The Gaucho War (La guerra gaucha) is a 1942 Argentine historical drama and epic film directed by Lucas Demare and starring Enrique Muiño, Francisco Petrone, Ángel Magaña, and Amelia Bence. It is one of the most celebrated works of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. The film's script, written by Homero Manzi and Ulyses Petit de Murat, is based on the novel by Leopoldo Lugones published in 1905. The film premiered in Buenos Aires on November 20, 1942, and is considered by critics of Argentine cinema to be one of the most successful films in history.Di Núbila, Domingo, La época de oro. Historia del cine argentino I pág. 392, 1998, Buenos Aires, Ediciones del Jilguero,
It won three Silver Condor awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Lucas Demare), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ulises Petit de Murat and Homero Manzi), given by the Argentine Film Critics Association at the 1943 Argentine Film Critics Association Awards for the best films and performances of the previous year.
The film is set in 1817 in the Salta Province of northwest Argentina during the Argentine War of Independence. It is based on the actions taken by the guerrillas under the command of the general Martin Güemes against the royalist army, loyal to the Spanish monarchy. For exterior filming, a village was established in the same area where the actual conflict had taken place. The cast of some thousand participants was unprecedented in Argentine cinema until that time.
The origins and content of the film are linked to a particular moment in Argentine history in which there was an intense debate over whether the country should take the side of either the Axis or the Allies during World War II, or maintain its neutrality during the war. The film stresses the values associated with nationalism as expressed in the union of the people, the army, and the church in defense of the country, which was considered by some a prelude to the revolutionary ideology that led to, on June 4, 1943, the overthrowing of the government of president Ramón Castillo.
The film was produced by Artistas Argentinos Asociados (Associated Argentine Artists), a cooperative of artists created just a short time before production began. It required an investment far beyond other productions of the period but the commercial success of the film allowed it to recover the cost in the first-run theaters, where it remained for nineteen weeks.
It was selected as the third greatest Argentine film of all time in the polls conducted by the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in 1977 and 1984, while it ranked 7th in the 2000 edition. In a new version of the survey organized in 2022 by the specialized magazines La vida util, Taipei and La tierra quema, presented at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, the film reached the 49 position.
Plot Prologue The film begins with a prologue on screen providing the historical circumstances of the place and time in which the action is placed, and advancing the position of its authors. From 1814 to 1818, General Martín Miguel de Güemes and his gauchos resisted the Spanish royalist armies that systematically ransacked the country, attacking Argentina's Northwest from the Spanish base in Upper Peru since the withdrawal of the country's regular troops. This conflict consisted in Guerrilla warfare movements designed by Güemes and constant small battles characterized by the heroism of the irregular patriot forces commanded by Güemes.
The opening states:
Summary 1817: in Argentina's Salta Province, during the War of Independence, the irregular gaucho forces commanded by General Martín Miguel de Güemes carry out a series of guerrilla actions against the Spanish Royalist Army. The commander of a Spanish army contingent, Lieutenant Villarreal, is wounded, captured by the guerrillas, and put under the medical care of Asunción, the mistress of an estancia. Asunción finds out from Villarreal's identification papers that the Lieutenant, though serving in the Spanish army, was born in Lima (Peru). She persuades him in understanding the importance and true justice of liberating America from Spain's colonial rule.
The patriot forces receive help from the Sacristan of a chapel located next to the grounds of the royalist troops. The sacristan fakes loyalty to the Spanish king, but in the midst of the battles he sends messages to the gaucho guerrillas hiding in the mountains by means of a messenger boy and by the ringing of a bell. When the royalists discover this, they attack and burn the chapel and smash the sacristan's eyes. Blinded, the sacristan unwittingly guides the royalists to the patriot camp. The royalists then proceed to annihilate the gauchos.
After the battle, the only four survivors are the dying sacristan, an old man, a young boy, and Lieutenant Villarreal, who has fallen in love with Asunción and converted to the patriot cause. Though the group seems doomed, they suddenly see Güemes' arriving troops, which will continue the battle against the invader troops.
Cast
Enrique Muiño as Sacristán Lucero Francisco Petrone (Francisco Antonio Petrecca Mesulla) as Capitán Miranda Ángel Magaña as Teniente Villarreal Sebastián Chiola as Capitán Del Carril Amelia Bence as Asunción Colombres Ricardo Galache Dora Ferreiro Elvira Quiroga Juan Pérez Bilbao Carlos Campagnale Aquiles Guerrero Roberto Combi Amílcar Leveratto Antonio Cytro Carlos Enzo Roberto Prause René Mugica Raúl Merlo Ricardo Reinaldo Alberto Contreras (son) Antonia Rojas Laura Moreno José López Jacinta Diana
Production
The novel Leopoldo Lugones (June 13, 1874 – February 18, 1938) was a prolific Argentine writer and journalist of whom Ricardo Rojas said:
To write La guerra gaucha Lugones traveled to Salta Province, to visit the actual places where the events happened and to record the oral tradition of the area. It is an epic story composed of several histories described with a wide vocabulary full of metaphors. Dialogs are short, but descriptions and subjective vision are plentiful. The landscape characteristics and Salta's nature are described in detail and have great importance in the book.
