Argentine Tango - Tango in Culture

Tango in Culture

Argentine tango is the main subject of many films.

• Tango (1913) with Lucyna Messal, Józef Redo. Short film featuring Tango dancers made in Poland.
• El tango de la muerte (1917)
• El Tango en Broadway (1934) starring Carlos Gardel
• Adiós Buenos Aires (1938)
• La historia del tango (1949) Tango documentary produced in Argentina
• Tango Argentino (1969) Tango documentary produced in Argentina
• Tango Bar (1988), starring Raúl Juliá, Rubén Juarez, Valeria Linch, María y Carlos Rivarola

"Naked Tango" (1990) Starring Vincent D´Onofrio, Mathilda May, Fernando Rey. Choreography by Carlos Rivarola, Directed by Leonard Schrader

• The Tango Lesson (1997), starring Sally Potter and Pablo Verón, directed by Sally Potter
• Tango (1998), starring Miguel Angel Solá, Juan Carlos Copes, Cecilia Narova, Mía Maestro, Julio Bocca, Carlos Rivarola directed by Carlos Saura
• Assassination Tango (2002), starring Robert Duvall, Luciana Pedraza, Rubén Blades and Kathy Baker, directed by Robert Duvall
• Orquesta Tipica (2005), documentary film about typical orchestra Fernandez Fierro, directed by Nicolas Entel
• 12 Tangos - Adios Buenos Aires (2005), directed by Arne Birkenstock
• El Ultimo Bandoneón (2006), directed by Alejandro Saderman
• Café de Los Maestros (2008) - Interviews with the musicians and singers from the golden era of Tango.
• El último aplauso (2009) - Documentary produced in Argentina

Argentine tango is featured or referred to in these films/TV shows:

• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Rudolph Valentino dances an Argentine tango in this silent film.
• Tango Bar (1935), starring Carlos Gardel, Rosita Moreno, Enrique de Rosas, Tito Lusiardo. Despite the title, tango is not a central theme of the movie. However, there is one scene featuring Carlos Gardel dancing tango.
• Scent of a Woman (1992) - Al Pacino's character, who is blind, dances the tango with a beautiful woman and is captivated by the scent of her perfume during the tango's close embrace.
• Moulin Rouge! (2001) - Two minor characters perform a tango while Ewan McGregor's character sings "Le Tango de Roxanne".
• The Tuxedo (2002) - Jackie Chan used a dance-double for the tango scene.
• Shall We Dance? (2004) - Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez dance an Argentine tango by a rain-streaked window in a darkened dance studio.
• Nip/Tuck (2005) - In the 3rd season episode titled "Tommy Bolton", Bruno Campos and Joely Richardson dance a tango while out to dinner at an upscale restaurant.
• Take the Lead (2006) - Antonio Banderas dances the tango with Katya Virshilas.
• Another Cinderella Story (2008) - Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley dance at a costume ball.

A culture developed for tango films in the Cinema of Argentina beginning in the early 1930s. See Category:Tango films.

Tango is also subject of many books

• Nicole Nau-Klapwijk: Tango Dimensionen, Kastell Verlag GmbH 1999, ISBN 978-3-924592-65-3.
• Nicole Nau-Klapwijk: Tango, un baile bien porteño, Editorial Corregidor 2000, ISBN 950-05-1311-0

Tango is subject of operas

• María de Buenos Aires, Opera ("Tango Operita") in 16 acts; Music: Ástor Piazzolla, Libretto: Horacio Ferrer; Premier: 8 May 1968 in Buenos Aires with Amelita Baltar (María) and Horacio Ferrer (Duende);
• Orestes último Tango, Opera, Music: Diego Vila, Libretto: Betty Gambartes, Choreography: Oscar Araiz. Based on El Reñidero by Sergio de Cecco which is based on Electra of Sophocles. Premiere 22. March 2002 in Rotterdam by the Wereld Muziek Theater Festival of Holland. Originalcast: Julia Zenko (Elena), Carlos Vittori (Orestes), Susana Moncayo (Nélida), Rodolfo Valss (Soriano), Luis Pereyra (Morales), Jorge Nolasco (Vicente) and Nicole Nau (La mujer de la milonga).