The Truce (1974 film)
Encyclopedia
The Truce is a 1974
Argentine
film directed by Sergio Renán
and co-written with Aída Bortnik
, based on the eponymous novel by Mario Benedetti
. It was the first Argentine film to be nominated for an Academy Award (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
).
); the caring middle-child Blanca (Marilina Ross) and Jaime (Oscar Martínez
), a closeted homosexual. He goes to work thinking they have forgotten his birthday, and once at the office, he assigns two new employees to their jobs: the effeminate, nervous Santini (Antonio Gasalla
) and the young Laura (Ana María Picchio
), with whom he soon develops a bond. Back home, Martín is surprised with a party thrown by his children.
After having a one-night stand with a woman he met on the bus (Norma Aleandro
), Martín starts going through a series of events that alter his life completely. Santini has a nervous breakdown at work and rants against the complacency of his co-workers; he is subsequently replaced, though the breakdown marks Martín and forces him to look at his own life. His son Jaime finally comes out and decides to leave home to save the family from embarrassment and further complications. Topping it all, Martín, who has befriended Laura, professes his love for her at a café and implores her to look beyond the age difference (he is 49, she is 24) and give him a chance. She accepts.
The two start dating and Martín regains his wont of living. Their relationship never falters, and hints of infidelity are quickly dismissed. He moves into her apartment, forsaking his son and daughter (who starts dating a man herself). This upsets Esteban even more, who blames his father for giving him a mediocre life. Martín implores him that it is never late to change, and they reconcile.
The film's climax
begins with the untimely demise of Laura, who contracts flu and dies from heart failure shortly thereafter. Martín once again regains his bleak view of life and the world. He realizes that his romance with Laura was nothing but "a truce with life". The film ends on an ambiguous tone, as Esteban tries to comfort his father, roles inverted, and the camera centers on Martín, leaning against the wall, looking more hopeless than ever.
, Lucas Demare
and three times under Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
. It was in his last collaboration with Torre Nilsson, in 1973, that he met fellow co-stars Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro. A year later he would cast them both in a starring role and a cameo appearance
respectively in his film debut, La tregua.
A year after its release, La tregua was submitted to the Academy Awards (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) and won a nomination (the first Academy Award nomination in Argentine film history) but lost out to Federico Fellini
's Amarcord
. The movie has since gained cult status in Argentina. A Mexican
remake
was made in 2003.
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
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....
film directed by Sergio Renán
Sergio Renán
Sergio Renán is an Argentine actor, film director and screenwriter.Born in Buenos Aires in 1933, Renán became an accomplished violinist in his teens and, following a minor film role in Mario Soffici's 1951 drama Pasó en mi barrio , he joined the theatre as an actor and continued to appear in...
and co-written with Aída Bortnik
Aída Bortnik
Aída Bortnik is an Argentine screenwriter, nominated for an Academy Award for her work in the film La historia oficial .- Career :...
, based on the eponymous novel by Mario Benedetti
Mario Benedetti
Mario Benedetti was an Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet....
. It was the first Argentine film to be nominated for an Academy Award (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
).
Plot
The film opens on Martín Santomé's (Héctor Alterio) 49th birthday, a widower and the father of three children: the eldest, the embittered Esteban (Luis BrandoniLuis Brandoni
Luis Brandoni is an Argentine film and television actor. Politically active in the centrist Radical Civic Union , he was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies in 1993, where he served until, 2001...
); the caring middle-child Blanca (Marilina Ross) and Jaime (Oscar Martínez
Oscar Martínez
Oscar Martínez was an Argentine Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual épée event at the 1928 Summer Olympics.-References:...
), a closeted homosexual. He goes to work thinking they have forgotten his birthday, and once at the office, he assigns two new employees to their jobs: the effeminate, nervous Santini (Antonio Gasalla
Antonio Gasalla
Antonio Gasalla is a well-known Argentine actor, comedian, and theatre director.-Life and work:Antonio Gasalla was born in Ramos Mejía, a western suburb of Buenos Aires, in 1941...
) and the young Laura (Ana María Picchio
Ana María Picchio
Ana María Picchio is an Argentine actress.She made her debut in 1969 in the film Breve cielo and has made over 50 appearances in film and TV to date.She starred in Adios Roberto in 1985.-External links:...
), with whom he soon develops a bond. Back home, Martín is surprised with a party thrown by his children.
