Seminar Room, Münsterplatz 19
Organizer:
Institute of Social Anthropology
The Children of Sanchez
Drama. USA 1979. 87min. Directed by Hall Barteltt.
With Anthony Quinn as Jesus Sanchez and Lupita Ferrer as Consuelo.
Rarely has an anthropological book been picturised as a Hollywood movie. Oscar Lewis‘ book „The Children of Sanchez“ is an exception. Lewis conducted extensive research on and with the poor people of the suburbs of Mexico City. His work mirrored his deep and lasting commitment to the life of the poorest part of the city‘s population. Lewis showed how poor suburban dwellers were entangled in a culture of poverty, which allowed them to survive under the merciless conditions of Mexico’s capitalist economy. The film featured Anthony Quinn as Jesus Sanchez who lives with several women and many children at the margins of Mexico City. Helpless and desperate, he tries to keep his family together, often resorting to brutalities to which he falls as much victim as his children. His situation seems to be hopeless until Jesus Sanchez wins a lot of money in a lottery. He believes, that this money will solve all his problems – but the constraints of his social situation are stronger. Deviating from the book, the feature film puts the romantic feelings of Sanchez‘ daughter Consuelo first and portrays Sanchez as a brutal macho while the book looks more at how he is repeatedly pushed back into the desperate situation poor people have to face at the margins of the mega city.
The film is particularly screened for the students of the basic course „Geschichte und Theorie der Ethnologie“, but other students and lecturers are of course welcome. The film is longer than the usual duration of the Wednesday Colloquium. The colloquium will therefore end about 30 minutes later than usual.
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