Product Details

• Actors: Pedro Infante, Emilia Guiu
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FFTZWO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,033 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

This classic melodrama from the golden age of Mexican cinema was directed by Joselito Rodriguez in 1948, and stars the great Pedro Infante. It's the same story as Fannie Hurst's "Imitation of Life", first filmed in '34 with Claudette Colbert, and then in '59 with Lana Turner. The plot centers around a woman who does not realize her heritage, that she is actually the daughter of the black maid, and the "patron". Born blonde, she was brought up as the wealthy patron's daughter, and never told the truth. Infante plays the famous singer who marries her, and the video box claims this is his most dramatic role...it is perhaps also his sweetest, bordering on the saccharine, but he is wonderful as always, and gets to sing several songs: "Si, Dice Si", "Mi Primer Amor", "Tus Ojitos", Danza Sagrada" (this number is definitely not Pedro at his best !), "Belen", and a marvelous rendition of one of my favorite songs, "Angelitos Negros". The beautiful melody of this song is played as a theme throughout the film. The cast is excellent. Emilia Guiu (who can still be seen in telenovelas, like the recent "Abrazame Muy Fuerte"), plays the deluded, obstinate wife, and Rita Montaner, who was a very well known Cuban singer in the 20's and 30's, is the mother/nanny. She does this in "black-face", as do many of the cast members, including the director's daughter, Titina, who plays the little girl with much charm. A story of prejudice and sacrifice, it's quite moving, and gets better with repeated viewings. One of Infante's biggest box office hits, it's a good film to remember this much loved star with, who died in 1957 at the age of 39, in a plane crash.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IMITATION OF LIFE...MEXICAN STYLE..., May 25, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Angelitos Negros (DVD)

Filmed in 1948, this Mexican movie is a cinematic gem. The film is sepia toned, rather than black and white, which gives it a very old-fashioned quality. Yet, the themes touched by this film are sure to move the audiences of today, just as it did those of yesteryear.

The film takes place in Mexico and tells the story a wealthy, blond, Mexican beauty, Ana Luisa de la Fuente. She is an orphan who is taken care of by a black woman whom she calls Nana. This woman has taken care of Ana Luisa since she was little, and she adores and loves Ana Luisa as if she were her own. Unfortunately for Nana, Ana Luisa is a selfish woman, who looks down on those who are black or mulatto.

A famous Mexican singer, Jose Carlos Ruiz, who also happens to be an orphan, falls head over heels in love with the autocratic Ana Luisa at first sight. He finally proposes, and she accepts. Nana is horrified and tries to stop the wedding from going forward. She is charmed, however, by Jose Carlos, who ends up o getting his way, as Juan Carlos is as democratic as Ana Luisa is autocratic. Instead, Nana ends up telling a priest her reasons for wanting to stop the wedding from going forward.

It turns out that she is actually Ana Luisa's mother. She had an affair with Ana Luisa's father, who was white. When Ana Luisa's father saw that the child was born white with blond hair and looked like him, he decided that he would keep her and bring her up as his own. The condition was that Nana could never tell her that she was really her mother. Instead, she would be her nanny. Ana Luisa has no idea that the woman she calls Nana is her biological mother.

Though the priest counsels Nana to tell the engaged couple the truth, she refrains from doing so for fear that Juan Carlos would not marry Ana Luisa were the truth known. Shortly after the wedding, Ana Luisa gets pregnant, much to Nana's horror and dismay. Sure enough, when the baby is born, the baby is clearly not white, and Ana Luisa rejects the child, a daughter, blaming Juan Carlos. Juan Carlos is also surprised when he sees the child, and Nana finally reveals her secret and tells him the truth. The priest now counsels Juan Carlos to make believe that it is his mother who was black, to account for the child's color, as Ana Luisa has gone off the deep end over giving birth to a child who appears to be black. The priest tells him to wait until Ana Luisa learns to accept the child, and then tell her the truth about her parentage.

This sets into play years of hell on earth for all those involved in this tragic state of affairs, as Ana Luisa will simply not accept the child. The charade continues, and as the child grows up, she realizes that her mother does not seem to love her, even though her father and Nana clearly adore her. How, when, and why the issue is finally resolved makes for some very dramatic, cinematic moments.

Make no bones about it, this is a five hanky tear jerker, with fine performances by the entire cast. Is the film sentimental? Sure, but that is one of its charms. It also has some fine, period music, as an outgrowth of the role of Juan Carlos. In order to view this film, it is recommended that the viewer understand Spanish, as the film does not seem to be available with English subtitles. Movie lovers who enjoyed such films as "Imitation of Life" (1934), "Imitation of Life" (1959), and "Pinky" will, undoubtedly, enjoy this little known, cinematic treasure. Bravo!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Infante at his most amazing, July 3, 2006

By 

Robert Chica - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angelitos Negros (DVD)

Pedro Infante was alongside Cantinflas, Mexico's most important hero for the common man as an actor. Like Cantinflas he was to play so many roles like the Motorcycle Cop in A.T.M as well as the Priest in Los Tres Huistecos, besides the Military General in the same film of Los Tres Huistecos. Infante did Charro roles like Negrete did, but he was more close to the common man and not distant like Negrete was.

Angelitos Negros is a tale of non love for people of different origins, with the Mother in the story being hatefull of Blacks, although she does not understand that she is of a Black Mother although she is White and Blonde.

The cast was amazing as it featured Emilia Guiu and Infante as well as Rita Montaner, with Emilia playing the role of the Mother and Rita playing the Nana who raised her and is in reality her own Mother; while Infante is a great singer who is the Father in the story. The child of the story is Belem and she is a little Black Girl who is hated by her own Mother because she is Black. Tatina was the Child Star who was in the film as Belem, and she was amazing as Belem.

This story ends in tragedy but its message is very strong off not to critisize what may be too close to home.

Infante did a whole setting of amazing songs like Belem and Angelitos Negros plus Danza Sagrada, when the cast was mainly all in Black face although Black Cuban actors were also in the film.

This is a true must see for all

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disapointed, November 16, 2010

By 

Lupe Loya "Latino Experience" (Sylmar, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Angelitos Negros [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America] (DVD)

I was very disapointed with this movie. Manuel Ochoa Lopez is a very good. I have seen him in many other movies and love his acting; but in this movie, although he was very good the story line and most of the other actors were very poor. Boring. The review states that this movie was as good as the previous movie with Pedro Infante- - - NOT True; at least in the previous film the music was very good, and the actors made you feel their heartbreak. The Father, Grandmother, and the priest were very believable, a real tearjerker, and the movie was far more believable and interesting. This movie like so many other remakes, the acting feels like the actors just mimic their parts, making it feel very artificial and boring.