In the Time of the Butterflies

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	Mariano Barroso
Starring:	Salma Hayek, Lumi Cavazos
Release date:	02 November, 2004
Our price:	$9.94

In the Time of the Butterflies

Average rating: Stars

Appallingly bad movie!

Whether you have read Julia Alvarez's wonderful novel upon which this movie is based will not affect the level of enjoyment you will have with the movie---it is thoroughly terrible and fails on almost every possible level.

First, for people who have read the book, it utterly destroys the framework of the novel. All of the strength of the Mirabal sisters is devastated by their wimpy portrayals onscreen here; Minerva seems less like a visionary rebel who will lead a nation and more like a clueless teenager who happened to follow the footsteps of a crush. None of the other sisters get much screen time; in fact, Dede has a total of six lines in the whole movie. Important plot lines were completely deleted while less-important ones were muddled and made ridiculous (such as Minerva's relationship with Sina).

However, for people who haven't read the novel, this movie must surely be twice as bad. The pacing is horrendous, the music is flat and insipid, the direction is terrible, and the constant fading-in/fading-out (for the commercial breaks that originally came on when this movie aired) is very distracting. What you have in this movie is a very weak effort by a director to cram 300 pages of material into 85 cheesy minutes.

A general rule of thumb when making an adaptation is delete, don't weaken. If a book has 200 characters, you would cut out 190 of them and focus on 10. This way, you will have 10 memorable characters and a tight story. "In the Time of the Butterflies" takes the opposite approach---creating 200 really weak characters with a story that folds over itself in a sloppy mess. Characters come and go like they were passing fads; there's a new character introduced roughly every 2 minutes in the movie. Since the movie moves at a breakneck speed, you never have a chance to connect with any of the characters. Even when the acting is at its best, it still doesn't come off as emotionally involving or important because there's just not enough time for you to care about what's happening.

I think the best way I can approximate the utter failure of this movie is to describe this analogy: it's like a child with severe ADHD trying to explain "Schindler's List" to you within 5 minutes.

If you want to really get a good story on the Mirabal sisters, I suggest you either wait until a GOOD director adapts the novel, or just go read Alvarez's work. No matter who you are, you will be disappointed in this movie.

In the Time of the Butterflies - Salma Hayek, Lumi Cavazos

A disappointment to readers of Alvarez's fine literary work

IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES was based on the book by Julia Alvarez and as the saying goes this book was much better than the movie. There are key points left out of the movie, such as Patria's husband not wanting Minerva (Selma Hayek's character) to hide the guns on their farm.

Also compared to the book, the way Maria Teresa met Palomino was entirely different from the book. Minerva was willing to let Maria Teresa stay with them but it was during her first night that Palomino entered with a shipment of guns. In the movie however, Minerva throws Maria Teresa out and Palomino goes after her. The wedding of Maria Teresa and Palomino was also left out.

Also, by the looks of the movie there were only three sisters. There were FOUR. Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. However the three shown were Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. What was left out was that Dede was also asked to join the revelution and does so reluctantly.

I was also not crazy about the way that the movie was narrated. In the movie Minerva was narrating the story from solitary confinement but in the book Dede was narrating the story from a museum that she had set up in memory of her sisters.

The death scene also troubled me, I am reluctant to give away details for those who have not seen the movie so I won't get into it.

I can't recommend this movie to anyone, unless there is really bad weather and you've seen all the other movies in the local video store.

Salma Hayek, Lumi Cavazos - In the Time of the Butterflies

Powerful Performance....Inspiring Story

This review refers to the DVD edition(MGM) of "In The Time Of The Butterflies"...

I viewed two films with Salma Hayek recently. One the critically acclaimed "Frida", and the other, this lesser known, but powerful portrayal of Minerva Mirabel in "In The Time of the Butterflies". This latter one, is the one that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I was captivated and intrigued by the story of the Mirabel sisters, their bravery and loyalty, as they became the symbol of hope for freedom from the tyrannical ruler of the Dominican Republic, from the 1930's through the 1960's, General Rafael Trujillo(Edward James Olmos).

Right from the start, we know that Minerva is a young girl with determination. She is determined to become a lawyer, in her own country, where women are not even allowed to attend law school. It is a country where, what ever Trujillo says goes, and God help anybody that opposes his will. Early on, Minerva, like most of the people, her family included, accept this fact, but as she sees firsthand the horrors and hardships of Trujillo's rule, she becomes one of a group of underground rebels devoted to overthrowing this tyrannt. Her sisters join with her, and soon they become a most integral part of the cause. Enduring the wrath of Trujillo, they become heroic figures, and are soon known throughout the country as 'The Butterflies'.

The film is based on a book by Julia Alvarez, and inspired by true events. In only a little more than an hour and a half, it gives a good sense of the hardships endured, and the struggle for freedom the brave rebels led. It made me want to know more about this significant piece of history, in a country so close to the U.S., one that has been a tourist stop on Caribbean cruises. Hayek seemed to really dig deep for her performance, and the result was touching and powerful. She won an ALMA award for Outstanding Actress in a made for TV movie. Olmos also turns in an outstanding portrayal as the dictator who murders on a whim. The wonderful cast also includes, Mia Maestro,Lumi Cavazos and Marc Anthony.

The DVD presents a very nice picture, and the sound in Dolby 5.1 is excellent. There are no special features, but has subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

The film is inspiring as well as captivating and highly recommended....Laurie