ROSA LA CHINA
Spain/Cuba, 2002, 102 minutes, Colour.
Juan Luis Galiardo, Luisa Maria Jimenez, Abel Rodriguez.
Directed by Valeria Sarmiento.
Rosa la China is set in Cuba, written by an exiled playwright and directed by Valeria Sarmiento, who was born in Chile, worked in documentaries in Europe and began making feature films in the '80s.
The film opens with a radio playing one of the soap operas so popular in Cuba from the 1930s. The setting is 1950, the nightclubs and brothels of Havana. Outside there is social unrest - but the audience sees only glimpses of this. It is more talked about than seen. What is seen is the highly melodramatic details of the life of Rosa la China, the wife of Dalzura, the owner of several of the nightclubs, in league with corrupt politicians. The film focuses on the relationship between Rosa and a young gigolo, Marcos, who has great ambitions. His sister Laura is pregnant to the main corrupt politician, the Catholic mother has recourse to going to a fortune teller to try to understand what his happening to her family.
The film is highly Hispanic in its emotions, florid colour, the melodramatic action of seduction, deception, tragedy and desperate love. While it might suit the Hispanic temperament very well, it seems overdone to a more staid culture, especially those cultures of the English-speaking world.
1. The popularity of the radio soap operas in Cuba? The man reading the soap opera to the cigarette makers in the factory? Everybody listening to the soap operas, identifying with the characters, the heightened crises?
2. The Cuban settings, Havana, the city, some of the exteriors, the film principally shot inside the rooms, homes, the nightclub? The forest and beach scenes? An atmosphere of the middle of the 20th century? The musical score, the range of songs and Rosa's songs and dances?
3. Audience response to the melodramatic situations, the heightened characters, the passionate relationships, the sexuality and nudity, the violence, the political corruption? The Catholic religious tradition, mixing with traditional superstitions? Fortune-telling? A mixture of cultures within Cuban culture? The decade of the overthrow of the old regime and the rule of Fidel Castro soon to come?
4. The title and its focus on Rosa, her passionate relationship with Marcos, his rejecting her? Her relationship with her husband? Tensions? The necklace and her ultimately stealing it? Her performances in the cabaret? With the other girls in the cabaret? Her relationships with men? Her passionate attitude towards Marcos, yet her denouncing him after the scuffle in the club? His coming out of prison and rejecting her? The beach sequence? Her decision to go away with him, taking the necklace, deceiving her husband, abusive towards him? Going to the beach, the encounter, her violent death?
5. Marcos and his age, experience, ambitions? Relationship with Rosa, sensuality, rejecting her? In the bar and trying to be a big man with the authorities, their not trusting him? At home with his mother, denunciations of his sister? The return home, his anger with sister, his mother still washing him in the bath? Emotionally immature? His being accused in the club, in prison, getting out, his anger with Rosa? Her giving him the necklace, his hiding it with the money down the well? His stabbing of the parliamentarian's son? The beach sequences and passion? The return to the beach, the anger with Rosa, his violently killing her?
6. Dalzura, his position in Havana, owning the clubs, the chief? His attitude towards those in his employ, commandeering? His love for Rosa, knowing of her infidelity towards him? Running the clubs, seeing the politicians? His being framed at the end? Going to the beach, the police and their shooting?
7. Polo and his assistance, advice to Dalzura? His getting the henchmen and torturing them? His ultimately winning out over Dalzura, driving his car, picking up Laura?
8. The parliamentarian, double standards, with Laura, her pregnancy? The party, the death of his son? The confrontation with Dalzura, engineering his death?
9. Laura, at home, feeling rejected by her mother? With the parliamentarian, excited about her pregnancy, returning home, the possibility of an abortion? The mother, her attitude towards her children? The arguments, the neighbour? Laura being called to the parliamentarian? Marcos's taunts of her? The mother, going to the fortune teller? The scenes of fortune-telling? Rosa and her also going to traditional superstitious ceremonies, her anger and outburst? The use of tarot cards?
10. Life in the clubs, the clients, the women, their dissatisfaction, the sailors, the fights and the scuffles? The police and the final shooting?
11. The background of potential revolution, strikes and student demonstrations? The postscript with Laura working in the factory, the reading of the story, Dalzura sitting in his chair and dying?
