Eça de Queiróz in a mexican style
"The Crime of Father Amaro"

Abortion, chastity vow broken, religious ministers involved with drug dealers and the participation of priests in social movements that fight for a total exchange in the economical and social structure of a country (what reminds us of the latin american religious movements that created what was called as the freedom theology acording to Gustavo Gutierrez and Leonardo Boff's writings).

There are enough ingredients to compose a story that deeply touches the spectators, particularly the ones that live in countries with a solid catholic cultural tradition.

All of these stories are a part of an adaptation for the movies made from the book written by the Portuguese writer Eça de Queiróz produced by the mexican movie industry. In the beginning there was a lot of resistance to the film, specially when it was being made, afterwards "The Crime of Father Amaro" became a major hit on the box office and was nominated for the Academy Award of Best Foreign Production.

As in any literature work adapted for the movies, "The Crime of Father Amaro" is summarized and omits important details and parts of the book. It repeats an idea that seems impossible to overcome, the one that establishes that books are always better then movies or TV adaptations, even when the work derived from the book is recognized as a major production, with the approval of the spectators and the critics.

There will always be people not satisfied with the adaptation. They will complain of the story, the way an actor or actress play a character, the locations in which the movie was made, the music chosen for the production,…

We must admit that literature gives readers an outstanding possibility of abstraction, imagination and creation (that allow us to define the details of the stories in our minds). This alternative is, of course, essential and should be stimulated and preserved on school work. Because of that, it is imperative that before using a movie as a resource in classroom, the teachers must ask students to read the original text of this classic book from Eça de Queiróz (the same way with other major books from world literature adapted to the movies).

I truly believe that films can be a resourceful tool for education but, I also defend the thesis that reading skills and getting in touch with classic literature are essential for a complete education. We shouldn't, no matter what, allow students to see the film and ignore or never get to know a book. From the moment a student reads the book, the activities developed later with the movie can become a true opportunity of reflection and to deepen your knowledge.

The Movie

Young priest father Amaro (Gael García Bernal), recently turned out to be a priest and is sent to the Los Reyes church. He will work with father Benito (Sancho Gracia). Benito has corrupted and contradictory life as the local priest. He has an affair with Sanjuanera (Angélica Aragón), the owner of a restaurant and a boarding house. Benito also receives generous "donations" from influent businessmen from the region (they are, actually, drug dealers).

Then Amaro meets Amélia (Ana Cláudia Talancón), daughter of Sanjuanera, a young woman that is very beautiful and actively participates of the religious life of Los Reyes. Amaro falls in love with Amélia and they begin an intimate relation. He also discovers that Benito has an affair with Sanjuanera and the older priest relationship with the drug dealers.

When father Amaro gets in touch with other priests, he finds out that one of them is helping popular movements with marxist ideas. He discovers that he is living in a world filled with lies; among them there is his burning relationship with Amélia. The pregnancy of Amélia puts him in a very delicate situation, having to decide between the love for the young lady or maintain his religious career…

For Teachers

1- The ways chosen by the Catholic Church in the period after the II Vatican Council, realized in the 1960's, allowed the birth of a progressive wing, identified with marxism, realizer of an assistance work and totally related to social questions. It was called the Liberation Theology. At the same time, other priests of the Catholic Church became conservative and maintained their early principles. After all, which one represents the real Catholic Church? What are the roads that this religion will ride on in the next few years or decades? What will happen to the progressive wing priests? It is, indeed, a very important questioning if we think about the importance and greatness of Catholicism, specially in countries with a major catholic tradition such as Brazil and Mexico.

2- A discussion about the chastity vow and the prohibition for priests to have a family (wife and children), requirements of the Catholic Church for the ordenation of his ministers can be useful to ask students to make a research on other religions (islam, jews, budists,…) and the demands and studies required for someone to become a representative of them. Looking out for the historical evolution of the catholic priests preparation is also needed. The ideal situation would be that, as a complement for books and internet searches, there would also been made interviews with priests or ministers.

3- Abortion, an extremely controversial subject, must be discussed on its phisiological and ethical aspects. The students approaches should explore countries that have legalized abortion (the practical results of this position on an everyday basis) and regions or countries in which abortion is considered immoral and ilegal. The consequences for the women's bodies and the punishments for abortion in the law of some countries can also be studied and discussed.

4- Working out with the book and, afterwards, the movie "The Crime of Father Amaro" can make us compare the development of the story in the screen and in the pages of the book. These comparisons can be made regarding aspects such as: the description of characters, the actions that happen elsewhere and even the scenery in which everything happens. It would be satisfactory if the story could be compared with the news or daily routine information found by the students (even because, by doing this, we will be stating that the story made by Eça de Queiróz is actualized).

João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in Campos do Jordão; Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns for the website Planeta Educação

Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br

Technical Information

The Crime of Father Amaro

Country/Year of production:- México, 2002
Lenght of time/Gender:- 118 min., Drama
Director: Carlos Carrera
Screenwriter: Vicente Leñero based on a book by Eça de Queiróz
Cast:- Gael García Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancón, Sancho Gracia, Angélica Aragón, Luisa Huertas, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Gastón Melo, Damián Alcázar.

Links (in portuguese)
- www.adorocinema.com/filmes/crime-do-padre-amaro/crime-do-padre-amaro.htm
- http://e-pipoca.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes_zoom.cfm?id=5082
- http://www.cineguia.com.br/index.shtml?cod_filme=CNA25887&rg=0