“Burn directed by Gillo Pontecorvo”

Introduction

Film is an art form that has many limitations, which in fact is not the same as reading. This happens with all films, the film caught deeper, considers that each one wants, and therefore probably does not get the skin of an average book of philosophy of Hume, not to mention Kant. So I value both the sense illustrated in the film. Without illustration there is only barbarism, which is what we have in the streets today. Today the ruling liberals, a group of opportunists without any moral or cultural authority sell their political pamphlets. The fact is the targeted audiences are also like children in term of intellect. It was not always the same, the left has seen good times, with professional quality didactic, pedagogical, political and ideological glad to listen, read or see them, although not always agree with them. It happens that with the Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, who in my opinion is a genius of cinema and much more. This study will critically analyze the Gillo Pontecorvo film Burn (1969) from different perspectives.

Discussion and Analysis

Sir William Walker is called by the British to the island of Queimada. Upon his arrival he instigates a rebellion and revolution among the slaves. Walker also overturns the Portuguese grip on power. He did so that he can secure British rule over the island and control the production and distribution of sugar on Queimada (Celli, 86-119). The island is known as Queimada means “burnt” in Portuguese. The Portuguese set the island on fire it to subdue an original rebellion and therefore, killed off all the native people of Queimada (Solinas, Arlorio and Pontecorvo, 1970). The Portuguese then imported African slaves to work their sugar cane fields. In the beginning of the film, there is a brief scene displaying a dumping ground for the bodies of slaves who died on the journey from Africa (Berger, 79-84). This is a metaphor from the director meaning everything on the island that is said to be progress is actually built on the bones of dead slaves. Stated in the beginning of Burn, Queimada has a population of two hundred thousand. About only five thousand are Europeans, the rest of the population being blacks and Latin. The main town is a well-protected port with a fort and a garrison, a governor's palace, a cathedral, a bank, a hotel and a brothel.

Sir William Walker realizes he needs a suitable subject to train as a revolutionary. During the scene he observes one of the slaves. He selects José Dolores, a large, black gate keeper with a bit confidence. Walker tries to insult and humiliate him to provoke him into revealing some of his inner rebellious spirit (Celli, 86-119). This eventually works Walker beings to mold Delores into a revolutionary leader. Walker persuades José Dolores to steal from the bank of the island. He does so and Walker reveals his name to the government, posing Dolores into a sought after outlaw. At the same ...