Don Pedro: The Ambiguity of Evil in La Habanera

Anna's Post:



In my opinion, one of the most complex characters in the film is Don Pedro. As with most characters in the film, it is only too easy to try and place them into stereotypical categories such as “evil tyrant”, “heroic (Aryan) savior”, and “maiden in distress”. However, I believe that all of the characters are much more complex than they are given credit for. I believe that Don Pedro plays two different roles, which can be interpreted by the German audience of the time. He acts as both the “other” to Zarah Leander’s character, Astree, symbolizing the initial draw and eventual disillusionment she experiences with regards to Puerto Rico. He also is the clearly, well-meaning tyrant of an “inferior” southern country. At the beginning of the movie, Don Pedro is clearly the dark, passionate “other” that we are enticed by, but should avoid. He rides up on a black horse, dressed in a black outfit, and engages in the dangerous, cheap entertainment of bull fighting. However, after the elision of ten years his appearance becomes more ambiguous. He is often filmed alone and in shadows, or darkness, which perhaps foreshadows his preventable death. The viewers are made to acknowledge his power and his abuse thereof, in the context of his political and familial power; however, they are also invited to feel sympathetic to him. He is often filmed as standing behind Astree, while she is turned away from him. He loves her, yet she has realized her mistake in leaving the Heimat and wants nothing to do with him. He is never shown with his son except for a scene in which he chastises him, which is a stark difference from the scenes with the boy and his mother. It almost seems as though the snow of the Heimat has replaced the boy’s need for a father. He often reflects on his own decisions and feels remorse for his missteps which further invite the audience to identify with him. In one of the final scenes, when Don Pedro expresses his appreciation and adoration of Astree and she subsequently shuns him to find Sven, it seems as though the viewer is invited to (almost subversively) think of Don Pedro as a misunderstood tyrant and lover.