Alfonsina
Encyclopedia
Alfonsina is a 1957
Argentine
biographical film
directed by Kurt Land
and written by José María Fernández Unsáin
. The film stars Amelia Bence
as the poet Alfonsina Storni
and actor Guillermo Murray.
breaking ominously on the seashore, accompanied by Alfonsina's poetry. Another scene has Alfonsina looking into a fish-bowl and saying "I wonder what it would be like to live under the sea".
There is also an important scene where Alfonsina announces the news of her illness performed in a very different way from Hollywood film.
stars as the Argentine poet
and journalist
Alfonsina Storni
was an Argentine poet and journalist who made a successful career in the rough macho world of reporting.
Kurt Land was originally from Vienna
, so he has a romantic atmosphere somewhat similar to Ernst Lubitsch
. This style of movie-making was dated even in 1957, but Alfonsina shows style in the voice over editing of the poetry reading.
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
Argentine
Cinema of Argentina
The cinema of Argentina has a tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century, and continues to play a role in the culture of Argentina....
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
directed by Kurt Land
Kurt Land
Kurt Landesberger was an Austrian born Argentine film director of the 1950s and 1960s....
and written by José María Fernández Unsáin
Jose Maria Fernandez Unsain
José María Fernández Unsáin was an Argentinan film director. Although he studied medicine, Fernández Unsain chose literature as his career. He migrated to Mexico in 1958 and worked on the screenplays of hundreds of films over the next several decades, including Sinful. He also directed a number of...
. The film stars Amelia Bence
Amelia Bence
Amelia Bence is an Argentine film actress.-Career:Born as María Amelia Botwinik, Amelia Bence is one of the divas of the Golden Age of the Argentinian cinema...
as the poet Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni was one of the most important Latin-American poets of the modernist period.-Life:Storni was born in Sala Capriasca, Switzerland to an Argentine beer industrialist living in Switzerland for a few years. There, Storni learned to speak Italian...
and actor Guillermo Murray.
Plot
In a movie of slow-pace, the film opens with a wide shot of wavesWAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
breaking ominously on the seashore, accompanied by Alfonsina's poetry. Another scene has Alfonsina looking into a fish-bowl and saying "I wonder what it would be like to live under the sea".
There is also an important scene where Alfonsina announces the news of her illness performed in a very different way from Hollywood film.
Other cast
- Amelia Bence as Alfonsina Storni
- Alberto Berco
- José De Angelis
- Dorita Ferreyro
- Domingo Mania
- Alejandro ReyAlejandro ReyAlejandro Rey was an Argentine actor. He immigrated to the United States in 1960, later became a U.S. citizen and gained his widest acclaim there.-Career:...
- Marcela Sola
Overview
Amelia BenceAmelia Bence
Amelia Bence is an Argentine film actress.-Career:Born as María Amelia Botwinik, Amelia Bence is one of the divas of the Golden Age of the Argentinian cinema...
stars as the Argentine poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni
Alfonsina Storni was one of the most important Latin-American poets of the modernist period.-Life:Storni was born in Sala Capriasca, Switzerland to an Argentine beer industrialist living in Switzerland for a few years. There, Storni learned to speak Italian...
was an Argentine poet and journalist who made a successful career in the rough macho world of reporting.
Kurt Land was originally from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, so he has a romantic atmosphere somewhat similar to Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
. This style of movie-making was dated even in 1957, but Alfonsina shows style in the voice over editing of the poetry reading.