The Golden Era of Mexican Cinema

By Rafael Ocasio -- Críticas, 11/15/2006

After the arrival of cinematography in Mexico City in 1896, images of daily life in Mexico were seen around the globe. By the mid-Thirties, the Mexican film industry was a strong producer of films, challenging the industries in Argentina and Spain. Mexican folklore, particularly as captured by rancheras (country music) and the music of the charros (Mexican cowboys), was a popular motif in the earliest films. The ranchera, as these kinds of films were later called, became well known throughout Latin America, starting with the first musical blockbuster, “Allá en el rancho grande” (“There on the Big Ranch,” 1936).

After the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), Mexico embarked on the construction of film studios. The new market produced a number of stars whose fame throughout Latin America made them as important as Hollywood icons. Reputable directors (e.g. Roberto Gavaldón, Alberto Gout) created genres that came to characterize Mexico’s so-called Golden Age in film.

The films reviewed here feature some of the most famous actors of the golden era while exemplifying the development of the various Mexican film genres. These films ably portray the country’s values, folklore, and approach to exposing social evil at the time.

FEATURES

Aventurera.
(Adventuress)
(Mexico, 1950) black & white. Spanish (English subtitles). 101 mins. Cinemateca dist. by Facets Video. 2004. DVD. $29.95. DRAMA

This film is significant because of its outstanding female stars: Cuban Ninón Sevilla, an exuberant rumba dancer who made a profitable career in Mexican films, and Andrea Palma, by then a seasoned character actress well known for playing strong, often mean-spirited characters. As a genre, the cabaretera film delivers a rather predictable plot (young women are enticed by illegal means into the underground life of prostitution), and this film is a prime example. After her father commits suicide, Elena Tejero (Sevilla) becomes a cabaret dancer to support herself. She is then deceived into working in a fancy nightclub after the owner, Rosaura (Palma), drugs her. Eventually, Elena escapes, but a series of coincidences bring her back to Rosaura, who leading a double life, is also a respected member of the upper class. The convoluted plot is full of action, and the conclusion is unusual. Director Alberto Gout, known for other films in this genre, has produced a work with a striking film noir quality reminiscent of the best of American productions of this kind. Sevilla’s musical performance is among her best. Highly recommended for all Mexican film collections.

Cuando México canta.
(When Mexico Sings)
(Mexico, 1958) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 101 mins. Vanguard Cinema. 2005. DVD. $14.99. MUSICAL/DRAMA

Argentine Rosita Quintana plays Lupita, a humble and beautiful young woman living in a small, rural Mexican town. To make ends meet, she makes the rounds as the village singer. When a reputable composer, Lorenzo Inclán, comes to town, he is impressed by Lupita’s pristine voice and encourages her to leave to pursue a singing career. Mistaking his kind words as an invitation, Lupe shows up at Inclán’s house unannounced and without a penny. A stern and cranky old man, Inclán becomes Lupe’s musical instructor, turns her into a diva, and a love triangle unfolds. Mexican musicals like this one were immensely popular in Latin America. The settings were diverse, including “real” locales in the countryside or, as in this film, elaborate stage sets representing a variety of Mexican folklore. Quintana’s good renditions of Mexican ballads are visually effective with performers in outstanding regional costumes. This film is recommended as a good example of the Mexican musical genre.

Flor de mayo.
(May Flower)
(Mexico, 1959) color. Spanish. 110 mins. Vanguard Cinema. 2005. DVD. $14.99. DRAMA

Based on a novel by Spaniard Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, this film features stars María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz as well as American actor Jack Palance. Pepe (Armendáriz) is a fisherman married to Magdalena (Félix), the most beautiful woman in the village. Pepe discovers that after he left town to serve a jail sentence Magdalena had an affair with Jim (Palance) and that Pepito, his small, dear child, is Jim’s son, and he plots to kill the lovers. This is not Armendáriz’s best performance; here he is aged and out of shape. Félix appears radiant, a diva, confidently wearing eccentric outfits with high heels as she climbs up the rocky hill of Topolobampo, a poor town on the Mexican Pacific coast. Palance, in a good role, delivers his Spanish lines fairly effectively. The film is representative of a sexist and macho genre that depicts the wife as deceitful and stereotypes a woman’s reasons for entering into an illicit affair. However, the ending is rare in films of this kind. Recommended for secondary holdings of Mexican films.

La mujer del puerto.
(The Woman of the Port)
(Mexico, 1933) b&w. Spanish (English subtitles). 76 mins. Cinemateca, dist. Facets Video. 2005. DVD. $24.95. DRAMA

This classic of Mexican cinema stars Andrea Palma as Rosario, an innocent young country woman. When she discovers that her boyfriend, Victorio—with whom she’s had sexual relations—is having an affair, she confronts him, but Victorio simply dismisses her as an easy woman. Rosario’s sick father attempts to defend her honor but dies accidentally. With no other choice, Rosario becomes a prostitute, known among other streetwalkers as “the woman of the port.” The film follows a rather formularized approach to the treatment of prostitution, but the surprise ending introduces another taboo subject that will shock the audience. The use of black shadows to contrast Rosario’s former rural life with her prostitution in a cheap motel in Veracruz is fascinating. The film also effectively incorporates musical ballads, including “Vendo placer” (“I Sell Pleasure”), which summarizes Rosario’s plight in a male-dominated society that forces her into prostitution as a mujer manchada (“stained woman”). Palma makes an outstanding debut in this film. Highly recommended for any collection of Mexican and Latin American cinema.

Rafael Ocasio, professor of Spanish at Agnes Scott College, GA, teaches a film course: “From Literary Classics to Popular Icons.” The author of several books, Ocasio’s next work, A Cuban Gay Activist in Exile: Reinaldo Arenas, will be published by University Press of Florida in 2007.