With this scene Spanish director Carlos Saura opens "La Jota," the film that will close Instituto Cervantes' Festival of Iberoamerican Cinema, Sunday.
It's a clear expression of the director's intent, guiding the audience on how to approach the 90-minute film.
Over 50 years and over 40 films, Saura has returned to one of his great cinematic passions. Following musically themed films like "Flamenco," 1995, "Tango," 1998, and "Fados," 2007, he now turns his camera on the jota – a vigorous Spanish dance and music originally from the filmmaker's native region of Aragon.
Saura pays homage to the good old days of the dance, assisted by vocalist and actress Imperio Argentina, starring in the 1935 film "Nobleza Baturra".
Another new form is the jota gallega, conceived specifically for the film – and performed by the well-known musician Carlos Nunez, together with a group of singers, musicians and dancers – which reinterprets the jota as a Celtic dance, bagpipes and all.
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