The taste of you: a manifesto for The Mambo Kings
Title: The taste of you: incest and triangles in The Mambo Kings
Fandom: The Mambo Kings
Pairing: Cesar Castillo/Nestor Castillo
Author: mlyn
Email: emily.mlyn at gmail.com
Spoilers: moderate (for the movie)
The Mambo Kings is a story of the Castillo brothers and their quest for fame on the mambo scene of 1950s New York City. This essay covers the film, which was based on Oscar Hijuelos' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.
Cesar: the older Castillo brother, singer and bandleader. He takes Nestor from Havana to New York City on the pretense that Cesar's life was in danger, and that a club owner in Havana had tried to own them. As both brothers repeat: "Nobody owns the Castillo brothers." Cesar is terrifyingly sexual, often drunk, and the polar opposite of emotionally distant. Everything is important to him, inciting either joy or anger, but nothing is more important than being a Mambo King with his brother Nestor. Cesar is played by Armand Assante.
Nestor: the more romantic and musically talented Castillo. Torn from Havana and his dreams of a marriage with Maria, who he believes rejected him for the Havana club owner, he tries his best to keep up with Cesar's dreams while making his own way in the world. He achieves this to an extent-marrying Delores Fuentes, an aspiring teacher, and having baby Eugenio with her-but ultimately he feels used and misunderstood. He yearns to return to Havana and open a club, and probably reunite with Maria. But when his own future is nearly made, he rejects it to stand by his brother. Nestor is played by Antonio Banderas, about whom director Arne Glimcher says: "He's incredibly charming. I think he can seduce any woman, man, cat, dog, or bird in the world."
Delores: when first she meets Cesar, the attraction is a firestorm, whereas her affection for Nestor is a gentle, comforting breeze. She marries him because she believes he would be a better husband than the roguish Cesar, and because she quickly becomes pregnant. But throughout her relationship with Nestor, Cesar pays her as much or more attention, and better understands her feelings than Nestor. As she realizes who is the better husband, she sinks into sadness, unable to realize neither her dream of teacher nor true partnership in a happy marriage.
Together, but in what way?
I don't think of the brothers having a realized incestuous relationship, but they certainly forge into a gray area most siblings would feel uncomfortable in. (Granted, other cultures are more physical than Americans, but this is a film made for American audiences. We can approach it with our standards for sexuality.) The dynamics with other characters make it even more interesting-the triangle between Cesar, Nestor, and Delores is just as enticing a subject.
On the surface, their relationship is innocent enough. But show this film to any slash fan, and they'll leap from their seat. The brothers have passion for each other over anyone else. Despite misunderstandings and hurt feelings, they return to each other's side with unflagging devotion. They are intensely physical with each other. When life gets in the way of their happiness together, they both grow frustrated and depressed. Everything is eclipsed by the Castillo brothers' relationship. Arne Glimcher again: "It's a story how love can be so overpowering that it can destroy."
One scene is particularly remarkable for its slashy subtext. Cesar and Nestor sit in a photo booth, Cesar feeding the machine quarters and letting the camera flash while Nestor argues with him. The booth is tiny; they are pressed together, Cesar's arm wrapped around Nestor's shoulder to bring him into his arms, utilizing space but destroying any vestige of personal boundaries. They gaze earnestly at each other with their faces mere inches away. When Cesar demands that Nestor give up his dreams of Maria, Nestor retorts: "And you, Cesar? How long before you give up your dream?" They stare at each other for several long seconds, then Cesar turns away with a humorless laugh. "There's no dream, man. It's our life."
Much later, Nestor and Cesar have it out in Hollywood, after filming an episode of I Love Lucy at the invitation of Desi Arnaz. Nestor tells Cesar how he never wanted Cesar's dream, how he wants to return to Cuba, how Cesar ruined his life. Cesar reveals details he had kept from Nestor, and Nestor feels more crushed. He takes his trumpet and begins smashing things in the room. Cesar seizes him and holds him as he collapses into sobs, stroking his arm and letting him lean against him.
