Moebius (1996 film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Moebius'' is a 1996
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...
directed by Gustavo Mosquera and starring Guillermo Angelelli,
Roberto Carnaghi Roberto Luis Carnaghi (born May 13, 1938) is an Argentine actor who has appeared in 44 films, about 60 plays, more than 50 television programmes, and nearly 100 advertisements. Biography Carnaghi was born on May 13, 1938, in Avellaneda. He studi ...
and Annabella Levy. It is based on the classic 1950 short story "
A Subway Named Mobius "A Subway Named Mobius" is a 1950 science fiction short story by American astronomer Armin Joseph Deutsch. It imagines the results of increasing the complexity of the Boston MTA system (now the MBTA) with a new interconnection. It has been collec ...
" by
Armin Joseph Deutsch Armin Joseph Deutsch (January 25, 1918–November 11, 1969), was an American astronomer and a science fiction writer. __NOTOC__ Life and career Deutsch was born in Chicago and earned a BS from the University of Arizona in 1940 and, after wartim ...
.THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY BEHIND THE FILM "MOEBIUS"
- University of Bologna The film is set in the
Buenos Aires Underground The Buenos Aires Underground ( es, Subterráneo de Buenos Aires, links=no), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Pla ...
, in a dark and dystopian
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
.


Synopsis

On one 4 March, the controllers of the
Buenos Aires Underground The Buenos Aires Underground ( es, Subterráneo de Buenos Aires, links=no), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Pla ...
discover that train number UM-86 (a Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel train), along with its passengers, has gone missing in the network of tunnels. After searching the entire network (which in the film is shown as being much larger than in reality) they fail to find both the train and its passengers. In an attempt to hide the incident from the public, the director of
SBASE sbase is a set of programs developed by suckless.org that implements several portable UNIX tools in a minimal way according to POSIX specifications. It is used in Google's Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' () is a genus of flowering plants that consists ...
contacts the engineering firm responsible for the construction of the line where UM-86 went missing in order to investigate the incident. The firm then sends a young
topologist In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing h ...
Daniel Pratt, rather than an experienced engineer, which displeases the director. Upon looking for the original plans of the line at a national archive, Pratt discovers that they are missing and were taken away by his former lecturer at the
University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most presti ...
, Hugo Mistein. After looking for him at the University, another professor tells Pratt that Mistein retired some time ago and has not been seen or contacted for a considerable period. Pratt gets hold of Mistein's address and calls his house from a public telephone. The professor is not at home, however the phone is answered by an uncooperative young girl who tells him Mistein isn't home and then hangs up. Since Pratt is out of change, he decides to go to the apartment in person. After arriving at the apartment, Pratt is greeted by the same girl who spoke to him on the phone and after some reluctance, lets him into the apartment. Inside, he discovers the plans he had been looking for but is forced to leave through the fire escape, along with the girl, after a knock on the door. The pair enter a station and search for the director. The girl is told to wait on one of the platforms while Pratt addresses the director and numerous officials tasked with getting to the bottom of the UM-86 mystery. The group informs him that the entire line has been closed and all trains halted to make the search for the missing train easier. Upon delivering the news, the sound of a train is heard through the tunnels. The group runs around the multi-level station looking for UM-86 but it is nowhere to be found. Maintenance workers at the bottom level also heard the sound, but presumed it was coming from the top level, where Pratt and the others were located. Upon hearing this, the director orders that all power be turned off in the line, which has little effect other than further angering the committee. The group return up the station and Pratt reveals his complex theory: that the construction of the perimeteral line has turned the network into a form of
Möbius strip In mathematics, a Möbius strip, Möbius band, or Möbius loop is a surface that can be formed by attaching the ends of a strip of paper together with a half-twist. As a mathematical object, it was discovered by Johann Benedict Listing and A ...
which, under the right conditions, caused the missing train to pass into another dimension. The theory is ridiculed by the rest of the committee and Pratt is relieved of his post as investigator. He then leaves the station along with the girl. After seeing a
roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...
at the
Parque de la Ciudad The Parque de la Ciudad ( en, City Park) is a former amusement park in the Villa Soldati neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. History The park was planned by the administration of Mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore in 1978. Cacciatore, appointed by ...
, Pratt is inspired to make a series of mathematical calculations, perfecting his theory. He quickly returns to the underground line and begins taking notes throughout the day on the movements and schedules of the different trains, coming to the realisation that UM-86 is soon to appear. He then begins walking through the tunnels and ascends one level through a maintenance passage and continues walking. After some time, a train appears and almost hits him. The shaken-up Pratt continues through the maintenance areas and finds himself at another station, named after the Argentine writer
Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...
(an intentional decision by the director of the film). He boards the first train that arrives there. Pratt makes his way up the train, and to his surprise notices the UM-86 naming on the carriages. The passengers are in a serene state, unresponsive and staring forwards. Upon reaching the conductor's cabin, Pratt discovers professor Mistein sitting in the conductor's chair waiting for him. After some philosophical discussion which confirms the validity of Pratt's theory, the two critique modern society. The following day, the director of SBASE is summoned to a station. There he finds UM-86, empty of passengers and with only Pratt's journal explaining his theory in the conductor's cabin. As the director is about to leave, he receives a phone call about another missing train.


Locations

The following Buenos Aires Underground stations were used as sets for the film:


Cast

* Guillermo Angelelli ... Daniel Pratt *
Roberto Carnaghi Roberto Luis Carnaghi (born May 13, 1938) is an Argentine actor who has appeared in 44 films, about 60 plays, more than 50 television programmes, and nearly 100 advertisements. Biography Carnaghi was born on May 13, 1938, in Avellaneda. He studi ...
... Marcos Blasi *
Annabella Levy Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I *Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...
... Abril *
Jorge Petraglia Jorge is a Spanish Language, Spanish and Portuguese Language, Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth ...
... Mistein *
Miguel Ángel Paludi --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disamb ...
... Aguirre *
Fernando Llosa Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
... Nazar *
Martín Adjemián Martín Adjemián (December 12, 1932 – January 3, 2006) was an Argentine film and television actor of Armenian descent. He worked in the cinema of Argentina.Daniel Di Biase Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
... Kenn * Jean Pierre Reguerraz ... Deckes * Martín Pavlovsky ... Driver 101 * Felipe Méndez ... Transhipment Manager * Fernando Cia ... Figas * Osvaldo Santoro ... Vega *
Horacio Roca The name Horacio is found sporadically throughout all Latinamerica. Historical Figures *Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan author and writer. *Horacio Carochi, an Italian Jesuit priest and grammarian *Horacio Pagani (auto executive) (born 1955), Argen ...
... Edmundo * Nora Zinsky ... Female Professor *
Sammy Lerner Samuel Lerner (January 28, 1903 – December 13, 1989) was a Romanian-born songwriter for American and British musical theatre and film. Career Lerner emigrated with his parents into the United States at age seven, and the family settled in Detro ...
... Old man in the file room * Rodolfo Franghi ... Mussio (as Rodolfo Franggi)


See also

*
Cinema of Argentina Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad. The Argentine film industry has histor ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moebius 1990s Spanish-language films 1996 films Films about mathematics 1996 science fiction films Films shot in Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Underground Argentine science fiction films Films based on science fiction short stories 1990s dystopian films