Cine Las Americas is pleased to present the series “Mexican Revolution Films of the ’70s,” co-presented with the Harry Ransom Center. This series will run through May 27, as part of the year-round celebrations of the Bicentennial of the Mexican Independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution.
Mexican Revolution Films of the ’70s includes four feature films directed by some of the most talented filmmakers who worked in Mexico during the first half of the 1970s, when film production flourished under the auspices of then president Luis Echeverría, who installed his own brother Rodolfo Echeverría as president of the Film Production Bank, and helped the production of relevant films and allowed a critical view of the Mexican Revolution and other national realities.
The directors included in this series are some of the most accomplished of their time, and their views on the Mexican Revolution helped create a fresh look at Mexico’s recent history, going beyond the romanticism and glorification of popular heroes and characters of the revolution that was typical in the classic “Cine de Oro” films from the 1940s and ’50s. The directors portray particular chapters and issues that were part of the complex reality of Mexico in the early 20th century, which led to an armed conflict that changed the lives of the Mexican people, and sent ripples across Latin America and the rest of the world.
The screenings take place every Thursday during May at 7 p.m. All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is free. For more details and directions to the Harry Ransom Center, visit http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/visit/.
This Thursday’s screening, Cananea (1976), is directed by Marcela Fernández Violante. The cast includes Yolanda Cianii, Carlos Bracho, Milton Rodrígues, José Carlos Ruiz, Steve Wilensky, Victor Alcocer, Felipe Casanova and Beatriz Sheridan.
Synopsis (from Cine website):
Colonel William Greene, in an expedition across the Sonoran desert, stumbles upon large copper reserves. Almost immediately he decides to set up mines and he quickly becomes one of the wealthiest men in the region. His ambition however, leads him to mistreat and exploit the men working in the mines. Their reaction and decision to strike eventually sets off one of the bloodiest chapters in Mexican history and triggers the Mexican Revolution.
About Director Marcela Fernández Violante (from Cine website):
Marcela Fernández Violante was born in Mexico City in 1941. She studied literature and drama at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), and screenwriting and direction at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC). After directing award winning short films, including one of the first attempts at presenting the life of Frida Khalo in film (Frida Kahlo, 1970), Fernández Violante made her first feature film, De todos modos Juan te llamas (1974), a critique of the religious wars in the post-revolutionary Mexico, which won awards for Best First Feature. Her film Cananea (1976), won an Ariel for Best Cinematography, featuring a unique collaboration between the director and the great cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. Other films directed by her include Misterio (1979), winner of nine Arieles, and Nocturno amor que te vas (1986).
Marcela Fernández Violante is recognized both for her work as a director as well as for her contribution as a researcher. She is currently the Secretary General of the film industry workers union in Mexico (STPC) and a committee member of SOGEM, the Mexican Writers Association.