La ciudad y los perros (1985)

Director:

Francisco J. Lombardi

Writers:

Mario Vargas Llosa (book)
José Watanabe (writer)

Release Date:

18 June 1985 (Peru)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Four angry cadets have formed an inner circle in an attempt to beat the system and ward off the boredom...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Pablo Serra	...	The Poet / El Poeta
Gustavo Bueno	...	Lt. Gamboa / Teniente Gamboa
Luis Álvarez	...	El Coronel
Juan Manuel Ochoa	...	The Jaguar / El Jaguar
Eduardo Adrianzén	...	The Slave / El Esclavo
Liliana Navarro	...	Teresa
Miguel Iza	...	Arrospide
Alberto Isola
Jorge Rodríguez Paz	...	The General / El General
Ramón García
Lourdes Mindreau	...	Pies Dorados
Aristóteles Picho	...	The Snake / Boa
Antonio Vega
Isabel Duval	...	Teresa's aunt
Ricardo Mejía

Also Known As:

The City and the Dogs

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

Peru

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Peru:18

Company:

Inca Films S.A.

Quotes:

Lt. Gamboa: Why are you staring at me cadet? You want my picture on my bare ass or what?

Movie Connections:

Remade as Yaguar (1986)

A Brilliant Study in Peruvian (& World) Masculinity

While I agree with many of the comments already made in terms of the low-to-medium quality of this film's production, its incredible story more than makes up for it.

I used this film in a course I taught twice on Masculinity in Latin American Literature -instead of reading the novel the movie adapts, because it allowed me to include more texts in less time. If you can, read the book, but beware: Vargas Llosa's are usually 500+ page novels.

The story ends up being a virtual textbook on male homosocial structures and systems. It spoke loud and clear to all my students on the key issues at play in relationships of power amongst males. All the guys could relate to the pressures of conformity the movie represents. But male and female alike saw the dichotomies and subtleties present in the strange ways in which young men socialize and force each other to fit into orthodox male culture, or else. Though the context is a bit extreme, a military academy is certainly a more restricted and anxiety-producing environment than the average school, it outlines all the roles and behaviors imposed upon young men by the culture at large -a male-oriented and dominated society.

Despite its limitations as a film, the story stands strong and true. Unfortunately, it remains contemporary in many ways. Not one student felt it was irrelevant; instead they found interesting the metaphoric use of "dog" to signify the barbaric qualities of the military/male systems represented. "Dog" is a cultural signifier they hear in popular US music a-plenty and its use in the film added a new dimension to their understanding of its meaning.

Vargas Llosa's semi-autobiographical tale of male isolation and survival is poignant and deep. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in themes related to the life of boys.