The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema by Karen DueÃ±as

KAREN DUEÑAS

This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition : The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City February 16 – April 14, 2014 Los Angeles County Museum of Art July 21 – October 27, 2014 The Museum of Fines Arts, Houston January 25 – April 19, 2015 Curated by Linyu Duenas and organized by the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Federal Distric, Mexico. www.palacio.bellasartes.gob.mx © 2014 Karen Duenas, and authors © 2014 Televisa Foundation All rights reserved. The contents of this book, in part or in whole, may not be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-3-2448-3548-0 Printed in Mexico City

FOREWORD

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

CHECKLIST

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD More than half of a century ago, Mexico had one of the most prestigious film industries in the world, with internationally respected pool of actors and film producers. During this time period, the country was the setting of thousands of films per year, catapulting dozens of actors into screen idols with international acclaim and wide commercial success. The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema reflects not only the economic prosperity of the country at this time, but the nationalistic desire to rebuild a nation that had been abused and exploited for a long time. The photography and films presented in this exhibition echoes the everyday conditions of the working classes through the elements of tragedy, comedy, music, and folklore. Above it all, this exhibition highlights and honors some of the most important movie directors, actresses, leading men, and famous films of Mexican cinematography. 9

MarĂa Candelaria, 1943

Opposite Page

Nosotros los Pobres, 1948 This Page Left : Cantiflas, 1964 Right : Dolores del RĂo, 1952

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Mexican cinematography emerged from the collapse of an empire and the popular desire for national independence at the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920. Although there was some film production in Mexico before these early years, the majority of these films were newsreels and documentaries about the local, regional, and national events (Hershfield 35). It was until the 1930s that Mexican cinematography sprouted when President Cardenas centralized and nationalized the industry with the creation of Financiadora de PelĂculas (37). This state institution helped establish the first film studios in Mexico and the beginning of what would turn to be known as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. However, Mexican cinematography style and prosperity cannot be evaluated only by the socio-political structure of the country, but by the creative approach taken by some of the first filmmakers of this time period.

The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema is thought to have started by the arrival of Soviet director Sergei Einstein in 1930 (Mora 37). Einstein and his film Que viva Mexico! helped develop the “national style” of Mexican cinematography (37). Subsequently, filmmakers like Emilio “El Indio” Fernández, Gabriel Figueroa, and Fernando de Fuentes were especially influenced by this style. This “national style” drew attention to the everyday conditions of the working class, and poor. There were four main cinematic formulas of this style: the comedia ranchera, the highly successful comedic fares of Tin Tan and Cantiflas, the historical epic, and the family melodrama (Hershfield 41). A good film that portraits the “national style” of Mexican cinema is María Candelaria directed by Gabriel Figueroa. This film put Mexico on the map when it won Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946 (Piekow). María Candelaria was praised for its authentic portrayal of rural Mexican life and for addressing the social structure of the nation. On the other hand, Mexican actresses and leading man were also the center of attention during this time period — weather because of the continuous rivalry between some of the actresses or the rise of romances in the movie settings. María Félix and Dolores del Río were considered the main divas of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Both of them had a very different and 16

unique personalities that made them stand out among the other actresses (Seth). Both of them represented the beauty of Mexican cinematography and they constantly played the lead role in movies. They were too famous to be friends and they became rivals without even knowing it. Another important idol of Mexican cinematography during this time period was Pedro Infante, along the side of Jorge Negrete and Javier SolĂs. Pedro Infate was one of the most famous singers of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Particularly, Pedro Infate and Jorge Negrete were famous because of their comedia rancheraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movies. This type of movie style incorporated elements of comedy, popular music, tragedy, and folklore (Hershfield 41). Similarly, Mario Moreno best known as Cantiflas became one of the most popular actors because of his highly successful comedy fares (41). He was once thought to be the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico because of his funny characters and social satires. In the 1950s Mexican film production or Golden Age of Mexican Cinema reached its peak, at the same time that it ceased to function because it became federally own by the government and outside corporations. What remain today are just the films themselves, posters, and historical files of the greatness of this time period. 17

Opposite Page

María Candelaria, 1943 This Page Left : María Félix, 1950 Right : Pedro Infate, 1948

Opposite Page

Escondida, 1956 This Page Left : Pedro ArmendĂĄriz, 1945 Right : Dolores del RĂo, 1938

Nosotros los Pobres, 1948

CHECKLIST 1. María Candelaria, 1943, Gabriel Figueroa. 1943. Film. Azteca Films. 2. Nosotros los Pobres, 1948, Ismael Rodríguez. 1948. FIlm. Cineteca. 3. Cantiflas, 1964, Photography. Cineteca. 4. Dolores del Río, 1952, Photography. Cineteca. 5. María Candelaria, 1943, Gabriel Figueroa. 1943. Film. Azteca Films. 6. María Félix, 1950, Photography. Cineteca. 7. Pedro Infate, 1948, Photography. Fundacion Televisa. 8. Escondida, 1956, Roberto Gavaldón. 1956. Film. Azteca Films. 9. Pedro Armendáriz, 1945, Photography. Fundacion Televisa. 10. Dolores del Río, 1938, Photography. Cineteca. 11. Nosotros los Pobres, 1948, Gabriel Figueroa. 1948. Film. Cineteca. 25

BIBLIOGRAPHY Fein, Seth. “Hollywood, U. S.-Mexican Relations, and the Devolution of the «Golden Age» of Mexican Cinema.” Filmhistoria Online. Universitat de Barcelona, 1994. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Hershfield, Joanne. Mexican Cinema / Mexican Woman, 1940 – 1950. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1996. 35 – 47. Print. Mora, Carl J. Mexican Cinema : Reflections of a Society 1896 – 1980. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1982. 28 – 100. Print Piekow, Herbert W. “The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.” El Ojo del Lago. N.p., 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. Wood, Jason. “Mexican Cinema Today.” Focus Features. N.p., 9 May 2008. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.