I can not agree with the review that brands this movie as a pretentious piece. Nevertheless I'm not absolutely positive about it. I think that you shouldn't miss it if you haven't read the book. The movie has very rare virtues - probably thanks to the genius of Ripstein -: the aforementioned cinematography is stunning (the shots on the riverside, the interior of the Colonel's house, etc.), the slow pace helps to create a unique atmosphere which is very suited to the subjects.
Said this, I have quite a few objections, too: 1) Some allusions place the plot in a Mexican context, which is far away from the original one. 2) A lot of symbols from the novel (where almost everything has a symbolic value - thanks to the genius of Márquez): a) The apprehension of the wife for the rooster and for the Friday's mail with the pension extinguishes the very strong difference between husband and wife which is fundamental in the book; b) The introduction of the mortgage-theme marks a very single and unrepeated situation, although in the novel there is no such thing, the main point is the monotony of the status of the old couple. 3) In my view the wife (for example by going to the cinema and talking to the priest) has a less consistent character, but at the same time the political views of the Colonel and of the friends of his son are overly stressed. 4) The introduction of the lover's storyline weakens the tension (which is tried to be substituted with the mentioned political views' exposure) that proceeds of the reticence of the causes of the death of the son. 5) I may have forgotten some points for now, but, at last, if you speak Spanish and know something about its accents, the wife's talking will bother you a bit.
I'm not saying at all that this is a bad piece, but having read the sublime book of Márquez, and as the movie is confessedly the cinematographic version of the novel (and in my opinion that takes away the complete separateness of the work of Ripstein), I can't help having these thoughts after watching it.
Said this, I have quite a few objections, too: 1) Some allusions place the plot in a Mexican context, which is far away from the original one. 2) A lot of symbols from the novel (where almost everything has a symbolic value - thanks to the genius of Márquez): a) The apprehension of the wife for the rooster and for the Friday's mail with the pension extinguishes the very strong difference between husband and wife which is fundamental in the book; b) The introduction of the mortgage-theme marks a very single and unrepeated situation, although in the novel there is no such thing, the main point is the monotony of the status of the old couple. 3) In my view the wife (for example by going to the cinema and talking to the priest) has a less consistent character, but at the same time the political views of the Colonel and of the friends of his son are overly stressed. 4) The introduction of the lover's storyline weakens the tension (which is tried to be substituted with the mentioned political views' exposure) that proceeds of the reticence of the causes of the death of the son. 5) I may have forgotten some points for now, but, at last, if you speak Spanish and know something about its accents, the wife's talking will bother you a bit.
I'm not saying at all that this is a bad piece, but having read the sublime book of Márquez, and as the movie is confessedly the cinematographic version of the novel (and in my opinion that takes away the complete separateness of the work of Ripstein), I can't help having these thoughts after watching it.