Subtext:
There is nothing subtle about this film. The most subtle subtext I can think of is a scene where Nestor and Delores have a conversation in a park, immediately before they make love for the first time. As the scene begins, they are sucking on popsicles. The choice of such a phallic dessert-and for them both to be enjoying their own-is pretty interesting. Remember that Delores has a close relationship with Cesar, just as Nestor does. It is for this reason, and for Delores' scenes with Cesar, that I think there is plenty of grounds for a love triangle.
Emotions are worn on sleeves in this film-again, nothing subtle. Delores watches Cesar (and he her) with blatent heat, and suffers in her one-sided marriage with tears in her eyes. When Cesar hears that Nestor will be married, he looks like Nestor told him he was moving to China, and promptly gets drunk. Nestor tries to find his own way to happiness with retreating into memories (writing to Maria) or sleeping with an anonymous woman, but Cesar pulls him back into the present with little reprieve. Even the way the brothers use each other for support shows the blatant physicality of their relationship: they grope at each other for several minutes throughout a scene where they nervously meet Desi Arnaz, never letting go of the other person. And when they sing Nestor's hit bolero "Beautiful Maria of My Soul": no one can say there isn't something slashy about brothers singing to each other: "…and the taste of you remains / clinging to paradise…". Even in the director's commentary, he says (about the last performance together): "And the duet in this song is 'reaching for paradise,' and they sing that together. And when they do, you can see that the brothers-no matter what's happened-that the filial bond is there. They're really singing it to each other."
Maria is never present to hear the song, and Cesar sings it both to and for Nestor, so why should anyone pretend it is not about them?
In the sunlight of your smile
In the summer of our life
In the magic of love
Storms above
Scatter away
Lovers dreaming in the night
Reaching for paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
Refrain:
Hunger for your kiss
Longing for your touch
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Filling all my nights
Haunting all my dreams
Beautiful Maria of my soul
And the taste of you remains
Clinging to paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
(Refrain)
Though we'll always be apart
Locked forever in a dream
If I ever love again
Even then
Nothing will change
And the taste of you remains
Clinging to paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
(Final refrain) Hunger for your kiss
Longing for your touch
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Filling all my nights
Haunting all my dreams
Beautiful Maria of my soul
My background:
I knew 'shipping Nestor and Cesar was inevitable from very early on in the film. I joked before watching it that I would be doing so on the lookout for sibcest, given the two main actors, but I had not been serious. I rented the film out of an interest in seeing Antonio Banderas' first English-speaking role, particularly since he did the movie phonetically. (Even after repeated viewings I have to remind myself of that; his performance is phenomenal.) I did not expect to find one of the unabashedly hottest pairings on-screen in years, and for the pair to be both male. As I have been a slash fan for a few years, I was delighted at the happy accident.
Why fans should follow this pairing:
This is a pairing that has a lot to offer any slasher, but particularly those who crave doomed, unrequited love. Cesar and Nestor are part of a time and culture where homosexuality in any form is reviled; needless to say incest would be a sin beyond belief. Despite this, their love for each other is undeniable. Wives and girlfriends realize from the beginning that they take a backseat to the brothers. Unfulfilled wishes and betrayals bring pain into their lives, yet they remain together until an accident pulls them apart. Cesar's entire world revolves around remembering and celebrating Nestor, even while he is dying inside from his loss.
Fandom guide?
There is no fandom that I'm aware of. The slash sort of thrust itself upon me. I expressed my astonishment in my own LJ, and put up some screencaps for people to see what I mean. Some friends seemed to understand, especially when I was able to show a few pieces of the film to a group of friends in-person, but so far no one has expressed interest in actively starting a fandom with me, or showing me the way to one. Googling, searching fanfiction.net and adultfanfiction.net, and searching LiveJournal interests have turned up nothing.
If there is a fandom out there, please share! I've only made icons and the screencaps below. I have no knowledge of fanfic, songvids, or anything else. This movie is beautiful visually and aurally, and should be celebrated in every way.