Historical context in Argentina
On February 20, 1938 Roberto M. Ortiz became president of Argentina. A member of the Unión Cívica Radical Antipersonalista party, he expressed his intention of ending the systemic electoral fraud imposed since the 1930 military coup. This idea found resistance within the political coalition named "The Concordance" ("La Concordancia") to which he belonged. Finally the worsening of his diabetes forced him to relinquish the presidency to his vice president Ramón Castillo, first in provisionally and after June 27, 1942, permanently. The new president was not in agreement with Ortiz's policies and from his post he condoned the fraud practices, disappointing the followers who believed in the changes proposed by his predecessor. Halperín Donghi, Tulio, La república imposible (1930-1945) pág. 236, 2004, Buenos Aires, Ariel Historia,
At the start of World War II the Argentine government declared itself neutral (on September 4, 1939), repeating the position taken during the First World War (1914–1918). Great Britain supported the decision as it was interested in Argentina being neutral and continuing the supply of food during the war. Halperín Donghi, Tulio, La república imposible (1930-1945) pág. 261, 2004, Buenos Aires, Ariel Historia,
In December 1941, the United States of America declared war on the Axis powers after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In January 1942, the Third Consulting Meeting of Chancellors of the American Republics met in Rio de Janeiro as the U.S. wished other American nations to break relations with the Axis powers. Argentina, which had had frictions with the U.S. in previous years, Rapoport, Mario, ¿Aliados o neutrales? La Argentina frente a la Segunda Guerra Mundial pág. 11, 1988, Buenos Aires, Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires, was opposed to said goals and influenced successfully to "recommend" the breakup of relations instead of making it mandatory. Rapoport, Mario, ¿Aliados o neutrales? La Argentina frente a la Segunda Guerra Mundial pág. 174, 1988, Buenos Aires, Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires, Halperín Donghi, Tulio, La república imposible (1930-1945) pág. 264, 2004, Buenos Aires, Ariel Historia,
The problems associated with foreign policy took on more importance in Argentina and revived the conflict between the three political factions, the one pushing for siding with the Allies, the neutrals, and the one more in tune with the Axis. This latter minority group included the followers of nationalism and some officers of the army. The subject of the position the country should take on the war displaced other issues in the national political arena. Buchrucker, Cristian, Nacionalismo y peronismo pág. 222, 1987, Buenos Aires, Editorial Sudamericana,
Starting in the 1930s, and following a general tendency in Latin America, nationalist ideas were fortified in the countryside and many diverse sectors of Argentina. Political parties such as the Unión Cívica Radical, the Socialist Party of Argentina, and in the unions organized under the umbrella of the Confederación General del Trabajo the favorable currents for the State to become interventionist were growing, in order to push the preservation on the national interests and promote industrialization.
This ideological change was also observable in the cultural movements, with the vindication of the tango and the indigenous "gaucho roots". Baily, Samuel L., Movimiento obrero, nacionalismo y política en Argentina, 1985, Buenos Aires, Ed. Hyspamérica, ; Ferrero, Roberto A., Del fraude a la soberanía popular, 1976, Buenos Aires, Ed. La BastillaPotash, Robert A., El ejército y la política en la Argentina; 1928-1945, 1981, Buenos Aires, Ed. Sudamericana. La guerra gaucha was then selected as the subject, written and filmed in the context of expansive nationalism and debates over issues of war.
State of the film industry in Argentina In 1938, 41 films opened and 16 new directors debuted. In 1939, the number increased to 51 films. Mahieu, José Agustín, Breve historia del cine argentino págs. 21 y 24, 1966, Buenos Aires, Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires Argentine cinema was very popular. In Mexico, almost all Argentine films were shown. Di Núbila, Domingo, La época de oro. Historia del cine argentino I pág. 312, 1998, Buenos Aires, Ediciones del Jilguero, In 1940, 49 films opened, despite the shortage of celluloid due to the war. In 1941, there were 47 openings and in 1942, 57. Mahieu, José Agustín, Breve historia del cine argentino pág. 30, 1966, Buenos Aires, Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires
Artistas Argentinos Asociados
A group of unemployed artists, Enrique Muiño, Elías Alippi, Francisco Petrone, Ángel Magaña, the director Lucas Demare and the chief of production of a movie company Enrique Faustín (son) met regularly at the beginning of the 1940s at the "El Ateneo" cafe in Buenos Aires.
The Ateneo Group ("Barra del Ateneo") decided to found a cooperative film production company following the style of the American United Artists, so on September 26, 1941, they started "Artistas Argentinos Asociados Sociedad Cinematográfica SRL". Maranghello, César, Artistas Argentinos Asociados. La epopeya trunca, 2002, Buenos Aires pág. 31, Ediciones del Jilguero, Zolezzi, Emilio, Noticias del viejo cine criollo, pág.119, 2006, Buenos Aires, Ediciones Lumiere S.A.,
Origins of the film