Response

            Although I wasn't present to watch the beginning of Sugar Cane Alley, I witnessed a moving personal journey found in the young protagonist. The kid went from one who had no care in the world to one interested in education and would even cry when being accused of plagiarism. His relationship with the old man also intrigued me because many believed the man to be a low life, but Jose sees him almost as a hero. Their final scene together where the old man gives Jose advice really touched me because of his intellectual sayings that had an obvious impression on Jose. I also thought it was interesting when looking at this film against the film The Battle Of Algiers. Both showed the effects of imperialism but in two different ways. One showed the rebellion against the imperialism and all the violence that goes along with it, while the other showed the people in the "slums" mostly accepting their place in society and trying to thrive in it.
           Sugar Cane Alley also mirrored closely the book Miguel Street that we have read, showing the growing of a young boy through his relationships to the people around him. They both show how our surroundings do make us into the man we are when we get older. One powerful scene I found in the film is when Jose dances in the river when his teacher admits he didn't plagiarize. This scene was so powerful because it shows how Jose actually took pride in his schoolwork now and wanted to be recognized as a smart individual instead of a lowly cane field worker. The film utilized long shots on expressions to show the emotions of situations as well as beautiful shots of the surrounding areas to give the audience a sense of wonder and appreciation for the culture it came from. The themes of trying to break from the normalities in life and reaching for excellence spoke to me and gave me a revitalized outlook on education and its importance. I liked the film as a whole and wish i could have experienced it in its entirety!