I first encountered this film for a Hispanic Cinema class this past spring. It was a gem to say the least. The story tells of a young boy named Juanito who grows up with hypersensitivity to sound. After being ridiculed for this condition, Juanito encounters a man who proceeds to teach him how to play the violin. The most interesting piece to this film is the use of sound. The movie begins with loud and very annoying noises that add up and increase in volume to almost the point of pain. This gives a portrayal of how day-to-day life occurs in the village for Juanito. The uses of diegetic sound in examples such as this provide insight into the lives of Mexican villagers in the early 20th century. This movie also contains little to no dialogue. The dialogue that is present often reflects the inner workings of the villagers, in particular the children. When the children hurl their insults, it reflects the ignorance and intolerance of anything different of the entire village. The only thing that is different between the children and adults is that the adult villagers cannot act out as the children do. In opposition to this idea however, the actions of Juanito's mother are amplified by her words. Her dialogue speak for compassion toward her son, that he is no different from the sons and daughters of the other villagers, and that he needs protection from the world around him. The best use of sound in this movie is that of its nondiegetic sound. The first instance of the use of the nondiegetic sound is that of the orchestration of nature. Used in this way, the sounds of the orchestra almost become part of the actual film itself. This reveals another side of Juanito in his love of music. We are able invited into Juanito's world. As the movie progresses, the nondiegetic sound of the violin portrays the happiness of the old violinist and student alike at the ability to share in the violin's music. The use of the violin's music then takes a turn for the worse when the old violinist dies. When the music "outside" of the film takes on a sad quality, it reflects the inner turmoil of Juanito and the old violin. It also suggests that the violin can only make true music with its owner. In the hands of Juanito, it can only make a misguided form of the music that it shared with its previous owner. Overall this film was a joy to watch. I strongly recommend this for any person who analyzes films or simply enjoys watching classics.
Review of Yanco
