''Julio Begins in July'' () is a 1979 Chilean

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

period film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

directed by

Silvio Caiozzi Silvio Caiozzi (born 1944) is a Chilean film director and cinematographer. Select filmography * ''In the Shadow of the Sun (A la sombra del sol)'' - 1974 * '' Julio Begins in July (Julio comienza en julio)'' - 1979 * ''Historia de un roble solo ...

and written by Gustavo Frías. It is one of the few Chilean

feature films A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film ( motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

made and released in the first decade of the

Pinochet dictatorship An authoritarian military dictatorship ruled Chile for seventeen years, between 11 September 1973 and 11 March 1990. The dictatorship was established after the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende was overthrown ...

. The film won the Golden Columbus Award at the 1979

Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival The Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival () is the oldest film festival in Europe dedicated to the Ibero-American cinema. It has been held since 1975 in Huelva, Spain. During the first editions, it was known as (). The festival was originally or ...

and the Chilean Critics' Circle Award for Best Film. In 1999, it was voted as the "best Chilean film of the 20th century" by the public in a poll organized by the Municipality of Santiago. Critics regard it as one of the finest films in Chilean cinema, alongside

Miguel Littín Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides (born 9 August 1942) is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born in Palmilla, Colchagua Valley. CHILE. Career Miguel Littin directed ''Jackal of Nahueltoro, El Chacal de Nahu ...

's '' The Jackal of Nahueltoro'', Raúl Ruiz's '' Three Sad Tigers'',

Patricio Guzmán Patricio Guzmán Lozanes (born August 11, 1941) is a Chilean documentary film director, screenwriter, director. He is most known for his film trilogy '' The Battle of Chile'' (1975–1979) and more recently for another trilogy; ''Nostalgia for th ...

's '' The Battle of Chile'', and Andrés Wood's '' Machuca''.

Plot

Don Julio García del Castaño is a wealthy landowner who must secure the future of his estate. To do so, he must train his son and heir, Julio (affectionately called ''Julito''), in the necessary skills to become a man.

Production

The film was shot in

Pirque Pirque () is a commune of Chile in Cordillera Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region; it is located 2.8 kilometers southeast of Puente Alto and 21.3 kilometers south-southeast of the center of Santiago. It is situated at the base of the Cajón ...

and Calera de Tango (with the curious coincidence that filming began in July 1976). Due to a severely limited budget, actors and crew members received only minimal compensation for their participation. It was shot in 16 mm black and white format and later transferred to 35 mm and sepia format in laboratories located in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.''Cien películas latinoamericanas'', Julio López Navarro. Ediciones Pantalla Grande, 2000.

Cast

* Juan Cristóbal Meza * Felipe Rabat * Schlomit Baytelman *

Gloria Münchmeyer María Gloria Münchmeyer Barber (born September 2, 1938, in Santiago) is a Chilean television, film and theatre actress, known for her roles in some telenovelas like La Madrastra, Marrón Glacé, and others. She was married to actor/comedian ...

* Jaime Vadell * Luis Alarcón *

Ana González Olea Ana González Olea (May 4, 1915 – February 21, 2008) was an actress in Chilean theater, television and radio. She was commonly known by her nickname La Desideria. González was born in Santiago on May 4, 1915. She received the National Pri ...

* Delfina Guzmán * Tennyson Ferrada

Reception

At its premiere, the film not only received widespread critical and popular acclaim, but also won the Golden Columbus for Best Film at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival and was screened at the prestigious

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. ''Julio comienza en julio'' already exhibits several traits that would establish Silvio Caiozzi as one of the most important Chilean film directors, including a strong sense of

mise-en-scène (; or "what is put into the scene") is the stage design and arrangement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in the visual arts through storyboarding, visual themes, and cinematography and in narrative-storytelling through ...

, remarkable skill in directing actors, and a keen ability to convey political messages about the country through implicit means. In 1999, ''Julio comienza en julio'' was voted the "best Chilean film of the 20th century" in a popular poll organized by the Municipality of Santiago.

References

External links

* {{Colón de Oro 1979 films Chilean black-and-white films 1979 drama films Chilean drama films