‘Chico & Rita’ is an animated film created in 2010 directed by Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba and Tonno Errando. It follows the story set in the heart of Havana of Chico, a young pianist of the 1940s whose love for Cuban Jazz and Bebop fuel his passionate playing. Chico encounters a singer by the name of Rita, falling in love with her as well as her voice. Intertwined within their relationship are ups and downs but both end up venturing from Havana to New York City, experiencing first hand the showbiz and fame that arose as a result of the beautiful music that they produced.
Not only is this a story of romance, but it brings light to a moment in musical history. It was about how Cuban Jazz influenced the evolution of Bebop with Cubans travelling the world, sharing their sound and the soul that came with it.
source: google images
Throughout the movie, you encounter real-life legends within the Cuban Jazz scene as well as the fictional ones. This includes Chano Pozo, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk who you don’t see, but is mentioned.
The Making
The production began when Javier Mariscal gave Fernando Trueba a book filled with architectural drawings. This would play a large part in how the film came to be because Mariscal was determined to capture the true essence of Havana at that time. With the help of their friend Chavi who knew all about the layout of Havana, they went and photographed the areas that the movie would be taking place in, visually recording what the scene actually looked like so that the feel of Cuba could be replicated seamlessly. They even worked to restore buildings and pieces of architecture to capture the place in all of its glory.
200 animators worked on this film using a technique called rotoscoping. It is the process of using real-life footage and tracing over the frames to create the animation. Mariscal used actors to play out their scenes and this proved to be very effective. Having many animators can lead to various interpretations of the scenarios provided by the writers and so because it ensured that the animators had something specific to work with, the director’s ideas would be translated into the animation accurately so long as the actors successfully presented what he wanted.
The ‘live-action’ aspect of the film featured only the characters and so almost all of the scenes were filmed inside on a set without the use of props, costume and makeup. Mariscal used Cuban actors and actresses of which he knew were well skilled from when he taught at a film school.
For the car scenes, they had to film outside and use real cars that were rigged with balls as markers so that animators could recreate the camerawork realistically back in the studio.
Colour played a large part in conveying the atmospheres about the star locations of the movie, Havana and New York. The contrast between the two cities is shown through the use of the colour palettes. Havana is presented as warm, rural and exotic with life bustling through it but in a comfortable sense with its oranges, yellows and overall wide spectrum of soft but bright colours. New York is depicted as grey, dull and industrial utilising dirty blues and a monochromatic wash over the scenes. The warmth comes from the masses of electronic billboards and lights drawing attention to the most esteemed shopping locations at the heart of the city. It implies that this is what is attractive about such a place.
The soundtrack is one of the most important features of this film and so Mariscal was determined to do it justice in the name of Cuban Jazz and what it stands for. Rather than using the original recorded music, Mariscal wanted to compile his own. Had he used the originals, it would’ve turned the film into a collection of songs from the past. Recreating it allowed for a more exciting and fun experience – remaking the timeless Jazz classics of the time with a new generation of Cuban Jazz players stands to prove the true impact of those Cuban artists who migrated from Cuba to New York to evolve their sound on the whole timeline of music.
Personally, as a fan of Cuban Jazz, Salsa and more, I found that the soundtrack was helpful in enriching the story with life and true emotion as these were real, hardworking artists working to re-create sounds of history. Not only are they skilled musicians of this genre but they are as in love with Cuban Jazz as the fans – that is how they play with such passion and why it is so endearing.
Awards
‘Chico & Rita’ was nominated for 12 awards which includes an Oscar for ‘Best Animated Feature Film of the Year’, showcasing its great success. It won 9 awards in total:
> Cineuropa Award 2010
> FNAC Award 2011
> European Film Award 2011 – European Animated Feature Film
> Goya 2011 – Best Animated Film
> Gaudí Award 2012 – Best Original Score & Best Animated Feature
> Egeda Award 2012 – Best Documentary or Animated Feature
> NYFCO Award 2012 – Best Animated Feature
> Sant Jordi 2012 – Best Spanish Film
sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/movies/chico-rita-animated-film-about-cuba-and-its-music.html
http://www.chicoandrita.co.uk/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235830/awards
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ug0XGYX9NBbA5ejXwEbBsQSLekWqa11G/view
Jasmine Cooper 