Cinema
Dark River
Las aguas bajan turbias
Hugo del Carril · 1952
Synopsis
The brothers Santos and Rufino Peralta, played by Hugo del Carril and Pedro Laxalt, work like animals on the yerba mate plantations of Paraná, at the mercy of the managers' greed. The Pacific Film Archive programme describes workers subjected to a brutal regime, who struggle to remain men, and Canal 26 the trade-union struggle that is born on these plantations. Amelia, played by Adriana Benetti, shares their fate.
Context
Released on 9 October 1952, the film adapts a novel by Alfredo Varela, a Communist then in prison: to obtain permission to shoot, del Carril removed his name from the credits and the Communist characters from the plot, according to the Pacific Film Archive. The screenplay is by Eduardo Borrás. The film received the Silver Condor for best film and a special mention at Venice, and was released in the United States in 1956. Prisioneros de la tierra, by Mario Soffici, shot in 1939, deals with the same plantations.
Who it is for
A social drama in Spanish of one hour twenty, harsh and direct; shown in the United States under the title Dark River.
Prizes and reception
Sixth in the Museo del Cine poll of 1977, fourth in 1984 and third in 2000.