La fiesta del Chivo (2005)

Urania Cabral returns to Santo Domingo, after several years, and remembers her and her family's relationship to Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican dictator, as well as the events surrounding his assassination.

Director:

Luis Llosa

Writers:

Luis Llosa (screenplay), Augusto Cabada (screenplay)

Stars:

Tomas Milian, Isabella Rossellini, Paul Freeman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tomas Milian	...	Rafael Leonidas Trujillo
Isabella Rossellini	...	Urania
Paul Freeman	...	Agustín Cabral
Juan Diego Botto	...	Amadito García Guerrero
Stephanie Leonidas	...	Uranita
Shawn Elliott	...	Johnny Abbes
Murphy Guyer	...	Turk
David Zayas	...	Antonio de la Maza
Steven Bauer	...	Juan José Viñas
Carlos Miranda	...	Antonio Imbert Barrera
Eileen Atkins	...	Aunt Adelina
Clare Cathcart	...	Lucinda
Gary Piquer	...	Galindez
Jordan Lage	...	Gral. Pupo Román
Richard Bekins	...	Manuel Alfonso

Storyline

Based on the best-selling novel by Mario Vargas Llosa, this is the story of Urania Cabral, a beautiful, kind, intelligent and independent Manhattan lawyer whom, after 30 years returns to República Dominicana to face her ghosts... and the horrifying circumstances that altered her life forever when she was a teenager and Rafael Leónidas Trujillo a.k.a El Chivo (The Goat) was the iron-handed ruler of this island paradise... after Urania faces her past, nothing in her present or future will ever be the same again.

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Plot Keywords:

assassination | dictator | assassination plot | vaginal injury | drive by shooting | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Dominican Republic Spain UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Feast of the Goat

Filming Locations:

Centro de los Héroes, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Box Office

Budget:

€8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DRAX audio, Future Film Group, Future Films

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the exteriors were filmed in Santo Domingo, but the studio filming was done in Spain.

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Goofs

The National Police (Policia Nacional) of Dominican Republic was the color green in Trujillo's Era, however, on the film it appears yellow. The Nacional Police was not yellow until 2004-2005.

User Reviews

Spanish/ British / Dominican Republic rendition based on known best-seller by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and directed by his cousin Luis Llosa

At the beginning takes place a murder of a Spanish writer called Galindo (Gary Piquer) denouncing crimes of the dictator , as he is executed by Trujillo's hoodlums . This is the story of Urania Cabral (Isabella Rosellini), a Manhattan successful lawyer , after 30 years returns to República Santo Domingo, to face her past and remembers her father's (Paul Freeman) relationship to Rafael Trujillo (Tomas Milan) , a.k.a El Chivo (The Goat) . Her life is turned upside down when she has a meeting to Dominican dictator, as well as the events surrounding his assassination carried out by a motley group (Juan Diego Botto, David Zayas , among others) .

Based on the best-selling novel by Mario Vargas Llosa , it has well adapted , though adding some brief changes . It is less a feast than a somewhat rushed, but thoroughly thought-provoking and the main difference from the source novel was the sacrifice of psychological nuance. The film deals with horrifying circumstances that altered Urania Cabral's life forever when she was a teenager well played by Stephanie Leonidas and grown-up performed by Isabella Rosselini along with her relationship to Rafael Leónidas Trujillo for whom nothing in her present or future will ever be the same again . Good acting by Isabella Rossellini as a smart , kind ,and independent advocate at law whom, returns to to face her past ghost . Terrific acting by Tomas Milian as a sadist and maniac tyrant , he steals the show playing a disgusting and loathing character , including some unsettling scenes dealing with his relationship to Urania Cabral/Stephanie Leonidas . Being a Spanish/British co-production appears several fine Spanish actors such as Juan Diego Botto , Gary Piquer as well as British players such as Paul Freeman , Eileen Atkins , among others . Lavishly produced by Andres Vicente Gomez , the picture pays attention to period detail . Nice production design , all the exteriors were filmed in Santo Domingo, but the studio filming was done in Spain . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Javier Salmones . The motion picture was professionally directed by Peruvian Luis Llosa (Anaconda , The specialist , Sniper) , he is cousin of Mario Vargas Llosa .

The flick is based on fictional events as well as historical deeds deeds ; these are the followings : Rafael Trujillo (Tomas Milian) was a real dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961 and the official President of the Republic from 1930 to 1938 and 1943 to 1952, he was the iron-handed ruler of this island paradise. Trujillo's character struggles with aging and the physical problems . During his "thirty-one years of horrendous political crimes", modernized the country's infrastructure and military, but whose regime's attacks against its enemies overseas , particularly the attempted assassination of Rómulo Betancourt, president of Venezuela, led to the imposition of economic sanctions on the Dominican Republic by the Organization of American States in the 1950s. The resultant economic downturn, in conjunction with other factors, leads to the CIA supported assassination plot that ends Trujillo's life on May 30, 1961. Trujillo's regime is supported by Johnny Abbes García (Shawn Elliot), the head of the Military Intelligence Service (SIM), a brutal man to whom many "disappearances, executions are attributed. García and his intelligence officers are notorious for their cruelty, particularly their habit of killing dissidents by throwing them into shark-infested waters. Trujillo's son, Ramfis Trujillo (R. Alamo) , is a loyal supporter of the Chief. Upon Trujillo's death, Ramfis seeks revenge, even going so far as to torture and kill his uncle by marriage, General Jose Roman, for his part in the assassination conspiracy. Joaquín Balaguer (Pericles Mejia) , Trujillo's puppet president is also a supporter, and initially his seemingly innocuous character holds no real power.