Couple in the Cage:
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Directed by: Coco Fusco and Paula Heredia
1993
United States
Performers: Guillermo Gómez-Peña and
Coco Fusco
Pre-Viewing Questions
• Have you ever seen Native American, Africans,
Islanders, etc. dressed in traditional tribal
dress? Did you see a show, listen to them talk,
and take pictures with them?
• What do you think you can learn from such
cultural presentations? Did you feel at all as if
their native culture was being exploited?
Discussion Questions
• What was your first reaction to seeing two
people put in a cage?
How obvious do you think it was
that these people were
actors? Would you have been
fooled?
How did the male and female act
and why do you think they chose
to act that way for the people
watching them? What do you
think they were trying to
observe?
In what different ways did the
visitors to the cage exploit the
two “aborigines”? Did you think
any of the taped commentary by
visitors conveyed racism?
How did music influence the
mood of the video? How did the
changes in mood throughout the
video convey the message of the
film? When was the film most
humorous or most serious?
How did the filmmakers use of
archival footage supplement the
documentary “museum”
footage? Why do you think they
used these old movies?
Do you think that this video
criticizes museums as an
institution?
How obvious do you think it was that these people were actors?ΚWould
you have been fooled?Κ