COUPLE IN THE CAGE

Country: United States

Time: 30 minutes

Directed by: Coco Fusco and Paula Eredia

Language: English

Summary:

This film documents the traveling performance of Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Coco Fusco, in which they exhibit themselves as caged Amerindians from an imaginary island, providing a vivid and provocative interpretation of cultural encounters.

Pre-Viewing Questions:

· Have you ever seen Native American, Africans, Islanders, etc. dressed in traditional tribal dress? Did you see a show, listen to them talk, and take pictures with them?

· What do you think you can learn from such cultural presentations? Did you feel at all as if their native culture was being exploited?

· What do you know about the

Post-Viewing Questions:

· What was your first reaction to seeing two people put in a cage?

· How obvious do you think it was that these people were actors? Would you have been fooled?

· How did the male and female act and why do you think they chose to act that way for the people watching them? What do you think they were trying to observe?

· In what different ways did the visitors to the cage exploit the two “aborigines”? Did you think any of the taped commentary by visitors conveyed racism?

· How did music influence the mood of the video? How did the changes in mood throughout the video convey the message of the film? When was the film most humorous or most serious?

· How did the filmmakers use of archival footage supplement the documentary “museum” footage? Why do you think they used these old movies?

· Do you think that this video criticizes museums as an institution?

Possible Composition Topics:

· Where is the line between preserving culture and exploiting it by putting it on display? Was the exhibition of the two “aborigines” heinous just because they were people on display, or also because their culture was being sold?

· The term “cultural diffusion” refers to the ideas, practices, and resources of one culture being adopted by and integrated into another culture to which it is exposed. Discuss when this diffusion is harmful and when it can benefit a society. What if this “diffusion” is forced or one-sided? Is it possible for a more advanced society to “know better” because another culture seems backward or unhealthy?

· This film criticizes the historical treatment of native peoples by white “conquerors.” Research a Native American group and document the way the traditional way of life has changed since European conquest of the Americas.

How to Borrow this Video:

The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They are lent free of charge. For information on films and reservations, please visit http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.

Suggested Reading:

Ranucci, Karen, ed. A Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino-Made Film and Video. Lanham, MD. Scarecrow Press. 1998.