After having a one-night stand with a woman he met on the bus (Norma Aleandro
Norma Aleandro
Norma Aleandro Robledo is an Argentine actress and screenwriter, born in Buenos Aires to Pedro Aleandro and María Luisa Robledo, both actors. Her sister, María Vaner, was a famous actress in Argentina.- Life and career :...
), Martín starts going through a series of events that alter his life completely. Santini has a nervous breakdown at work and rants against the complacency of his co-workers; he is subsequently replaced, though the breakdown marks Martín and forces him to look at his own life. His son Jaime finally comes out and decides to leave home to save the family from embarrassment and further complications. Topping it all, Martín, who has befriended Laura, professes his love for her at a café and implores her to look beyond the age difference (he is 49, she is 24) and give him a chance. She accepts.
The two start dating and Martín regains his wont of living. Their relationship never falters, and hints of infidelity are quickly dismissed. He moves into her apartment, forsaking his son and daughter (who starts dating a man herself). This upsets Esteban even more, who blames his father for giving him a mediocre life. Martín implores him that it is never late to change, and they reconcile.
The film's climax
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
begins with the untimely demise of Laura, who contracts flu and dies from heart failure shortly thereafter. Martín once again regains his bleak view of life and the world. He realizes that his romance with Laura was nothing but "a truce with life". The film ends on an ambiguous tone, as Esteban tries to comfort his father, roles inverted, and the camera centers on Martín, leaning against the wall, looking more hopeless than ever.
Cast
- Héctor Alterio .... Martín Santomé
- Luis BrandoniLuis BrandoniLuis Brandoni is an Argentine film and television actor. Politically active in the centrist Radical Civic Union , he was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies in 1993, where he served until, 2001...
.... Esteban Santomé - Ana María PicchioAna María PicchioAna María Picchio is an Argentine actress.She made her debut in 1969 in the film Breve cielo and has made over 50 appearances in film and TV to date.She starred in Adios Roberto in 1985.-External links:...
.... Laura Avellaneda - Marilina Ross .... Blanca Santomé
- Oscar MartínezOscar MartínezOscar Martínez was an Argentine Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual épée event at the 1928 Summer Olympics.-References:...
.... Jaime Santomé - Cipe Lincovsky .... Laura's mother
- Lautaro MurúaLautaro MurúaLautaro Murúa was a Chilean-born Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is one of the best known actors in the Cinema of Argentina....
.... The Manager - Norma AleandroNorma AleandroNorma Aleandro Robledo is an Argentine actress and screenwriter, born in Buenos Aires to Pedro Aleandro and María Luisa Robledo, both actors. Her sister, María Vaner, was a famous actress in Argentina.- Life and career :...
.... Woman on the bus - Sergio RenánSergio RenánSergio Renán is an Argentine actor, film director and screenwriter.Born in Buenos Aires in 1933, Renán became an accomplished violinist in his teens and, following a minor film role in Mario Soffici's 1951 drama Pasó en mi barrio , he joined the theatre as an actor and continued to appear in...
... Jaime's friend - Antonio GasallaAntonio GasallaAntonio Gasalla is a well-known Argentine actor, comedian, and theatre director.-Life and work:Antonio Gasalla was born in Ramos Mejía, a western suburb of Buenos Aires, in 1941...
.... Santini - Luis Politti .... Vignale
- Jorge Sassi .... Suárez
Background
Argentine actor Sergio Renán had been performing in movies since 1951 under the direction of noted filmmakers Mario SofficiMario Soffici
Mario Soffici was an Italian born Argentine film director, actor and screenwriter of the classic era.A native of Florence, Soffici moved the Argentina in the 1920s and began acting in 1931 and directing in 1935 on the film El Alma de Bandoneón, working with popular actors of the period such as...
, Lucas Demare
Lucas Demare
Lucas Demare was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer prominent in the Cinema of Argentina in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s....
and three times under Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson , also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter....
. It was in his last collaboration with Torre Nilsson, in 1973, that he met fellow co-stars Héctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro. A year later he would cast them both in a starring role and a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
respectively in his film debut, La tregua.
A year after its release, La tregua was submitted to the Academy Awards (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) and won a nomination (the first Academy Award nomination in Argentine film history) but lost out to Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
's Amarcord
Amarcord
Amarcord is a 1973 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale about Titta, an adolescent boy growing up among an eccentric cast of characters in the fictional town of Borgo in 1930s Fascist Italy...
. The movie has since gained cult status in Argentina. A Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
was made in 2003.