Feature film
Macario
Roberto Gavaldón · 1960
Synopsis
In New Spain, on the eve of the Day of the Dead, Macario, a poor woodcutter haunted by hunger and the fear of death, dreams of eating a whole turkey without sharing it. His wife steals one for him, and he goes off to eat it alone in the forest. Three visitors appear in turn: the Devil as a rich landowner, God as a humble old man, then Death as a starving peasant. He refuses the first two, shares with Death, who gives him a water that cures everything.
Context
The film adapts a short story by B. Traven, “La Troisième Visite”, itself inspired by the Grimm tale of Death as godmother, from a screenplay by Emilio Carballido and the director. Gabriel Figueroa is the cinematographer; Ignacio López Tarso plays Macario, Pina Pellicer his wife, Enrique Lucero Death. Shot in Taxco and in the Cacahuamilpa caves, it was presented at Cannes in May 1960 and was released in Mexico on 9 June.
Who it is for
A tale of an hour and a half in black and white, easy to follow; available in France on DVD.
Prizes and reception
The first Mexican film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; selected at Cannes in 1960.
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