I don't know, But i think this movie has every cliché about southamerican countries, an airport full of chickens, cities in the middle of the jungle (Average temperature in bogotá is 15ºC), and cops with shiny uniforms, moustache and beards,Reality is very diferent, not too better, but so different. Anyway I think the movie is funny, but don't expect take the picture as a geography lesson
shareI agree
sharelets just say a lot of it is amalgomated and a lot of it is supposed to be Vennesuala in the post Nazi era
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Aren't many American movies reliant on stereotypes and clichés when concerning "exotic" locations?
shareBut this is an accurate portrayal of Columbia. I think Americans are too sensitive sometimes and too often watch movies that portray poverty in a country other than thier own and make a comment about stereotypes (or blame the U.S. government for their poverty). Bottom line, there are parts of Colombia that are exactly like that. Then there are parts, as we see in the movie, that are very civilized and peaceful. Give it a rest.
shareI was born in Bogota it is violent but nothing like the movie. There are not holdups on buses a lot and its not that reckless.
shareAs someone who was inspired to go to Colombia after watching this movie --- a trip that included hunting for emeralds in Bogota, cavorting on the beach in Cartagena and not trying too hard to stay away from the local male of the species (great dancers!) --- then going home and reading the fine print in the film's end credits, I regret to have to tell you that Romancing the Stone's Colombian scenes were actually filmed in MEXICO. But what excellent location spotting. The film's fake "Cartagena" looks amazingly like the real place, fortress and all. As for the buses full of peasants with chickens, there's a bit of that in the backblocks of the Andes, which is presumably where Joan Wilder gets stranded. Seeing the real thing has kind of spoiled the film for me, but given that Colombia and the US have been enemies since the late 19th century (when the US got Panama to break away so that the canal could be completed) I should have known that no way would a US film be allowed to shoot there.
And no, Colombia is not all about poverty and violence. It's about incredible natural beauty, fascinating cities and some of the world's best dance clubs, too. I'd go back every summer if it weren't such a bloody long way from Australia, and so expensive to get to.
Yeah, The fake Cartagena look like the real one, but it's like saying that the Statue of Liberty in the Planet of Apes looks like the Real one
shareOMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE THESE PEOPLE FILMED HAD FILMED THIS MOVIE IN MEXICO. I MEAN, IT'S SUPPOSE TO TAKE PLACE IN COLOMBIA. I REMEMBER WATCHING AND THINKING...THESE PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND DO NOT SOUND COLOMBIAN AT ALL. I COULD TELL THEY WERE MEXICAN. ALMOST EVERY MOVIE I SEE WHERE THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE ACTORS SEEM COLOMBIAN JUST SUCKS...I MEAN, I'M COLOMBIAN AND WE HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIALECT. I CAN TELL APART A COLOMBIAN FROM A MEXICAN. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST MEXICANS. MY KIDS ARE HALF MEXICAN BUT I JUST DONT SEE WHY THEY CAN'T GET REAL COLOMBIAN ACTORS. HOW HARD IS THAT?COLOMBIA IS NOT ALL ABOUT CHICKENS RUNNING AROUND EVERYWHERE. COLOMBIA IS VERY BEAUTIFUL. YES, LIKE OTHER PLACES,IT HAS ITS BAD PLACES. BUT OH WELL.
shareWas the capslock really necessary?
I don't understand the way people think that one portrayal of one area of a country means that people feel that way about the entire country. Yes, I am sure that the entire city is not full of chickens and poor people. But is all of New York full of dark alleys and murderers? No.
I'm sure it is very bautiful. And it's beautiful in the movie. The rainforests are very accurate, and there ARE areas in many major cities in South America that have poor people and chickens and theft.
And in response to an earlier post, there is a lot of kidnapping and drug-related crime in Colombia. Obviously movies are going to focus on things like that, because it wouldn't be much of a movie without conflict.
" Obviously movies are going to focus on things like that, because it wouldn't be much of a movie without conflict."
Why do you think this is so obvious?
Why do you think you can know THIS was the reason?
Have you ever seen Koyaanisqatsi, made way before this movie? I would consider that a 'much of a movie', but it has ABSOLUTELY no conflict.