Picture Galleries
So cozy on the bus.
Cesar teasing Nestor. Cesar holds him by the neck a lot. There's probably room for analysis in that.
Cesar and Nestor perform their first gig. My, how close he stands.
Delores is actually looking at Cesar in this; the first time she sees him.
Delores and Cesar dance while Nestor is fetching her a corsage. One so innocent, the other so experienced.
The photo booth scene. There are a lot of caps, so I had to make a page.
"You can't talk to her that way, she's going to be my wife!"
"Pregnancy is a good enough reason to marry her." Cesar is broken that his little brother is being taken away.
Yet Nestor looks broken too.
Nestor's wedding, and one last moment of closeness.
Nestor gets news that Delores is in labor. No, spraying fluid on one's brother from a hose held at crotch level is not homoerotic in any way.
Cesar brings Delores a gift of books, and she is floored by the gesture.
Who's the happy little family?
"Beautiful Maria of My Soul" for the first time.
Where's Cesar looking?
Ah, now we see.
Cesar and Nestor grope each other when they meet Desi Arnaz. The poor boys are so nervous, so naturally they turn to each other…and Cesar digs his thumb into Nestor's side, tickling him. Although that may have been Armand and Antonio horsing around. (Have I mentioned the possibilities for RPS?)
Desi Arnaz at the dinner table, and Cesar is kissing Nestor on the cheek.
Nestor pushes him away, but what a push…
Delores shows off the baby to Desi, but Cesar is at her side.
"In paradise" on the Lucy show.
Delores is so damn sick of that song.
Infidelity and betrayals, out in the open. This is the long scene where Cesar walks in on Nestor in bed with the fake Maria; they argue; Cesar reveals how much he has lied to Nestor; Nestor breaks down. Talk about passionate personalities.
Nestor gets Cesar the Palladium, but Cesar doesn't know. Oh, the guilt.
Nestor has confessions to make, but they'll wait.
When they're singing, everything is okay.
Icons
If you would like to use the icons below, feel free, but I ask that you credit mlyn in your keywords.
Fandom: The Mambo Kings
Pairing: Cesar Castillo/Nestor Castillo
Author: mlyn
Email: emily.mlyn at gmail.com
Spoilers: moderate (for the movie)
The Mambo Kings is a story of the Castillo brothers and their quest for fame on the mambo scene of 1950s New York City. This essay covers the film, which was based on Oscar Hijuelos' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.
Cesar: the older Castillo brother, singer and bandleader. He takes Nestor from Havana to New York City on the pretense that Cesar's life was in danger, and that a club owner in Havana had tried to own them. As both brothers repeat: "Nobody owns the Castillo brothers." Cesar is terrifyingly sexual, often drunk, and the polar opposite of emotionally distant. Everything is important to him, inciting either joy or anger, but nothing is more important than being a Mambo King with his brother Nestor. Cesar is played by Armand Assante.
Nestor: the more romantic and musically talented Castillo. Torn from Havana and his dreams of a marriage with Maria, who he believes rejected him for the Havana club owner, he tries his best to keep up with Cesar's dreams while making his own way in the world. He achieves this to an extent-marrying Delores Fuentes, an aspiring teacher, and having baby Eugenio with her-but ultimately he feels used and misunderstood. He yearns to return to Havana and open a club, and probably reunite with Maria. But when his own future is nearly made, he rejects it to stand by his brother. Nestor is played by Antonio Banderas, about whom director Arne Glimcher says: "He's incredibly charming. I think he can seduce any woman, man, cat, dog, or bird in the world."
Delores: when first she meets Cesar, the attraction is a firestorm, whereas her affection for Nestor is a gentle, comforting breeze. She marries him because she believes he would be a better husband than the roguish Cesar, and because she quickly becomes pregnant. But throughout her relationship with Nestor, Cesar pays her as much or more attention, and better understands her feelings than Nestor. As she realizes who is the better husband, she sinks into sadness, unable to realize neither her dream of teacher nor true partnership in a happy marriage.
