Yanco (1961) User Reviews

Gorgeous magical film!

[twhite3-909-874044 · 10/10 · 10 February 2012]

As the other reviewers have mentioned, this is an exquisite magical fairy tale of a film made in Mexico in the 1960's. The cinematography is gorgeous and innovative. The tone of the film is haunting and quiet--lovely shots of nature, water, and landscape throughout. Some of the editing is excitingly experimental--featuring occasional montages that remind one of early soviet cinema. But mostly it is a delicate and fascinating tale of a child and an old man who share a passion for music. This dream-like film will insert itself into your subconscious and perhaps become a latent source of creative inspiration for you! The first time I saw this film- -I wandered into the theater knowing nothing about it--it was playing as part of a "Day of the Dead" festival in San Francisco and it put a spell on me. It would be great to see the film re- released on DVD. I was able to get a VHS copy from Turner Classics--don't know if those are still available? If you can find it--I hope you love it!

A Film to be Remembered

[dordveidhil · 3 May 2010]

I first encountered this film for a Hispanic Cinema class this past spring. It was a gem to say the least. The story tells of a young boy named Juanito who grows up with hypersensitivity to sound. After being ridiculed for this condition, Juanito encounters a man who proceeds to teach him how to play the violin. The most interesting piece to this film is the use of sound. The movie begins with loud and very annoying noises that add up and increase in volume to almost the point of pain. This gives a portrayal of how day-to-day life occurs in the village for Juanito. The uses of diegetic sound in examples such as this provide insight into the lives of Mexican villagers in the early 20th century. This movie also contains little to no dialogue. The dialogue that is present often reflects the inner workings of the villagers, in particular the children. When the children hurl their insults, it reflects the ignorance and intolerance of anything different of the entire village. The only thing that is different between the children and adults is that the adult villagers cannot act out as the children do. In opposition to this idea however, the actions of Juanito's mother are amplified by her words. Her dialogue speak for compassion toward her son, that he is no different from the sons and daughters of the other villagers, and that he needs protection from the world around him. The best use of sound in this movie is that of its nondiegetic sound. The first instance of the use of the nondiegetic sound is that of the orchestration of nature. Used in this way, the sounds of the orchestra almost become part of the actual film itself. This reveals another side of Juanito in his love of music. We are able invited into Juanito's world. As the movie progresses, the nondiegetic sound of the violin portrays the happiness of the old violinist and student alike at the ability to share in the violin's music. The use of the violin's music then takes a turn for the worse when the old violinist dies. When the music "outside" of the film takes on a sad quality, it reflects the inner turmoil of Juanito and the old violin. It also suggests that the violin can only make true music with its owner. In the hands of Juanito, it can only make a misguided form of the music that it shared with its previous owner. Overall this film was a joy to watch. I strongly recommend this for any person who analyzes films or simply enjoys watching classics.

Yanco! How great thou art IMDb!

[hughmore · 10/10 · 1 April 2008]

Oh my, how great to find this little review of Yanco. I saw this movie back in 1960-something. Here in Philadelphia we had a number of small art-house "cinemas" and the leading one, in terms of daring and originality was called the Bandbox, on Armat Street in Germantown. It had a rowdy bar next door and you could hear R&B music coming through the walls while you sat and watched those great old B&W films like Seventh Seal, Freaks, Ninotchka. In the case of Yanco, I have been haunted ever since I first saw it. I have never met anyone else since who recollects having seen it. I want to see it again. Certain visuals have stayed with me all through these years. Thank you to the reviewer who briefly discussed this. You revived my memory. I've always wondered, If the movie was so great, why have I never heard of it since? To say more might be spoiling part of the plot, because I do not remember the sequence in which the images I remember happened. Wonderful movie. Thanks.

Hard to believe it's a children's film!

[daddydin · 9/10 · 3 October 2013]

I can't remember where I saw this film the first time, probably late-nite TV, but the second time was at the Bleeker Street Cinema in the village of NYC in the early 70s. I made it a point to catch it again just to see if it was as great as I remembered it.

The music is haunting and the boy, Juanito, is a sweet and sensitive victim in a cruel village(world?).

I found the mood of the film to be a well balanced but weird mixture of hope and impending doom. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for...something???

In the end, I was so moved and emotionally drained.

I wish I could find a copy of this great film but it is one of those cases where a seemingly unknown film with such great reviews(by most people who have seen it) is so hard to find.

Does anyone out there have a copy I can buy? Thank you ;)

An artistic marvel from Mexico

[telepinus1525 · 21 July 2004]

I've been waiting for a long time for this movie to be listed here. Caught it around 11 p.m. a LONG time ago on channel 9, KHJ-TV in Los Angeles, before it became KCAL(talk about dating yourself). I only saw it the one time, but, darnit, this should be seen by anyone who considers going into directing. The story of a young boy growing up in a contemporary Mexican village, who has an almost disabling sensitivity to any loud noise, who desperately seeks some outlet--any outlet--for his budding musical talent and finds it with help from an old man who lives on the outskirts of town and plays a haunting violin...well, they don't make them like that here, nowadays. The film's beguiling story line, the sedate, almost ethereal pace, together with an almost complete lack of spoken dialogue is a standing challenge for any budding filmmaker up here in El Norte to match what he did. If you see it in you local listings, PLEASE set your VCR. You'll be glad you did.