What gives?
They were not allowed to film in Colombia, cause of security. Simple as that. If you don't liek this movie, then don't watch it!
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Joan: Oh, marijuana
Jack: You smoke it?
Joan: I went to college...
Groovergreen,
You are absolutely mistaken about Colombia and the US being enemies, on the contrary, Colombia is currently the USA's staunchest ally in Latin America. Perhaps you were thinking of Venezuela or Cuba.
In regards to the portrayal of Cartagena and Colombia in general, this is yet another example of ignorant north american film makers once again resorting to stereotypes to depict an entire country. It's a shame that most people who watch movies like these come away thinking that Colombia is like this when it is really a great country with many modern cities (i.e. Bogotá, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, etc).
Cartagena is much more beautiful than the replica where this film was shot (in Mexico). The airport is modern and not full of goats and chickens. Cartagena is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the loviest colonial port cities in all of Latin America.
Here is a link so some people can educate themselves a little bit and see what the REAL Colombia actually looks like.
http://skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=551
ColombianoX
'Defensor de la Colombianidad'
I was born in Bogota it is violent but nothing like the movie. There are not holdups on buses a lot and its not that reckless.
I don´t think Cartagena is very well portrayed on the film... after all, if it is like the one shown on the movie, I don't think that the World Tourism Organization had chosen Cartagena to host the 2007 General Assembly of that Organization...
shareThe real Cartagena is far more beautiful than the fake one in the film and, I suspect, nowhere near as dangerous. I walked all over Cartagena by myself and no one hassled or threatened me; indeed, everyone was kind to me. I still enjoy the film, but as I said in an earlier post, after seeing the real Colombia and meeting so many lovely people I can't help regarding this portrayal of the place as cringefully dopey ... one that panders to the gringo idea of South America as a hotbed of danger, crime, political uproar and uncontrollable greed and vengefulness. My main reason for re-watching this film now is because it's such a great Cinderella story.
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I love it when Americans complain that DANCER IN THE DARK or DOGVILLE don't look very much like the US. It's great that a foreign director has given Americans a look at what's like to be portrayed on screen by foreigners (americans) who just don't seem to understand the world is much bigger.
Romancing the Stone is fun, in a dumb american way.
Americans.. isn't Colombia also in America? I mean, USA is not the only America, there's north America, south America and even Canada is probably on the 'continent of America'. The original 'America' label pointed towards a completely different place anyway, so WHAT exactly do you mean by 'Americans', and 'dumb american way' (why capitalize the 'Americans', but not 'american'? At least have consistency!)
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schedules must be maintained...even in Colombia.
So, yes, Colombia was portrayed very realistically in this movie.
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The LeftistConservative blogging on Blogspot!
Sadly, some people do think colombia is like this and are rather proud of their ignorance. I cannot tell you how many people here still spell colombia with a u as in Columbia even after I've corrected them several times, or their pronunciation of bogota being Bo-Gata or Cartagena being carta hey neeya.
I am not Colombian but my wife is, who is from Barranquilla and lived in bogota most of her life. I've traveled to colombia many times, been to bogota, San Andrés island, Cartagena and Barranquilla, I was always impressed with Colombia and never expected what the media proclaimed. I've had people ask me why I would travel to such a dangerous country or assume everything is surrounded in cocaine, jungles and guerrillas or that somehow the culture is inferior. I remember going to a restaurant with a waiter trying to tell me in Florida that bogota was humid and tropical, I explained its temperate and cooler in the mountains.
If anything, traveling to colombia has shown me how modern, unique and full of culture, beauty and hospitality of South America, I like movies, but when movies like this which aren't even filmed in colombia try to present some ignorant view about colombia, I can't help but wonder why so many people are ignorant who rely on movies to tell them history and geography.
Well there are 200 countries in the world.
Think its perfectly acceptable for a random person not to know the name of all the countries much less anything about a large portion of them.
While the author should do some research this is not a documentary and making a fun and entertaining story is the goal.
Still do admit that thinking you know something about a country is lot worse then knowing you got no clue.
A lot changes in 30 years. How was it back then?
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