!

The scene in which the military men are dominating the people on stage was a little confusing me until I researched the history of the military years in Argentina.  This scene was really powerful in showing how intense the times were when the military picked up people who then "disappeared" and young children were taken from their families.  It was interesting how Angelo and the others tried to tell Mario that this particular scene was too harsh and needed "softened" a bit.  It was obvious that Mario felt very strongly about this part in history because of how intense he made the scene.  He even said "This is my conception of the show."