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DOCUMENTARIES WITH A POINT OF VIEW

Doc Soup: Questions on The Last Conquistador

July 16, 2008 9:01 AM, by Tom

Independent journalist Tom Roston checks in and writes about the world of documentaries in his column, Doc Soup. Today, he raises some questions that came to mind as he watched the most recent P.O.V. film.

Tom RostonSo, I'll repeat what I said in my Monday post that I think The Last Conquistador is a really good film, but, starting here, I want to position myself as a gadfly to the P.O.V. filmmakers. I'm partly inspired by Lars Von Trier's Five Obstructions, a documentary about how he has a fellow filmmaker make the same film over and over, but having to overcome new obstacles each time. To Von Trier, discord and disruption lead to greater creativity.

So, in that spirit, and in the general spirit of constructive critcism and open dialogue, I want to push the P.O.V. filmmakers a little. I've got a feeling they'll push right back.

And so here are two questions I'd like to pose about the film:

1) Was I alone in thinking from about the mid-point of the doc that there was a really obvious solution to the impasse? Just build another statue that honors the Native Americans, one that can be placed close to the one of Oñate, without marring that statue's place, but serving as a counterpoint? Would that have cost too much money? If so, I'd still have liked to have heard this discussed. By showing Houser during the credits, discussing a similar idea with a new statue on the Mexican-U.S. border, I suppose this issue is addressed, but it feels like an after thought. Was this never really part of the discussion during the building of the original statue?

2) By using a voice-over that articulates the Native Americans' position, while showing images of the white people at a fundraiser, wasn't that pushing the filmmaker's editorial voice too far? I felt that this was the one instance when the filmmakers went over the line, and turned what's a pretty balanced narrative into a piece of advocacy. It's ironic that this also happens to be one of the more enjoyably comical moments in the doc, but perhaps at too much of a cost? I wonder if other P.O.V.-viewers shared the same questions, and if the filmmakers would mind chiming in on the matter.

Tags: Tom Roston's Doc Soup

Posted by Tom on July 16, 2008 9:01 AM | PermaLink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks ()

Comments

After watching the documentary on Onate I wondered how would the Jewish people would feel about a statue of the Furer. Granted, the situations are not quite the same, but to the people involved - the native americans, both were holocausts.

Posted by seigrela | July 16, 2008 9:04 PM

The first thing that came to mind, as I watched this fascinating (and sad) documentary was "How would Europeans in general react if Germany was to erect a giant statue of Hitler in the middle of Berlin?". Similar situation, smaller scale.
Moreover, towards the end of the film, the artist made a comment that I found quite astonishing (did I dream?), by saying that he wasn't aware that art could have such a power. I am puzzled. I don't know of any artist being unaware of the power of art. That's pretty much one of the first things we learn at art school or in art books, etc. So I am really surprised of such a statement. It sounded quite strange.

Posted by Danielle Caron | July 17, 2008 3:33 PM

You may use HTML tags for style and links.
It is ironic that the statue is heroic but the historical person is not.
The Indians probably cannot afford a competing statue. The Anglos probably would not fund a competing statue.
I hope the Indians can find ways to make the truth known to the rest of us, possibly using the statue as a focal point. Like, an Indian version of "yellow ribbons." Maybe a PowWow, a peace pipe ceremony, sand painting, or whatever Pueblo Indians do to honor/memorialize their dead. Perhaps those Indians who spend a lot of their time among the Anglos can think of new, unique symbols which would be understood by both cultures.
South Africa's Truth Commissions have shown that while sharing the truth is painful, it is also a healing work.

Posted by Joan Karnuth | July 23, 2008 10:52 AM

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