Anyone who has seen Paul Leduc's beautiful Frida (SFIFF 1986) knows his narrative impetus flows not from a rigorous allegiance to plot, but rather to mood, a sensual evocation of time and place. In Barroco Leduc luxuriates in images inspired by the "magic-realism" that Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier championed in Concierto Barroco, the film's source. This latest work is a gloriously orchestrated homage to the rich and complex history of Latin America as refracted through its music. A question-Where do the songs come from?-launches the odyssey, which begins just moments before Pre-Columbian history found itself enmeshed in the New World vision. Native Indians, Spanish conquistadores, African slaves all shaped the history, musical and otherwise, of the continent. Born out of conflict, violence, and passion, their legacy has been subsequently honored and altered across six centuries by revolutionary partisans, jazz proponents, and more recent performers, such as Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanés and Van Van. Leduc jettisons dialogue, allowing us to revel in the spectacle of his pure musical. A feast for the eyes and ears, Barroco differs from its Hollywood counterpart: it never lets us forget the tumultuous history that spawned the melody. --Laura Thielen