Introduction

Carla’s Song is a 1996 film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, that deals with the impact of the Contra War in Nicaragua. It is a United Kingdom-Spain-Germany co-production.

Outline

Set in 1987, Carla’s Song tells the story of love in a time of war. The plot follows the relationship between a Scottish bus driver, George Lennox (Robert Carlyle) and Carla (Oyanka Cabezas), a Nicaraguan refugee living in Glasgow. George first encounters Carla when she sneaks onto his bus without paying the fare. They go out for coffee but Carla seems hesitant to tell George anything about her life or where she’s from. When Carla needs a place to stay George arranges for her to stay at his friend’s place.

Later George returns to his friend’s flat and finds Carla in the bathtub where she has slit her wrists. George takes her to the hospital where he learns that Carla also attempted suicide six weeks ago. George stays by Carla’s side in the hospital while she is recovering.

Carla later explains that she read letters from her boyfriend, Antonio (Richard Loza), which she had never been able to open before. She was so horrified by the content of the letters that she tried to take her own life. Carla tells him that she doesn’t know what happened her boyfriend Antonio or to her family and asks George to hold her. She appears to be haunted by her past and suffering the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder.

George decides they need to return to a war-torn Nicaragua to find out what happened to Antonio and Carla’s family. George begins to learn about the US-sponsored Contra insurgency against the Sandinistas. When they return to Nicaragua, they find Bradley, a US citizen who is working as an aid worker and helping other US citizens document human rights abuses conducted by the Contras. Bradley claims that he does not know the whereabouts of Carla’s boyfriend and says that he will be heading North soon and that Carla should join him.

While Carla and George are taking a truck to the North of the country, the truck engine overheats and explodes in a burst of steam making a sound resembling gunfire. Carla completely breaks down and becomes catatonic when she hears this, and George tries to comfort her. Bradley happens by in a 4×4 and offers to take them off the truck and give them a ride while attempting to calm Carla down.

Bradley later admits that Antonio has been staying with him. Carla tells Bradley that he needs to let go of his past, which he seems to be struggling with also. Carla has terrible night horrors where she relives the experience of being in the revolution and their group being attacked by the Contras. In the nightmare, Carla is shot in the back several times yet manages to flee while the Contras descend on Antonio who falls after being shot. Carla’s watches on in horror from some bushes.

On the way to Carla’s family, a group of Sandinistas warns them that there are Contra fighters in the area. Carla finds her family and introduces George to them. Later that night, heavily armed Contras attack the village. The Contras kill many people and huge explosions go off around the village, while Sandinista villagers return fire.

In the morning George discovers that Carla and Antonio have a baby daughter. George asks Carla to return to Glasgow with him and bring the baby, but Carla refuses. George meets Bradley who seems absolutely incensed. Bradley explained that the Contras, who are operating out of Honduras, are a CIA-organised and funded group. Bradley then explains how Antonio was captured by the Contras, who used CIA torture methods. The Contras cut out Antonio’s tongue, broke his spine in several places with rifle butts leaving him paralysed, and poured acid on his face, all while Carla watched from her hiding place in the bushes.

George breaks down when he hears what Carla has suffered through and runs to find her. George finds Carla’s family who gives him a letter which Carla left for him. The letter says that Carla is heading north to find Antonio, and implies she may try to take her own life again. George steals a bus and Bradley joins him to help find Carla. They head to Bradley’s village and find Carla in a room curled up and terrified of reuniting with Antonio. George encourages her to visit Antonio and explains that she will have to do this alone, that he can’t do it with her.

Antonio is sitting on a stool in Bradley’s house, a guitar in hand. Antonio’s face is severely disfigured from the acid mutilation. Antonio reaches out to Carla and begins to play his guitar. Carla sings her song in accompaniment with the guitar, suggesting that they may reunite. George prepares to return to Glasgow.

Cast

• Robert Carlyle – George Lennox.
• Oyanka Cabezas – Carla.
• Scott Glenn – Bradley.
• Salvador Espinoza – Rafael.
• Louise Goodall – Maureen.
• Richard Loza – Antonio.
• Gary Lewis as Sammy.

Release

Accolades

The film was nominated for both the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the 1997 BAFTA Awards and for Best Feature Film at the 1997 BAFTA Awards, Scotland. Ken Loach won the President of the Italian Senate’s Gold Medal at the 1996 Venice Film Festival. The film also won the Coral Award for Best Work of a Non-Latin American Director on a Latin America Subject at the 1996 Havana Film Festival. In 1998 Robert Carlyle won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor for his performance, as well as the 1998 London Critics Circle Film Awards British Actor of the Year Award.[8]

Trivia

• Robert Carlyle learned to drive a bus for his part in the film.
• Although he always had final cut, director Ken Loach revisited the film for its 2005 DVD release and shortened it by approximately 15 minutes.
  • Much of the removed material can be found on subsequent releases as deleted scenes.
  • The original cinema release had a running time of 125 mins 30 seconds at 24fps.
  • The UK PAL VHS release ran slightly faster at 25fps, giving a running time of 120 mins 10 seconds.
  • The shorter 2005 cut runs to 106 mins 3 seconds on PAL 25fps DVD.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Ken Loach.
• Producer(s):
  • Ulrich Felsberg … co-producer.
  • Gerardo Herrero … co-producer.
  • Sally Hibbin … producer.
• Writer(s):
  • Paul Laverty.
• Music:
  • George Fenton.
• Cinematography:
  • Barry Ackroyd.
• Editor(s):
  • Jonathan Harris.
• Production:
  • ARD Degeto Film.
  • Alta Films.
  • Channel Four Films.
  • Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen.
  • Institute of Culture.
  • Parallax Pictures.
  • Road Movies Dritte Produktionen.
  • Televisión Española (TVE).
  • The Glasgow Film Fund.
  • Tornasol Films.
• Distributor(s):
  • PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (1996) (UK) (theatrical).
  • BIM Distribuzione (1996) (Italy) (theatrical).
  • Diaphana Films (1996) (France) (theatrical).
  • Becker Entertainment (1997) (Australia) (theatrical).
  • Cinemien (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical).
  • Filmes Lusomundo (1997) (Portugal) (theatrical).
  • Lider Films (1997) (Argentina) (theatrical).
  • Shadow Distribution (1997) (USA) (theatrical).
  • Cannes Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS).
  • Homescreen (1997) (Netherlands) (video).
  • Gativideo (1998) (Argentina) (VHS).
  • Yleisradio (YLE) (2000) (Finland) (TV).
  • Epix Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD).
  • Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (DVD).
  • Atlantic Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (4-disc ‘Ken Loach x 4’).
  • Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2011) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East, North Africa & Iran).
  • Twilight Time (2015) (USA) (Blu-ray) (video).
  • Norsk Filmdistribusjon (1997) (Norway) (theatrical).
  • Sandrew Film & Teater AB (1997) (Sweden) (theatrical).
  • Alta Films (Spain) (all media).
  • Manuel Salvador (all media).
  • Vídeo Mercury Films (1996) (Spain) (all media).
• Release Date: 20 September 1996 (Italy).
• Rating: 15.
• Running Time: 126 minutes.
• Country: UK, Spain, and Germany.
• Language: English.

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