Sydney Pollack's 1999 film "Random Hearts" starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas has a tango component that I didn't recall from the first time I saw it. The movie was on the tube upstairs and then I heard tango music, so naturally I had to run up and see. The two characters' spouses were having an affair with each other and died together in a plane crash.
In the course of trying to figure out how long it had been going on and what they were up to, the two surviving spouses figured out that the two lovers were traveling to Miami on a regular basis to dance tango. The scene showed a public outdoor milonga with good/normal social dancing. This is one of the best portrayals in film I have seen, as a matter of fact. The only issue is the context in which it was presented - two adulterous lovers stealing away to secretly dance steamy, sultry, sensual, sexy Argentine tango in each other's arms.
Good, but not great, as far as the sociological portrayal of tango to the masses.
It also makes me wonder how many people out there in the world might be dancing tango unbeknownst to their spouse. Adultery by tango?
3 comments:
Well, the spouse might be suspicious about all that time that the other was gone to milongas, lessons, etc...and then they might find well worn unfamiliar dance shoes under the bed, and in the trunk of the car, and unusual music on the player, and...too hard to hide. Easier to have a lover, or a second job, or a nice skeleton in the closet, than to have tango!
It could happen.
There's a young couple here who teach tango and regularly perform, but refuse to allow anyone to video them, and enforce it by making sure it's too dark. No-one knows why, but it's very tempting to make up stories!
There are plenty of milongueros in Buenos Aires who dance tango unbeknownst to their spouses and families. :-)
I'm going to have to check out that movie!
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