Educational Media Reviews Online

Margot Benacerraf’s 1959 lyrical documentary poem portrays a day in the life of three families living in Araya, an arid peninsula in Venezuela. For 450 years, since its discovery by the Spanish, the region’s salt was manually collected and stacked into huge geometric pyramids. In fact Benacerraf mentions that when she arrived in Araya after seeing a bad newspaper photograph of the salt pyramids, it was like being transported back to the 1500s. The film has not been seen since it was awarded the International Critics Prize and Le Grand Prix de la Commisssion Superieure Technique at Cannes in 1959. It had not been distributed until Milestone’s theatrical release in 2009.

Criticism of Araya from the late 1950s compared the film to Robert Flaherty’s Man of Aran. Araya, however, goes beyond Flaherty’s work on a number of levels. The black and white cinematography evokes the most beautifully composed shots with camera movements revealing a breathtaking landscape both real and surreal. The poetic tone and love with which the people are revealed lingers beyond the initial viewing. The film is both a work of literature and a work of art.

As is usual with Milestone releases, the special features on the DVD are worth the price of admission. They include an earlier film by Benacerraf, Reveron (1953). There are thoughtful audio commentaries, a 2007 documentary by Antoine Mora about the making of Araya, The Film of Her Life: Araya, a number of PDF files and downloads, the U.S. trailer and press kit. The press kit is also available online and contains many important historical references.

It is a blessing to have this film rediscovered and available to finally take its place in the canon of the study of film. Highly recommended.