Encuentros y desencuentros entre dos grandes obras: El río Oscuroy Las aguas bajan turbias (Argentina, 1943/1952)

Abstract

Much of Argentine cinema of the 40's and 50’s echoed the social transformations of that period. During the Peronist government, cinema director and tango singer Hugo del Carril included oppressed social sector of rural areas in his films, especially in Dark River (1952), film based on the novel The Dark River (1943) by the writer and communist activist Alfredo Varela. The book chronicles the life of rural native workers “mensúes”, their working conditions and the characteristicsof the Guarani and Creole culture in north-eastern Argentina. These two texts, the first by a recognized Peronist and the second by a communist militant –representing opposing lines in the political arena since 1945– coincide in contents and views on certain social and historical phenomena (expressed in cultural terms). They were and rest important for understanding the tributaries of popular culture in Argentina and its problems. This article explains the relationship between the novel and the film, pointing out similarities and differences between their narratives and the political and ideological perspectives from which they interpret social reality.