Customer Reviews

In the Time of the Butterflies

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4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Adapted from the novel by Julia Alvarez about the three Mirabel sisters who were murdered by the Trujillo regime in the 1950s Dominican Republic, this 2001 made-for-TV-movie attempts to tell the story. I read the book several years ago and found it excellent. However, this film is rather thin and misses the richness of the story in several ways.

The film focuses on just one character, Minerva Mirabel, and that is one of its weaknesses. There were actually three sisters who were murdered and each one of them has her own complex story that is just hinted at in the film. Also, there was one sister who survived and her story is important too. But perhaps the limits of constricting a story into a tight time frame forced this abbreviated version.

Salma Hayek is the star and she does do a fine job. The wicked regime seems awful. But I just couldn't feel the emotions that were intended by the author. Of course it's a sad story; it's supposed to be. And, because of a wide TV audience, it probably reached a lot of people with its message of these heroic women who became martyrs for their cause.

A fine, "minor" movie, with major themes. It is about resistance to a dictator, a woman's (and women's) liberation, and about the real meaning of what loss of freedom in a society means. Directed by Mariano Barrroso, the movie, spanning almost three decades, chronicles the life of a resistance movement leader, Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek), in the Dominican Republic, and her various confrontations with dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (Edward James Olmos), who ruled that island nation with an iron hand from 1930 till his assassination in 1961. The movie focuses on his obsession with her and his attempts over many years to make her his mistress, bent on revenge when all his attempts prove futile. The movie implies that it was his frequent practice to visit the country, pick a young woman that filled his "eye," and then entice her to his palace for a dance. Many young women were thus impregnated and packed to Miami or other resting place afterwards. Minerva has the courage to resist, thus paying the price--her father's murder, and the imprisonment of her and her sisters. Miranda becomes the leader of an underground freedom movement under the code-name "the butterfly." Eventually, she is assassinated by his thugs, her sister and herself beaten to death with clubs. Her death is annually celebrated in Latin America, as a "violence against women" theme.
Tense, well-acted, enjoyable and horrifying, "The Times of the Butterflies" is a minor masterpiece, and an inspirational story, very much worth watching, despite the pan-and-scan format of this DVD.

I appreciate the comments from other reviewers, especially those from the Dominican Republic, for whom this deeply moving story is a familiar one. I ask them to consider, however, that for many viewers outside Latin America this story of the raw courage and self-sacrifice of the Mirabal sisters in opposing the brutal Trujillo dictatorship is virtually unknown.

For all the shortcomings mentioned below -- not being filmed in the Dominican Republic, plot of movie thinner than the book, etc. -- the film is an important introduction to a part of the common history of the Western Hemisphere. It tells a compelling story about events with which even those of us who try to stay abreast of developments in Latin America may nonetheless have been unaware.

The portrayals of the two principal characters -- Selma Hayek as Minerva Mirabal and Edward James Olmos as Trujillo -- are of a very high standard indeed. As other reviewers confirm, the film has inspired many who had previously known little of the Dominican Republic or of the Trujillo regime to delve further into the history and politics of this period, and in particular to learn all they can about the remarkable courage of the Mirabal sisters.

Like another neglected masterpiece -- Michael Verhoeven's "The White Rose" ("Die Weisse Rose"), which recounts the similarly selfless (almost reckless) courage of Hans and Sophie Scholl in leading a resistance movement against Hitler at the University of Munich in the 1940s -- this film tell a compelling story of resistance against hopeless odds and an almost incomprehensible personal courage. Despite a few minor weaknesses, "In the Time of the Butterflies" is a compelling film that greatly deserves to be seen by a wider audience (and the modest cost of this excellent DVD allows that to happen).

My one reservation is that -- particularly since both Selma Hayek and Edward James Olmos are a joy to listen to in the Spanish language -- it is a pity that no Spanish language sound track was included (there are only subtitles in Spanish). Perhaps MGM will do us the favor of reissuing this important DVD in a dual-language format, with both principal actors speaking their roles in Spanish? (One would think that the Spanish-speaking market for a film with these two very popular Spanish-speaking actors would be at least as great as the English-speaking one.)

In any case, it is clearly a distortion for a film like this, with a compelling theme on a neglected and important episode of recent history and with two fine actors in the principal roles, to be given only one or two stars, when the latest special-effects driven vapidity from the major studios typically receives four or five. Very strongly recommended.

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

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Gandhi

I must say that after watching the movie I was really disappointed. I read the book a couple of years ago and the book made such an impact on me that it inspired me to learn more about the country that my parents were forced to leave behind at a young age. The Mirabal sisters are from my hometown in the Dominican Republic and they are considered martyrs in their own right. The day of their death, November 25, is a holiday in the Dominican Republic; it is celebrated with commemoration ceremonies, memorial services and school assemblies. I was disappointed with the movie because it played more like a fictional story, rather than a work of reality. I was watching the movie with some friends that have no knowledge of the Dominican Republic and I had to explain so many things from actual history and from the book that were not part of the movie. I felt that In the Time of the Butterflies (the movie), was pure fluff. Historically it made no sense whatsoever and Trujillo didn't seem that bad. It was not really explained why it was that Trujillo had it in for Minerva Mirabal in particular and how her sisters, Patria and Maria Teresa, were involved, but more or less were just casualties by association. Also, let's be honest, Marc Anthony's character was not that important, so why does he appear on the cover of the DVD case instead of the other two sisters or even Trujillo himself. Bottom line, if you want to learn anything about the Dominican Republic do not watch this movie... It is clearly a product of Hollywood trying to diversify itself by putting all the Latinos it can find in a movie about a place that they have no real knowledge about.

