****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
It's a sad day in 1935. The passenger ship Gneisenau is about to sail from the port of Buenos Aires, and Ricardo Fuentes is reluctantly leaving his homeland. As he looks out over the ship's rail he spots his friend, Puccini. Puccini has come to see him off and bring him the few pesos that remain from the sale of Fuentes' home after his debts have been paid. Fuentes explains in song ("Por Una Cabeza") how he came to lose his fortune by taking chances on women and horses. Now Fuentes has to leave his beloved Buenos Aires and seek his fortune in Barcelona.Although he says he has learned his lesson, Fuentes is soon victimized by The Thunderbolt when he sees the lovely, young Laura Montalván board the ship with her entourage. Mrs Montalván has no known lovers or protectors, only her three dogs that accompany her everywhere. It's love at first sight for Fuentes, and he wastes no time finding an opportunity to meet her and let her know his feelings. Laura has no interest in Fuentes and makes short work of him. But as their paths continue to cross Fuentes learns that Laura Montalván has a dark past and a shameful secret.The story has crime, mystery, accusations, tears, recrimination, close calls, entrepreneurship, singing, dancing and, since this is a 1930's move, in the end there is redemption. It's a fine little morality tale of the sort that was rare when this was filmed almost 75 years ago and, regrettably, is unknown today.Ultimately though this is a vehicle for Gardel to sing, dance and look elegantly cool in a variety of settings. He goes from suit to morning coat to tuxedo to tangero making each change with graceful ease. Always there is The Voice, a rich baritone that caresses each lyric. Gardel was an amazing performer and "Tango Bar" is a nice showcase for his many talents. The script was written by Alfredo Le Pera, the lyricist who collaborated with Gardel on some of the greatest tango standards every written. Both La Pera and Gardel were killed in a plane crash a few months after the film was finished.The film on this DVD is 59 minutes long - NOT the 1:27 advertised in the editorial information. Oh, and while we're on the subject of the editorial info... Gardel was about 45 years old when he filmed "Tango Bar" and he looked young for his age. In my book, 45 isn't "well past middle age" - unless the writer is in junior high. Gardel is perfect for the role.The DVD comes with subtitles in Spanish, English or Portuguese. The special features package includes four colorized clips of Gardel singing in various films. Those clips are cleaned up pretty well. "Tango Bar" itself was cleaned up somewhat, but it certainly hasn't been remastered from original stock. Plenty of dust and artifacts appear and disappear on the black and white print; sections of the film range from overexposed to overly dark; and sadly there are sections where the print skips over a line or a lyric. Nevertheless, I think that having a print of "Tango Bar" is like owning a treasure. Highly recommended for fans of old movies, foreign films, tango, Gardel or any combination thereof. This is a real treat at a bargain price!
