Niccolò Machiavelli was a Renaissance political philosopher and statesman whose ideas continue to influence political thought to this day. One of the key concepts in his philosophy is the idea of fortune, or Fortuna in Italian. This concept plays a central role in his most famous work, The Prince, in which he advises rulers on how to acquire and maintain power.
According to Machiavelli, Fortuna is a fickle and unpredictable force that can either help or hinder a ruler's efforts to achieve their goals. He believed that Fortuna was beyond human control and could not be relied upon to bring success. Instead, he argued that a ruler should focus on their own actions and abilities, and not rely on Fortuna to deliver them victory.
Machiavelli argued that Fortuna could be harnessed to a certain extent through the use of virtù, or personal ability and courage. A ruler with virtù could take advantage of opportunities presented by Fortuna and use them to further their own ends. However, he also recognized that Fortuna could be a double-edged sword, and that a ruler who relied too heavily on it could be led astray and ultimately fail.
In The Prince, Machiavelli advises rulers to be cautious in their dealings with Fortuna, and to be prepared for both success and failure. He advises them to have contingency plans in place in case things do not go as expected, and to be flexible and adaptable in the face of changing circumstances.
Overall, Machiavelli's concept of Fortuna is a reminder that success is not always within our control, and that we must be prepared to deal with both good and bad luck as it comes our way. It is a cautionary tale for those who seek power and influence, and a reminder of the importance of personal responsibility and agency in achieving our goals.
📚 Film Analysis
It is true that young children will surely have a lot to learn from this film but adults can also learn a thing or two if they make up their minds to reduce conflicts in the world. Although i was not old enough to live through these events, its repercussions are still felt today. However, historical circumstances rule out false comfort and redemptive optimism. The film foregrounds the story of a boy, Gonzalo Infante Matias Quer , from a bourgeois family, against the background of the political events of the day. The best thing which can be said about "Machuca" is that it is one the those rare films which are a superb visual statement on human condition. Gonzalo Infante is a rich boy, who studies in an elite and American school called ' Saint Patrick'', one of the best schools from Chile. Resembling to Malena, Machuca, as well, pictures what two little friends witness in the transition period of Chile from socialist president Allende to military dictator Pinochet.
The fact that the children sell flags to the protestors of both sides is a comical, yet poignant, way of reinforcing their disassociation with the situation around them, a detachment which becomes increasingly ironic as they become embroiled, whether they like it or not, in the escalating tension. Some of the contrasts are a little obvious, with greater warmth on the poor boy's side and more coolness on Gonzalo's he has a mother who's adulterous and a father who's often absent , but much of the story is simple coming of age stuff. The story itself works as a metaphor for the innocence of the people in that time. Machuca is a recipient of the Unidad Popular program of President Allende. There is no meat, no vegetables, no milk in the stores. The Movie is centered in the social phenomena that happened in the last days before the Coup in 1973. If Marxism really worked, we would all be speaking Russian now.
Its interesting to see this movie in the theater and hear older people in the audience booing and cheering at the different scenes and historical characters in the movie, meaning that it accurately depicts the events. The story is engaging throughout, and for the Westerner the glimpses into the political history are a window onto a different world. To pick up some extra money, the boys attend political rallies and sell Chilean flags to both the Nationalists and the Communists, but soon emotions escalate and street fights break out between far-left and far-right militants. Class politics comes to the school in a vociferous meeting where many call for the ouster of the poor students and the leftist headmaster with them. PDF on 27 February 2008.
Well, I don't like that style, and that is why I liked the cinematography in Machuca so much. You'll be cleaning toilets. According to Amnesty International and the United Nations' Human Rights Committee, 250,000 Chileans had been detained for political reasons by the end of 1973. Before analysing these aspects, a short biography of each dictator will be given, as well as a short description of their economic and social policies. The Socialist Party remains in power, the state dominates the economy, and murals depicting the face of the long-dead revolutionary Che Guevara still appear on city walls.
Screenplay: Andrés Wood, Roberto Brodsky, and Mamoun Hassan. Our local rental place had a closeout a few weeks ago, and one of the DVDs we happened upon was I am often asked about status and class in Latin America by those who come from more egalitarian societies. It's not a movie about a dictatorship by a junta, or Allende or Pinochet, or a coup whatsoever. Chileans and critics alike recognize the film's honesty, which accurately depicts the era. The sets, props, and costumes were accurate. The bourgeois boy Gonzalo Infante Matías Quer and the boy from the slum Pedro Machuca Ariel Mateluna become great friends, while the conflicts on the streets leads Chile to the bloody and repressive military coup of General Augusto Pinochet on 11 September 1973, changing definitely their lives, their relationship and their country. The film is set in 1973 when Salvador Allende was the president of Chile.
Machuca Movie: Personal + Political Realms Clash in Chilean Drama
I don't normally feel emotional after watching movies, but at the end, when the director played the song "Mira Niñita" from Los Jaivas, I almost cried. Navigating class differences has been one of our greatest challenges living in México; neither life in the US, Spain, nor Japan equipped us for the expected and often desired separateness here. I think that it's perfect editing in the sense that they can't edit that movie any better. But also the honesty of Andres Wood, the director, keeps the film particularly precise cleansing it from political propaganda — a rarity in Chilean cinema. The vibe is all there—in the fashion, the music, the décor, the semi-decadent sexuality. A very poignant character is headmaster Father McEnroe Ernesto Malbran , gentle, wise and symbolic of the hope for and aspiration towards a fairer society. While all the performances in Machuca are good, they seemed to me just a tad short of the level achieved in Voces Inocentes.
The conflicts that Gonzalo Matías Quer lives are real for a high class boy trying to grow up in a country that's changing fast everything he knew. He introduces Gonzalo to Silvana who is a shantytown girl. The film portrays many Pinochet supporters either as rich and corrupt or as small-minded, reactionary bullies which is not entirely inaccurate , but it certainly doesn't shy away from the dark side of the Allende revolution Allende supporters are shown accosting middle-class Chileans in the street, Allende himself appears in actual TV footage of his notorious meeting with Soviet leader Leonid Breshnev. Wood never forces any viewpoint down your throat, preferring to present various arguments and events through graffiti, newspaper headlines and TV newsflashes. So I felt a little bit of healthy envy when I saw the main characters of this film, because despite all of the political and social chaos that surround them, they know the world as it was. He rides his bike home, finds mom directing movers to arrange furniture in their new house. But Cuba does look much different today than it did ten or 20 years ago, or even as recently as….
Talking about the acting it's so good, the two boys are not the best there is on young actors but they did well. We gain insight into the home lives of both boys, proving of course that richer or poorer, life is not all roses. By far one of the best I've ever seen. To get the situations worst,Chilean society is in one of the hardest transitions that already happened, from Allende to Pinochet, where communists are against bourgeois and vice versa. Whilst Pedro embraces his new upper-class friend without prejudice, his cousin Silvana repeatedly teases Gonzalo and calls him a snob, oblivious to the reality of his background. The acting was exceptional.
Machuca (2004) directed by Andrés Wood • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd
Also, we will highlight various events from the movie, based on the perception of Gonzalo Infante and analyze the impacts of dictatorship in Chile. Set against the background of the political instability that led to the crisis, Andrés Woods' Machuca is the moving story of the friendship between two boys from different sides of the social spectrum. With the support of some parents, a group of poor boys are admitted to the school on scholarship. I watched the film with my mother, who lived through the coup d'etat in Chile. This is a very powerful film, especially for Chileanns and many Latin Americans that suffer the prejudice of classicism the racism of Latin America and their ideals being beaten away from them.
