Chico & Rita Review
On these terms Treuba and Mariscal succeeded; creating a gorgeous animation full of life and energy. Mariscal’s cityscapes are simultaneously sublime and whimsical. Havana is warm and vibrant, while still maintaining a cluttered and disorganised feel. Every scene is burgeoning either with painstaking detail or loose bright splashes of colour. Chico and Rita is truly a joy to behold. A chaotic pleasure to be gleaned from these hand animated scribbling that has been sorely missing in the age of Pixar’s clean, crisp and ultimately utilitarian computer generated graphics.
You forgive Treuba indulging in cinematic clichés, as even the most tired of scenes are given new life in Marisical’s glorious world. In New York Rita stares solemnly out of her high rise apartment window; in any live action film, this overly familiar visual would be greeted with a groan, but in Chico and Rita’s world it seems new. The quirks of Mariscal’s animation captures the busy essence of New York’s skyline in a way that no video or photograph ever could.
The variety of location is one of Chico and Rita’s great strengths. We get the contrast between imperialist extravagance and the life affirming spirit of the pre-revolution ghetto in Havana; we’re invited into the ice cool underground jazz clubs of smog laden New York before we’re jetted off to smoky Parisian walkways. Each city is given its own character and its own unique quirks, but none shines as brightly, or is as intoxicating as 40s Havana.
Musically Chico and Rita is sublime. As we journey across the world’s we’re treated to the sounds of all Jazz’s greats; Dizzy Gillespie unleashes a knotted trombone solo in Paris, while Chano Pozo‘s injection of rumbling percussion into Latin jazz is captured in New York. Everyone you’d hope to see make an appearance does (Thelonious Monk, Tito Peunte, Charlie Parker, etc.), and they’re all showcased in a satisfying but complimentary way which doesn’t take away or distract from the film’s core narrative, it’s engaging love story. Surprisingly then, jazz is used best, not in Chico and Rita’s superstar showcases, but in its subtle sound tracking. Dramatic car crashes, sultry footsteps and evil glares, all are brought to life by delightful flourishes of horns and melancholic thuds of piano.
Sadly almost all the emotion in Chico and Rita comes from the instrumentation and not the films two leads. Rita is not without her charms, a typical fiery but ultimately fragile heroine; she is easy to fall for as she stumbles from one distressing situation to the next. The same cannot be said of Chico, who is quite simply the most unlikeable romantic lead in cinematic history. His every decision, action and comment is morose and self involved. What I presume were supposed to be flirtatious one liners come across as cruel, unnecessary and charmless insults. As a result it’s hard to become fully engaged in the films romance. All the strife and hardship is caused by Chico, and by the end of the film you’ll find yourself at best hoping he doesn’t get the girl, and at worst not caring.
To make matters worse Chico and Rita are never kept apart long enough to allow genuine pathos to develop. Instead they are together, then apart, then together, and then apart again, so quickly, that their romance is more dizzying than epic.
Despite this key flaw that lies at the heart of Chico and Rita’s romance, the unmistakeable sense of atmosphere emanating from the musicianship and artistry more than compensates. The passion and emotion comes from the love of music, and while the romance between the two characters never ignites; it’s hard not to be moved when Rita, full of abandon, dances with a distinct sensual intensity while Chico playfully manipulates his piano keys.
You forgive Treuba indulging in cinematic clichés, as even the most tired of scenes are given new life in Marisical’s glorious world. In New York Rita stares solemnly out of her high rise apartment window; in any live action film, this overly familiar visual would be greeted with a groan, but in Chico and Rita’s world it seems new. The quirks of Mariscal’s animation captures the busy essence of New York’s skyline in a way that no video or photograph ever could.The variety of location is one of Chico and Rita’s great strengths. We get the contrast between imperialist extravagance and the life affirming spirit of the pre-revolution ghetto in Havana; we’re invited into the ice cool underground jazz clubs of smog laden New York before we’re jetted off to smoky Parisian walkways. Each city is given its own character and its own unique quirks, but none shines as brightly, or is as intoxicating as 40s Havana.
Musically Chico and Rita is sublime. As we journey across the world’s we’re treated to the sounds of all Jazz’s greats; Dizzy Gillespie unleashes a knotted trombone solo in Paris, while Chano Pozo‘s injection of rumbling percussion into Latin jazz is captured in New York. Everyone you’d hope to see make an appearance does (Thelonious Monk, Tito Peunte, Charlie Parker, etc.), and they’re all showcased in a satisfying but complimentary way which doesn’t take away or distract from the film’s core narrative, it’s engaging love story. Surprisingly then, jazz is used best, not in Chico and Rita’s superstar showcases, but in its subtle sound tracking. Dramatic car crashes, sultry footsteps and evil glares, all are brought to life by delightful flourishes of horns and melancholic thuds of piano.
Sadly almost all the emotion in Chico and Rita comes from the instrumentation and not the films two leads. Rita is not without her charms, a typical fiery but ultimately fragile heroine; she is easy to fall for as she stumbles from one distressing situation to the next. The same cannot be said of Chico, who is quite simply the most unlikeable romantic lead in cinematic history. His every decision, action and comment is morose and self involved. What I presume were supposed to be flirtatious one liners come across as cruel, unnecessary and charmless insults. As a result it’s hard to become fully engaged in the films romance. All the strife and hardship is caused by Chico, and by the end of the film you’ll find yourself at best hoping he doesn’t get the girl, and at worst not caring.To make matters worse Chico and Rita are never kept apart long enough to allow genuine pathos to develop. Instead they are together, then apart, then together, and then apart again, so quickly, that their romance is more dizzying than epic.
Despite this key flaw that lies at the heart of Chico and Rita’s romance, the unmistakeable sense of atmosphere emanating from the musicianship and artistry more than compensates. The passion and emotion comes from the love of music, and while the romance between the two characters never ignites; it’s hard not to be moved when Rita, full of abandon, dances with a distinct sensual intensity while Chico playfully manipulates his piano keys.
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