Together, but in what way?
I don't think of the brothers having a realized incestuous relationship, but they certainly forge into a gray area most siblings would feel uncomfortable in. (Granted, other cultures are more physical than Americans, but this is a film made for American audiences. We can approach it with our standards for sexuality.) The dynamics with other characters make it even more interesting-the triangle between Cesar, Nestor, and Delores is just as enticing a subject.
On the surface, their relationship is innocent enough. But show this film to any slash fan, and they'll leap from their seat. The brothers have passion for each other over anyone else. Despite misunderstandings and hurt feelings, they return to each other's side with unflagging devotion. They are intensely physical with each other. When life gets in the way of their happiness together, they both grow frustrated and depressed. Everything is eclipsed by the Castillo brothers' relationship. Arne Glimcher again: "It's a story how love can be so overpowering that it can destroy."
One scene is particularly remarkable for its slashy subtext. Cesar and Nestor sit in a photo booth, Cesar feeding the machine quarters and letting the camera flash while Nestor argues with him. The booth is tiny; they are pressed together, Cesar's arm wrapped around Nestor's shoulder to bring him into his arms, utilizing space but destroying any vestige of personal boundaries. They gaze earnestly at each other with their faces mere inches away. When Cesar demands that Nestor give up his dreams of Maria, Nestor retorts: "And you, Cesar? How long before you give up your dream?" They stare at each other for several long seconds, then Cesar turns away with a humorless laugh. "There's no dream, man. It's our life."
Much later, Nestor and Cesar have it out in Hollywood, after filming an episode of I Love Lucy at the invitation of Desi Arnaz. Nestor tells Cesar how he never wanted Cesar's dream, how he wants to return to Cuba, how Cesar ruined his life. Cesar reveals details he had kept from Nestor, and Nestor feels more crushed. He takes his trumpet and begins smashing things in the room. Cesar seizes him and holds him as he collapses into sobs, stroking his arm and letting him lean against him.
Subtext:
There is nothing subtle about this film. The most subtle subtext I can think of is a scene where Nestor and Delores have a conversation in a park, immediately before they make love for the first time. As the scene begins, they are sucking on popsicles. The choice of such a phallic dessert-and for them both to be enjoying their own-is pretty interesting. Remember that Delores has a close relationship with Cesar, just as Nestor does. It is for this reason, and for Delores' scenes with Cesar, that I think there is plenty of grounds for a love triangle.
Emotions are worn on sleeves in this film-again, nothing subtle. Delores watches Cesar (and he her) with blatent heat, and suffers in her one-sided marriage with tears in her eyes. When Cesar hears that Nestor will be married, he looks like Nestor told him he was moving to China, and promptly gets drunk. Nestor tries to find his own way to happiness with retreating into memories (writing to Maria) or sleeping with an anonymous woman, but Cesar pulls him back into the present with little reprieve. Even the way the brothers use each other for support shows the blatant physicality of their relationship: they grope at each other for several minutes throughout a scene where they nervously meet Desi Arnaz, never letting go of the other person. And when they sing Nestor's hit bolero "Beautiful Maria of My Soul": no one can say there isn't something slashy about brothers singing to each other: "…and the taste of you remains / clinging to paradise…". Even in the director's commentary, he says (about the last performance together): "And the duet in this song is 'reaching for paradise,' and they sing that together. And when they do, you can see that the brothers-no matter what's happened-that the filial bond is there. They're really singing it to each other."
Maria is never present to hear the song, and Cesar sings it both to and for Nestor, so why should anyone pretend it is not about them?
