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5.0 out of 5 stars
Quinceanera(1960) is a classic!, November 25, 2009
This review is from: Quinceanera (DVD)
Quinceanera(1960) is a coming of age drama about three different girls(Martha Mijares, Teresa Velazquez, and Maricruz Olivier) from different socio-economic classes. Resourceful director Alfredo B. Crevenna was at the helm. In Mexican culture, a "Quinceanera" is a coming of age celebration when a girl reaches fifteen years of age. The movie trailer hypes this film as Martha Mijares' last film...and it was. Antonio Diaz Conde does a good job seamlessly blending Johann Strauss' 'The Emperor's Waltz' into his music score. Quinceanera was solid on a technical and artistic level...and it's sad that almost no effort is put into modern Mexican movies.
VCI/Kit-Parker-Films spoiled us rotten with this DVD. It's presented in Mexican Spanish in a restored widescreen format with optional yellow subtitles in English. There's also extras such as movie posters and biographies on Maricruz Olivier and director Alfredo B. Crevenna. Most Mexican movies on DVD are bare bones and the film stock is shown in an unrestored condition.
Quinceanera has a warm sense of nostalgia; it magically transports us to Mexico in 1960. We get to see a young and innocent looking Maricruz Olivier in a checkered dress. Over time, she would lose a lot of innocence. The late Tere Velazquez adds a sense of fun to this film. The brawling scene in the diner may have been an homage to Rebel Without a Cause(1955). The late Miguel Manzano was a superb actor. In El Analfabeto(1960), he spends the entire film at odds with Cantinflas. In Su Exelencia(1966), Cantinflas and Manzano are best friends. Quinceanera is a inspiring classic of Mexican cinema and it deserves to be rediscovered.
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