Tonight, I watched a movie, Revenge, starring Anthony Quinn, Kevin Costner, Madeleine Stowe, Miguel Ferrer, and other well-known actors. I’ve always liked movies involving Americans–expatriots, artists, emigres, or others–that are set in Mexico. I have even written two short stories that use Mexico as a setting–“A Small Quiet Splash,” and “Days of the Dead.” I’ve only been to Mexico only once, a border town, but I was fascinated by it, and I’ve had two friends, one a photographer and one a missionary, who have lived there. From these two friends, I gathered the details and descriptions for these stories. If you would like a copy, I’ll be happy to send the stories to you. Write me at rickeyp@bayou.com

Back to the movie. The movie, directed by Tony Scott, and alledgedly Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film, is based on a novella by Jim Harrison (Legends of the Fall, a book containing a trilogy of his novellas–Legends of the Fall, Revenge, and The Man Who Gave Up His Name). I ordered the trilogy tonight. I found out that Revenge was first published in Esquire Magazine in 1979. One site said the late director John Huston helped write the script.

I found the movie, as I hope I will find Harrison’s writing, moving. The tagline says: A passion that cannot be denied. A betrayal that cannot be forgiven. This is a tragedy, with a heart-breaking fierceness few films I’ve seen possess. The sadness is equal to the ending of Cormac McCarthy’s, Cities of the Plain, also set in Mexico.

The movie is a reminder of how powerful, determined, tragic, and consuming love (and how cruel jealousy) can be. These doomed lovers struggle in love and in lust, with Miryea a woman in a society where marriages were “arranged.” She finds love outside of her marriage, where true love often finds people. I’ve seen this movie probably a half a dozen times, but I’m sure I’ll watch it again. Yet, there’s much discussion on the Net about this movie, and not all of it as positive as I feel about the film. Maybe it’s the romantic in me. The Spanish spoken by the rough people in the film reminded me of the neighborhood where I grew up in Dallas. Here’s a site (and there’s many others) where you can learn a few Spanish curse words. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_profanity

MOVIE QUOTE OF THE DAY : (Tibey) You Americans are so forgiving. But an animal without discipline . . .