'BUTTERFLIES' FLITS AROUND, BUT NEVER TRULY SOARS.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic For more than 30 years, from 1930 to 1961, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the poster boy for Third World dictators, murdered at least 30,000 agitators to retain power over the Dominican Republic. But, suggests the Showtime film ``In the Time of the Butterflies
In the Time of the Butterflies is a novel by Julia Alvarez, fictionalizing the lives of the Mirabal sisters from their personal accounts of what happened during the time. ,'' he was scarcely a match for a quartet of headstrong head·strong adj. 1. Determined to have one's own way; stubbornly and often recklessly willful. See Synonyms at obstinate, unruly. 2. Resulting from willfulness and obstinacy. sisters. Based on Julia Alvarez's acclaimed novel, itself based upon a true story, ``In the Time of the Butterflies'' concerns the Mirabal sisters - Minerva (Salma Hayek) and Mate (Mia Maestro), who first become involved in an underground movement to remove Trujillo from power; Patria PATRIA. The country; the men of the neighborhood competent to serve on a jury; a jury. This word is nearly synonymous with pais. (.q.v.) (Lumi Cavazos), who eventually allied herself with her sisters' cause; and Dede (Pilar Pilar strong-minded female leader of a group of guerrillas in the Spanish Civil War. [Am. Lit.: Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls] See : Female Power Pilar Padilla), the sole remaining sister alive today. (The book was narrated largely from Dede's perspective; she barely figures into the film.) The girls' father (Fernando Becerril) preaches the mundane doctrine of not making waves, but feisty Minerva can't help herself. She falls for a rebel law professor (Marc Anthony) who soon disappears, and at a party thrown by Trujillo (Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated American actor and director. Some of his most memorable roles were Lt. Martin Castillo in Miami Vice, Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver and Admiral William Adama in the ), she impetuously im·pet·u·ous adj. 1. Characterized by sudden and forceful energy or emotion; impulsive and passionate. 2. Having or marked by violent force: impetuous, heaving waves. slaps him when he gets fresh with her. Trujillo doesn't respond to her treasonous rejection (Olmos here seems to consider exhausted indifference to be a keen acting choice), though her father pays dearly for that little outburst. Trujillo does agree, however, to allow Minerva to become the first female law student in the Dominican Republic. She meets Manolo (Demian Bichir bichir (bĭch`ər), common name for African freshwater fishes as of the family Polypteridae, and particularly for those of the genus Polypterus. ), a friend of her previous boyfriend and another adherent adherent /ad·her·ent/ (-ent) sticking or holding fast, or having such qualities. to the cause. She becomes a sort of mascot for the revolutionaries - playing off her surname, they call her ``La Mariposa,'' or the butterfly - and as her sisters join the cause, they collectively become celebrated as ``the butterflies.'' Of course, none of this matters to Trujillo, who continues to play dirty. ``In the Time of the Butterflies'' is a noble enough effort, and there's a strong commitment from the lead actresses (Hayek also served as executive producer on the project). Unfortunately, there's something a little inert about director Mariano Barroso and screenwriters Judy and David Klass' storytelling. Events occur in a desultorily des·ul·to·ry adj. 1. Moving or jumping from one thing to another; disconnected: a desultory speech. 2. Occurring haphazardly; random. See Synonyms at chance. inexorable fashion: Patria meets a guy, exchanges glances and in the very next shot, they're getting married. Minerva and Manolo's courtship scarcely takes much longer. She asks him, ``Do you think we're productive people, or are we just a pair of fools?'' He replies, ``I'd rather die finding out than live knowing I didn't do anything about it.'' So she marries him. Everything in the film tends to follow that lackadaisical lack·a·dai·si·cal adj. Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: "There'll be no time to correct lackadaisical driving techniques after trouble develops" William J. Hampton. narrative strategy, so the film feels about as taut as a castle assembled by a toddler stacking blocks. Some of the scenes in which the revolutionaries are attacked by military police are tension-filled, but overall, the accumulation of scenes lack the power they should have. The grim finale is affecting, but it should be overwhelming. ``IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES'' What: Four sisters help overthrow a Dominican Republic dictator in a drama based on a true story. The stars: Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Mia Maestro, Demian Bichir, Lumi Cavazos, Pilar Padilla, Marc Anthony. Where: Showtime. When: 8 tonight. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Mia Maestro, left, Ana Martin, Salma Hayek and Pilar Padilla share a scene in Showtime's ``In the Time of the Butterflies.'' |
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