euskalkultura.eus

Sabrina Otegi/Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Basque cinema researcher, Josu Martinez, has been following the traces of the film Sor Lekua, and of course its creator André Madré.  His efforts, however, haven’t been very successful, and after an intense search Martinez has a number of hints but not very many certainties.  In either case, the mystery around the existence of a copy with the original audio has been raised and made public – from EuskalKultura.com our large reach will surely held and maybe jog the memory and in film libraries or maybe families, this material may appear. It would become, without a doubt, very valuable to the Basque cinema and cultural heritage. 

In the meantime, the copy that was found isn’t less valuable and may be presented in the Diaspora, as its director wished.  Although just a possibility, Martinez is not discounting that in the future there will be another tour through South America and the US.  We talked to him about this and other details about his research. 

-How did your search for Sor Lekua begin? 

The search began as part of my doctoral project that I am doing at the University of the Basque Country.  In the beginning, the research topic was going to be Basque film documentaries; but as I advanced along this line, I found out that there were a lot of works that, unfortunately, and for various reasons, never made it to our time.  For example the film Euzkadi, that was burned by the fascists entering Donostia in 1936.  Euzkadi was a work by Teodoro Hernandorena in 1933.  In the same way, I came across information on this work, Sor Lekua, a film in Basque about the seven Basque provinces and done by Andre Madre.  

Even though there was very little information about it, I continued to research.  During this process I found some articles that were not mentioned in books and this really caught my attneiton.  These articles that are not included in bibliographies are articles in Basque, so one might suspect that historians didn’t consider that they should also figure in the press in Basque.  And that was another motive to keep going.

-So that’s how you started to follow the tracks of the film? 

Yes…these projects are usually long, but finally and after searching hard, I found the widow of Andre Madre, the film’s director, in Paris at Christmas time in 2012.  She told us that she had the film at her house and so we left for Paris with a group from the University. It was a huge step for the project that included the involvement of the university president.  In this context an agreement was signed between the University of the Basque Country and Madame Madre, so that the film would be given to the University.  But when we got to the Basque Country and examined it we realized that the tape didn’t include the audio.  After several hypotheses, maybe the sound was erased, or maybe the video and audio were separated…we decided that there had to be, somewhere, a complete copy.  Above all, keeping in mind that according to experts that wasn’t at all common at that time, and even less so in a small town, that audio and video would be projected separately.  

Sor Lekua premiered in Hazparne, Lapurdi [Madre’s hometown] in 1956. Later there were more presentations, with Madre always present. He used to personally transport the film.  Evidently it was something very personal to him.  According to the data that we have it was also shown at the Euskal Etxea in Paris, in Dakar, when Madre was there as General, and in the San Francisco Basque Club.  Andre Madre was a French serviceman, aviator, and a huge Euskaltzale…which is obvious from his making the film in Basque.  In his own words, he made this documentary for the Basques in the Diaspora since he too, due to his work (General in the French Army), had spent a big part of his life outside of the Basque Country and knew the meaning of nostalgia very well.  

-This information encouraged you to follow the tracks of the film with audio in the Diaspora…

This and another clue.  In some newspapers from 1963, the year that Andre Madre retired, we read that he came to South America and that “he would be received in different capitals by Basque communities, numerous on this continent,” he said in one of the papers. This made us think that surely he had come to present the film…The film that he had made a few years before for Basques in the Diaspora…that was the most logical.  Following this hypothesis, if he had shown the film there, it was very probably that maybe there was a copy with audio around there, some place.  That is why I came.  And especially to Argentina because the idea is to meet with the Basque Diaspora, hoping that he came to Argentina, where there is the largest number of Basque clubs.   

-Where did you begin and what have you found here? 

In Argentina, I began at the French Basque Club, since that seemed logical to me that he would have gone there.  But I reviewed the events and interviewed various people of that time and I didn’t find anything.  So, I began to more through other large clubs in Argentina, still thinking that he probably went to the larger cities instead of the small towns; that is what took me to Laurak Bat in Buenos Aires, Rosario, Bahia Blanca.  I also went to Santiago Chile and was going to go to Montevideo, but professor Irigoyen Artetxe already had information of the existing material but no information abut Sor Lekua…I also emailed other clubs but haven’t had any luck.  I also want to take advantage to thank Oscar Alvarez Gila who helped me make contacts and that made my work much easier.  The same goes for professor Cesar Arrondo here in Argentina.  

-Is there a possibility of some trace outside of the Basque clubs? 

Yes, and I also moved in that direction.  In face two weeks ago I spoe again to his widow by phone, and she told me again that Madre made this trip to South America.  But, she also said that he had another reason for the trip.  Apparently one of his family members was a very important religious during the 19^th century; he was Basque and according to Madame Madré, her husband came to a tribute in his honor.  It is not a very precise piece of information but I am trying to track it down, since the only person that occurs to me is Saint Michael Garikotz, Mikel Garikoitz. 1963 marked the centennial of his death and maybe he came to that ceremony.  I don’t think they were related but it is true that Mikel Garikotz was a saint from Behe-Nafarroa born in Ibarre, and in light of the number of Basques who have come here from Iparralde, he founded the Order of the Bayonne Fathers.  Their goal was to minister to the Basques from there and founded various schools like the San Jose College in Buenos Aires.  They also founded colleges in La Plata, Rosario and later in Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay.  That would make sense of mentioning his trip to South America in the press. Following that lead, I also consulted the archives of the Fathers of Bayonne but still had no luck.  I didn’t find anything  about a visit from the author of Sor Lekua.

-What are the next steps in your research? 

At this point, I should say that this trip was a great unknown.  I could almost say that Madré didn’t come here because if he had there should be some information, as small as it might be. On the other hand, his widow, as well as the press, confirms that he came.  What can’t be determined is if he brought the film with him.  Maybe there was another private trip, without any other motive.  When I go back to the Basque Country I will follow the bit about his family member that was a religious and will follow the thread to San Francisco where the film was also shown.  But if nothing comes up there, I will conclude the search.  This type of project is like that…maybe the copy with sound was lost…We know that it existed and that the audio was in Basque but we can’t confirm that it still does.  

In any case, we have the copy that we got in Paris and we hope to introduce it to the Diaspora.  According to the agreement signed by his widow, the University needs to fulfill the original wish of the producer and share it with the Diaspora.  In this way, and after December when I finish my thesis, it would be great to tour with the film through South American and the US. We still aren’t sure if ti was shown in Argentina; so knowing that this was the wish of the director, event 70 years later, we will bring it.  The film is beautiful and it is very well done and will surely be very well-received by the Basques here.  It would be very emotional if we could do it.  When we show it in Hazparne, being the mute version, we do it with live music, with Joserra Senperena who is very excited to do it. He did it with a quartet comprised of cello, violin, flute and txistu.  We wouldn’t be able to do it in the same way here, but in any case it would be similar.  That would be great, and if the clubs are interested, why not? 

Images of the documentary are available on EITB's webpage.