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Reviews
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Ashes, smoke, flames, Lucky Strikes, humor?
Every scene features either somebody smoking (Corso if not someone else) and ashes. The Ceniza brothers have a Spanish last name that means 'ash'. And, of course, this being a movie about the devil and an author burned at the stake, fire and smoke and ashes HAVE to be there as a means for Polanski to add some humor to the story. Maybe. But I still am trying to figure out the Ceniza bros. They look like the angel with bow and arrow in one of the engravings. Or are they the reincarnation of the infernal spirit of Aristide Torchi, author of the Ninth Gate, burned at the stake? When Corso, in the final scene, goes into their Toledo bookstore one hears and sees one boy saying in Spanish "sí, sí mamá", the very words Corso heard from him the first time he went into the Ceniza's store (a time capsule).
Vagabunda (1994)
VAGABUNDA (1994) is a surprising Mexican film; I'm gonna buy it
A story about a "shipwreck" woman, the island to which she arrives and the lives she .... well, let's just say she's more than a femme fatale, that she leaves behind a sense of vulnerability, fate, being forlorn.
Very believable characters, played by the excellent actors, with depth and added dimensions. Hints of Blue Angel and Of Human Bondage, but with a Latino twist of machismo, passion etc.
The protagonist is very alluring. The job by Del Castillo is impeccable. The director is talented and though slightly "young": i.e. the camera-work shows his nervousness because it avoids close-ups and does not stay with the actor after s/he has made a major statement.
Ominous Latino ballads of love play a minor role and you will still enjoy the movie even if you don't understand them or relate to them.
The "dark woman" is a staple of Latin novels (this film is based on one such), maybe so as to compensate for the plentiful women-victims in real life. Maria E. Mayer Alhambra, CA