Change Your Image
LaDivaMartin
Reviews
...And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him (1994)
Good companion piece to book
After reading Y no se lo trago la tierra, I was very curious to see how it's unique writing style of flashbacks and memories would be transferred into film. The book, even though confusing at times, brought very vivid images into my imagination and even caused chills down my arms on occasion. The film, though brilliantly shot doesn't do the book justice.
I don't know how the film-makers decided which parts of the book actually made it into the film, but one of the saddest stories in the book, "The Night Before Christmas," about the children at Christmas time not getting anything but fruit as presents and the mother who was prone to panic attacks, was completely left out of the film. To me, this was one of the stories, that gave me chills and even made me teary eyed. I really wish the film-makers would have included this story.
I was also not pleased with some of the unnecessary changes to some of the details in the book. In the book, Marcos wants to be a telephone operator and in the film, a radio operator. Why dishonor the author's choice of words? The film does has wonderful moments, like the mother praying for her son's safe return home. It was sad in the book but heartbreaking on film. All in all, I think the film should be shown as a companion piece to the book but no movie could have captured the visuals I saw in my mind while reading this book.