"A succession of images that sear the soul." Jason McBride, Toronto Life

Longfellow's film weaves archival footage, the luminous photographs of Tina Modotti and Edward Weston, the murals of Diego Rivera, and lyrical re-enactments, to conjure up the political, artistic and intimate spaces of their lives in Mexico during the 1920s. Drawing on Edward Weston's daybooks, the collected letters of Tina Modotti and imaginative recreations, TINA IN MEXICO is told through the voices of Tina, Edward, and their contemporaries.



Grade Level: College, Adult
US Release Date: 2004     Copyright Date: 2003
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-071-5     VHS ISBN: 1-59458-072-3

Reviews "For pure aesthetic allure and the kind of eroticism that's about life energy, nothing comes close to Brenda Longfellow's graceful and elegiac TINA IN MEXICO - impeccable work, a reminder of how the resonances of artfulness and mortality pervade black-and-white photography and film." Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe and Mail "Longfellow seamlessly weaves together archival footage, phenomenal photographs and dramatic reenactments (most in black and white, a few in shockingly lush color) which recreate famous photos, in motion. Others dwell on her life and surroundings, the camera gliding lazily over gorgeous still lifes: Modotti smoking pensively, the walls of a convent, dining tables groaning with fruit, the camera constantly moving, framing objects and figures with a refreshing obliqueness...one is left with a succession of images that sear the soul." Jason McBride, Toronto Life "Longfellow's access to Modotti's diary and Weston's original photos gives her a close-up view of what these two Bohemian souls were experiencing during the devastating revolution that's hardly ever spoken of outside Mexico." Now Toronto "A beautifully intimate portrait that reveals not only the images, but the thoughts and words of these two great artists." Gregorio Luke, Director of the Museum of Latin American Art "Tina in Mexico splices together new and old documents, archival and recreated footage, personal and public experiences and events, to breathe even more life into Modotti's story... Longfellow achieves a good balance in presenting Edward Weston and Modotti's artistic and personal life together. Much too often, in order to preserve Weston's value in art history, some go to great lengths to construct an uneven relationship between him and Modotti, with the latter's role relegated to that of assistant and lover. Never denying Tina's apprenticeship with Weston, and his obvious influence on her work, Longfellow's documentary marks Tina her own woman... Much as Modotti saw 'maps of a history of exploitation' in the faces of the Mexican people she photographed so, in this documentary, we can discern, on the face of Longfellow's Modotti, the map for a history of exemplary cultural activism." Prof. Pasquale Verdicchio, Dept. of Literature, University of California, San Diego Organizer of the 1996 International Conference on Tina Modotti, UCSD, in conjuction with the exhibition Dear Vocio "More than being merely beautiful, this film is intensely interesting. It gives us an intimate view of what life was like in Mexico during the Mexican revolution from the point of view of a passionate political activist and artist. [Tina in Mexico] is highly recommended for college students and other adult audiences." Susan Boatright, Educational Media Reviews Online "This unusual documentary is true to the creative soul of its subject... Anything but a standard, linear biography, Tina in Mexico does draw from a timeline of Modotti's life, but is more interested in understanding her as an artist, a woman, and an activist, and in looking at how these facets often clashed and overlapped... Longfellow does a fine job of measuring Modotti's influence on Mexican art and politics, as well as the reasons for her eventual expulsion from the country and departure from photography. Recommended." Video Librarian "By blending Modotti's words and images with those of her colleagues and contemporaries, Longfellow captures the spirit of both the woman and the time and place in which she worked. [Tina in Mexico] deserves a place in any library. Highly recommended." Library Journal