I decided to purchase this DVD despite the negative reviews I read about it. I'm very dissapointed with this movie. It makes Trujillo's reign seem benign. Does not really show the fear of those who lived in that time, and more importantly, made the Mariposas look like whining instigators. I read Julia Alvarez's book, and have read as much as possible about life during this time in the Dominican Republic.

I also have first hand accounts of what it was like from family members who lived in the country during that time and even exhiled in other countries as a result of this. This movie does not even come close to portraying any of this.

From 1931 until his assassination in 1960, Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe) was the brutal dictator of the Dominican Republic, remaining in power with the silent acquiescence of a fearful church, the aristocracy, intellectuals, and the press. Based on Julia Alvarez's strong novel of the same name, this film focuses on the role of the Mirabal sisters, known as "las Mariposas" (the Butterflies), in opposing Trujillo's brutal rule. As children living comfortably in the country, the Mirabal sisters had been protected from the political dangers of the city. When three of the four sisters, Minerva (Salma Hayek), Mate (Mia Maestro) and Patria (Lumi Cavazos) decide to go to a convent school in the city, leaving sister Dede (Pilar Padilla) behind, they are exposed for the first time to the realities of Trujillo's rule.

Some years later, Minerva, Mate, and Patria, now attractive young women, gain the unwelcome attention of El Jefe at a dance. When Minerva slaps his face because he fondles her, he retaliates by arresting and torturing her father. Vowing a personal revenge against him, Minerva eventually joins other students who work to foment rebellion--printing leaflets, distributing guns in the countryside, and speaking to women's groups. When Mate and Patria eventually join her, the three become known as Las Mariposas, "the Butterflies." Jailed and tortured when they are caught by Trujillo's army, they and their husbands hope that by their example they will make life better for their children and for their country.

Director Mariano Barroso sacrifices the broad scope and universal themes of the book by concentrating almost exclusively on the personal lives of "las Mariposas," the risks they took, and the tortures they endured. This narrow focus removes the Mirabal sisters from their political context and diminishes the sacrifices of thirty thousand other Dominicans who were executed by Trujillo. Though the four sisters are clearly differentiated in the book and show the important and quite different reasons that people do or do not fight a dictator, here they are virtually indistinguishable from each other, another sacrifice of the broad picture in favor of easier myth-making.

Salma Hayek is gorgeous, even under jailhouse conditions, posing so attractively in her closeups that it is difficult to imagine her as a committed revolutionary. Edward James Olmos, as Trujillo, alternately sneers and smirks but remains mostly an off-screen presence. Several scenes of sadistic violence stir the emotions, but do not provide the catharsis of real tragedy. Though it is admirable that Hollywood chose to memorialize "the Butterflies," it is too bad that the film feels more like a Hollywood production than a memorial to the very real women who made such real sacrifices. Mary Whipple

I Loved this movie; different content and effort to bring a part of the history of the first city of the new world, The Dominican Republic. After I saw this movie, I was moved to research more abou the Dominican Republic and the Dictator Trujillo and I was amazed to know that this small Island located in the "antillas" is the cultural heritage of America, where the first university, Hospital, catedral of the new world "America" was founded. Trujillo destroyed very important historical sites and used his brutal power over the Dominicans,torturing and planting the seed of terror and resignation in his own people; In my research I found that he used to have all the families to post a sign at the entrance of their houses that prays "In this house Trujillo is the Boss". The movie will not reflect the real misery that people lived, but the excellent work of consolidated actors make this film more interesting. I loved the movie, the "Trama", as I never imagined that three sisters would have the courage and strenght to face an evil man and sacrifice in the name of Freedom and love to their motherland; I live and was born in a country of Europe and did not need to tras-culturized myself in order to understand a part of any other country's history. I will give this Real life Story a 5 stars. If you are a very well cultured person, you will love to discover a part of a distant island that have the pride to be the first in the best of "America"s foundation.

After I finish reading the book "In the time of the Butterflies" of Julia Valdes I thought, Why this amaizing story is not converted in a movie? Then I learned about this movie so I bought it from Amazon. This have an special meening to me because I am Dominican and since I was a child I heard about the Miraval sisters and how they were killed. But the book is way better than the movie. The character of Minerva Miraval played by Selma Hayek did not achived the expected gold, the character in the book is more powerful defined. The Trujillo play by James Olmos started to look like the real Trujillo at the end of the movie but in grneral it was ok. The film although looks like Dominican Republic is filmed in Vera Cruz Mexico, and the extras used did not look Dominicans which did not fit with the reality, looking more like a mexican sopopera. Most of the places represented in the movie are still almost intact in the Dominican Republic and is a chame they were not used. So for me this movie was a Dominican story without the real Dominican flavor. But any way was a good try. At least it let the world know about a part of our history and the way the Dominican people suffer in that era to achived there freedom.

I have read the book, seen the movie and met the surviving sister. I must say that the book was excellent although it was fictional but the movie was horrible. The movie did not follow the story line of the book and only focused on Minerva Mirabal. Although she was the strongest and most outspoken of the trio, the movie interpretation should have focused on the other two sisters and the surviving sister. And if the movie was supposed to be based on the book, it should have followed the book. The book is a lot better and explains in much better detail the sequence of events that led to the assasination of the sisters. My recommendation is to read the book if you want to know what really happened.