In the sunlight of your smile
In the summer of our life
In the magic of love
Storms above
Scatter away
Lovers dreaming in the night
Reaching for paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
Refrain:
Hunger for your kiss
Longing for your touch
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Filling all my nights
Haunting all my dreams
Beautiful Maria of my soul
And the taste of you remains
Clinging to paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
(Refrain)
Though we'll always be apart
Locked forever in a dream
If I ever love again
Even then
Nothing will change
And the taste of you remains
Clinging to paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
(Final refrain) Hunger for your kiss
Longing for your touch
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Filling all my nights
Haunting all my dreams
Beautiful Maria of my soul
My background:
I knew 'shipping Nestor and Cesar was inevitable from very early on in the film. I joked before watching it that I would be doing so on the lookout for sibcest, given the two main actors, but I had not been serious. I rented the film out of an interest in seeing Antonio Banderas' first English-speaking role, particularly since he did the movie phonetically. (Even after repeated viewings I have to remind myself of that; his performance is phenomenal.) I did not expect to find one of the unabashedly hottest pairings on-screen in years, and for the pair to be both male. As I have been a slash fan for a few years, I was delighted at the happy accident.
Why fans should follow this pairing:
This is a pairing that has a lot to offer any slasher, but particularly those who crave doomed, unrequited love. Cesar and Nestor are part of a time and culture where homosexuality in any form is reviled; needless to say incest would be a sin beyond belief. Despite this, their love for each other is undeniable. Wives and girlfriends realize from the beginning that they take a backseat to the brothers. Unfulfilled wishes and betrayals bring pain into their lives, yet they remain together until an accident pulls them apart. Cesar's entire world revolves around remembering and celebrating Nestor, even while he is dying inside from his loss.
Fandom guide?
There is no fandom that I'm aware of. The slash sort of thrust itself upon me. I expressed my astonishment in my own LJ, and put up some screencaps for people to see what I mean. Some friends seemed to understand, especially when I was able to show a few pieces of the film to a group of friends in-person, but so far no one has expressed interest in actively starting a fandom with me, or showing me the way to one. Googling, searching fanfiction.net and adultfanfiction.net, and searching LiveJournal interests have turned up nothing.
If there is a fandom out there, please share! I've only made icons and the screencaps below. I have no knowledge of fanfic, songvids, or anything else. This movie is beautiful visually and aurally, and should be celebrated in every way.
Picture Galleries
So cozy on the bus.
Cesar teasing Nestor. Cesar holds him by the neck a lot. There's probably room for analysis in that.
Cesar and Nestor perform their first gig. My, how close he stands.
Delores is actually looking at Cesar in this; the first time she sees him.
Delores and Cesar dance while Nestor is fetching her a corsage. One so innocent, the other so experienced.
The photo booth scene. There are a lot of caps, so I had to make a page.
"You can't talk to her that way, she's going to be my wife!"
"Pregnancy is a good enough reason to marry her." Cesar is broken that his little brother is being taken away.
Yet Nestor looks broken too.
Nestor's wedding, and one last moment of closeness.
Nestor gets news that Delores is in labor. No, spraying fluid on one's brother from a hose held at crotch level is not homoerotic in any way.
Cesar brings Delores a gift of books, and she is floored by the gesture.
Who's the happy little family?
"Beautiful Maria of My Soul" for the first time.
Where's Cesar looking?
Ah, now we see.
Cesar and Nestor grope each other when they meet Desi Arnaz. The poor boys are so nervous, so naturally they turn to each other…and Cesar digs his thumb into Nestor's side, tickling him. Although that may have been Armand and Antonio horsing around. (Have I mentioned the possibilities for RPS?)
Desi Arnaz at the dinner table, and Cesar is kissing Nestor on the cheek.
Nestor pushes him away, but what a push…
Delores shows off the baby to Desi, but Cesar is at her side.
"In paradise" on the Lucy show.
Delores is so damn sick of that song.
Infidelity and betrayals, out in the open. This is the long scene where Cesar walks in on Nestor in bed with the fake Maria; they argue; Cesar reveals how much he has lied to Nestor; Nestor breaks down. Talk about passionate personalities.
Nestor gets Cesar the Palladium, but Cesar doesn't know. Oh, the guilt.
Nestor has confessions to make, but they'll wait.
When they're singing, everything is okay.
Icons
If you would like to use the icons below, feel free, but I ask that you credit mlyn in your keywords.