Camila Y El Matadero

Juan Manuel de Rosas ruled Argentina from 1829 to 1852. He was a Federalist, war hero and a latifundista, he owed 800,000 acres. During the civil war between the Unitarians and the Federalists he was ruthless with his opponents and enemies. Because of his military career, he gained the support of the poor who served during the war; the Church, and the rich elite. Rock states that the church,the army, and the Mazorca- were the principal agents of the dictator’s will. Furthermore, he adds that Rosas' era was popular for death squads, the Mazorca police and the Divisa Punzó. As the leader of the Federalists, Rosas ruled with a hard hand. Rosas was tolerant of his supporters, but was violent against any opposition for he deemed them rebels, heretics and a threat to society. AlthoughRosas saw himself as the savior of Argentina, his enemies saw him as a ruthless dictator.
Two important works depict the reality of the Rosas regime: The film Camila directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg and the story “El Matadero” written by Ernesto Echeverria. Both works offer numerous examples of the situation of the key characters—the church, elites, and the government—in Argentina during theRosas regime. The film Camila offers three interesting common aspects during this time: The role of a violent government in society, the role of the Church and the elite, and the role of women in society. The role of the military was essential during this time for it was the strength of the government. Rosas had to control society and the government and his greatest tool to instill fear was hisarmy. The role of the Church is interesting since it was a love-hate relation. The Church supported Rosas, but did not agree with his methods. The role of women in society was limited to what was perceived as the role or women, that is women were subjugated and marginalized from politics. Women were expected to be submissive and servant to men. On the other hand, “El Matadero” offers numerousmetaphors to depict the political situation under Rosas. The Slaughterhouse, the rain, the judge, the Gringo and Mob (Chusma), the Church are all key players under the Rosas regime and in one way or another are represented in this short story.
The film Camila is set in Buenos Aires in 1847. Throughout the entire film there are numerous scenes that exhibit the military and its subordinationto Rosas. The movie shows a military that is not totally loyal to Rosas, but fears Rosas. This is evident when the firing squad hesitates to fire against Camila because she is pregnant, but they are forced to kill her by the officer who points a gun at them. Also, the Capitan, who is the prison chief where Camila and Father Ladislao are imprisoned, shows happiness when he manages to prove thatCamila is pregnant and therefore cannot be killed under Argentine law. Another scene which depicts disloyalty to the Rosas regime is when the commandant of the Corrientes Province, where Camila and Ladislao begin their new life after escaping together, offers help by providing them horses and giving them ample time to escape before he arrests them acting against the government’s interests. Theseexamples demonstrate that the military might have not been in total compliance with Rosas and its regime, but the fear of Rosas cruelty forced them to obey him above all things even the law.
Rosas’ regime had a special relation with the elite and the Church. At the beginning of the movie Camila’s father, Adolfo O’Gorman, receives his mother, who had been found to be a traitor to the Rosasregime, and clearly states that the only reason she is not in prison is because of the government’s generosity, clearly exhibiting the special status that rich people had under the Rosas regime. This generous status was not given to Mariano (the bookseller who sold books prohibited by the regime) who was violently killed and although there is not direct link of his death to the Rosas regime,...