Product Details

• Actors: Carlos Fuentes
• Directors: Peter Newington
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 16, 2000
• Run Time: 59 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6303154476
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,840 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Revolution has characterized nearly every aspect of Latin American history and culture in the last 500 years; in Carlos Fuentes's The Price of Freedom, the fourth part of his five-tape series, The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World, he explores specifically the lives and philosophies of political revolutionaries from San Martín to Bolívar. From his deathbed Bolívar declared, "Those who serve the revolution plow the seas"--but he could not have foreseen the immense difficulty that the postrevolutionary era would encounter in constructing politically, economically, and socially stable societies--societies in which justice and progress worked hand in hand with a Spanish and Native American heritage. This is the era of the gaucho, the cowboy, and the birth of great cities, from the México City that absorbed old Tenochtitlán to Buenos Aires. --Erik Macki

Product Description

Every year, a million Mexicans gather in the great central square of their capital to celebrate El Grito, the cry for independence. Following its progress, Carlos Fuentes crosses the Andes in the steps of Bolivar and San Martin. "Those who serve the revolution plow the seas," said the dying Bolivar. The liberators succeeded in throwing off the Spanish yoke, but they found it harder to establish a just society. For the gaucho there was the consolation of the open spaces, the mountains, and the plains. And for those crowding into the new cities like Buenos Aires, there was the tango, a sad thought that can be danced.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Educative and charming, May 26, 2010

By 

L. Corral - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Buried Mirror - Reflections on Spain and the New World, Vol. 1 - The Virgin and The Bull [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Mr. Carlos Fuentes has indeed a lot of talents. Besides being one of the most prolific and published authors in the Spanish language, he is an excellent and I must say surprisingly entertaining program host. As far as I know this is the first of a series of 5 programs he made for the television and this is the VHS version. DVDs unfortunately haven't been produced yet. And that is one of the main problems with this release: the picture quality is not so good. The main theme and scope of the program though is very interesting because it describes in a very illuminating and entertaining fashion the relationship and history of the Spanish and Portuguese speaking peoples. This is no easy task, but Mr. Fuentes embraces it with an ease and charm that makes you feel engaged and interested. He travels with us to Europe and America and describes situations and events related to custom and history while they are actually happening. One wonders why Mr. Fuentes hasn't become an knowledge program leader in culture programs? The program was done for some time ago so it is a little bet outdated, specially when he shows us the impact of bullfighting in history. In my opinion he draws to much attention to an activity that in our times is dwindling badly. We have to admit that at least in Mexico and Spain this activity is becoming obsolete and is being irrefutably replaced by other activities like football.

I think this release is outstanding and I have tried to get hold on the other VHS in the series to no avail, For reasons out of my understanding, Amazon will not let us buy these for residents in Norway. So I must allow myself to have 2 wishes: 1. That the programs will be made in BlueRay versions and 2. That it will be possible to buy them in Europe. Then I would gladly keep buying and enjoying them.