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27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
¿Me queres mucho, Lorenzo Rafáil? ¡A güevo que sí!, September 20, 1999
A beautiful love story between a man, a woman... ...and a pig! You think I'm kidding, right? Wrong! And don't expect any of that Tarantino-south-of-the-border stuff either; this one is for real, and quite old-fashioned. Believe it or not, there was a time when the best cinema in Spanish was made in Mexico, and if I had to choose its best movie, I'd say without a doubt "María Candelaria".Gorgeously filmed in beautiful Xochimilco (back when it was beautiful) by the great Gabriel Figueroa, it boasts terrific performances by both Pedro Armendáriz Sr. and Dolores del Río (her best film, no doubt), and remains today a cultural icon throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Emilio "Indio" Fernández directs. Don't you remember him? He's the abominable villain in Sam Peckinpah's "Wild Bunch"! He's also one of the greatest auteurs of all time. If you don't believe me, get this gem and see for yourself!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Xochimilco: The Most Timeless Classic of Mexican Cinema, May 13, 2007
I must say I do sympathize with the prior reviewer, as Maria Candelaria (Xochimilco) is a very subtly classic film that is not so immediately striking. Like most Mexican films of the period (and especially those of Emilio Fernandez) it is extremely melodramatic at times (Maria is waiting for her piglet to grow up before she can sell it to buy a dress so that she can get properly married!). Yet the songs we hum upon first listen are rarely the ones that stand the test of time. Personally, I did not find much in my first viewings of either The Grand Illusion or the Third Man, two of the greatest of classic films. Maria Candelaria, not unlike those films, is a nut which is not cracked and swallowed whole on the first try.
Del Rio is largely forgotten in the U.S. today, but she was one of the biggest stars of the late silent era. Even as late as '33, she still got top billing over Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Her return to Mexico was thus looked upon with some reverence. It would not be unlike Salma Hayek or Gael Garcia Bernal returning today.
Regarding the film's place in time, it helps immensely to first watch Fernandez's two prior efforts, Soy Puro Mexicano (1942) and then Flor Silvestre (1943), to get an idea of the level of progression which took place here. Soy Puro Mexicano looks like an even cruder Mexican WWII spin-off of Hitchcock's 30s British style. Flor Silvestre follows much the same storytelling pattern as Maria Candelaria, but it looks much more rudimentary in execution. Maria Candelaria marked the first truly high water note of the Fernandez/Figueroa style, in 1944, which they often equaled but never really surpassed. Thus this film stands all the taller for its early date of production. And comparing it to American films of the same year (almost pure war propaganda), it looks even better.
Regarding the film, it is highly innovative on a number of levels. First, it was made largely outdoors in the real location of Xochimilco with often moving cameras (whereas a recent classic like Casablanca was filmed entirely in a California studio/back lot). The camerawork by Gabriel Figueroa in that environment is superb. Secondly, the script is full of subtle ironies of real rural Mexican life (certainly pulled from Fernandez's actual experiences) never before put to screen. Take for instance Don Damian (Miguel Inclan), who insists on berating the locals as "indios" despite being darker skinned than they. This aggressive malinchista streak persists in Mexico today. While generally considered sympathetic to the plight of Mexico's indigenous majority, Fernandez clearly evokes an ugly streak in their nature thru the way Maria Candelaria (Dolores del Rio) is treated. The daughter of a "puta", Maria is kept virtually imprisoned on her chinampa (island plot) by her neighbors. And while far from having white features, Del Rio clearly looks less than purely native, which would have incited the malinchista-streaked villagers against her even more (quietly jealous of her fair complexion). The irony of a dark-skinned man inciting mestizo "indios" against a fair-skinned "india" was certainly not lost on Fernandez. Maria's dealings with the Porfiriato legal system and her star-crossed love only add more layers to the irony of that injustice. That is the real Mexico that Fernandez wanted to put to screen.
The copy long available on VHS in the U.S. is so bad that it really should not be watched. The image is frequently so blurred as to be unwatchable, the sound is poor, and the white subtitles are at best readable 50% of the time. Televisa has released a DVD in Mexico as part of their Alter's Collection and it is highly recommended. It is region1/4 (plays on U.S. players just fine), has optional yellow English & Spanish subtitles, the image has been cleaned up considerably, and the packaging is very nicely done.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, one glory in mexican movies !, May 20, 2007
Not only for studies on film or history as someone has said, this film is a mexican glory. There is a beautiful story in its conception (images, dialogues, space and time, the professional quality of the actors, etc).
The text, book or script was originally an anniversary present for Dolores del Río. Then, some months later, this gift became a jewel of the golden age of mexican movies.
The story shows a little bit of Mexico that does not exist just now.
Recommended for all times, for people of all ages and for futurs film directors and actors. Now the DVD is available in Mexico. Superb !
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