Cuesta Abajo: Carlos Gardel and the Art of the Messy Exit

Is it worth a watch?

If you're into vintage musicals or you have a soft spot for Carlos Gardel, you’ll probably find something to love here. It’s got that specific, slightly dusty charm of mid-30s cinema. But if you’re looking for a tight, logical script, you might want to skip this one. It wanders. A lot. 💃

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cuesta abajo (1934) through its definitive frames.

The whole thing feels like a fever dream of international travel. Carlos Acosta is just a guy trying to untangle his life, but he does it with so much flair that you almost forget he’s kind of a jerk. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Young Desire, though with a lot more singing.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cuesta abajo (1934) through its definitive frames.

Notes from the couch:

• Gardel really knows how to hold a room, even when the scene is just people standing around looking confused.
• The Paris segments feel like they were filmed in someone's backyard with a couple of nice curtains. It’s charmingly fake.
• There is a moment in New York where the background extras look like they’ve never seen a camera before in their lives. I kept staring at this one guy in a hat who just keeps walking in circles.

The story is basically a long excuse for him to be sad in fancy locations. It’s not exactly deep, and the pacing hits a wall halfway through the second act. You can almost feel the director realized they had to get him to the next city and just shoved the characters into a taxi.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cuesta abajo (1934) through its definitive frames.

Sometimes, the dialogue is just a bit too on the nose. Like, we get it, he’s torn between two women. You don’t need to have him sigh about it every five minutes while looking out a window. It’s not as emotionally grounded as Good Women, but it has a different kind of pulse.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cuesta abajo (1934) through its definitive frames.

The music, obviously, is the real reason this film holds up. When he starts singing, the movie stops being a clunky drama and actually finds its feet. It’s almost like the plot is just an annoyance he has to deal with before he gets to the good stuff. 🎶

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cuesta abajo (1934) through its definitive frames.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. It’s messy, it’s disjointed, and the plot resolution is pretty much a shrug. But there’s something about the way Gardel carries himself that makes you want to keep watching, even when the film starts to unravel at the seams. It’s not quite the same level of weirdness as The Crimson Stain Mystery, but it’s definitely its own beast.

Maybe just skip the parts where people are talking about the "future" and stick to the music. You'll have a better time.