Main Cast: Dolores Del Rio, Pedro Armendáriz, Beatriz Ramos, Miguel Inclan
Release Year: 1944
Country: ES/MX
Run Time: 96 minutes
Plot
The title character is a young woman (Dolores DelRio) who is shunned by local townsfolk because her mother once posed naked for an artist and was stoned to death because of the incident. She must consider the consequences while making a similar choice. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Review
Emilio Fernandez, Mexico's greatest director of its golden age, had perhaps his biggest success with the love story Maria Candelaria. A very '40s look at both racism against Indians in Mexico and social ostracism, Maria Candelaria is the story of a beautiful woman who is forced to live in solitude because of her mother's sins, while a local thug makes her life even more miserable by lording his power over her. This is a polished, smoothly told film that reflects a director who has mastered studio storytelling at its finest, and Fernandez is aided considerably by the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography of Gabriel Figueroa. From a cinematic standpoint, Figueroa is the real star, and if he is occasionally guilty of overshadowing the film, the images are so breathtaking that it is easily forgivable. Dolores Del Rio and Pedro Armendariz, two of Mexico's biggest stars, are ideally cast as the lovers fighting for a better life in the best fashion of melodrama, and both are classic screen idols who dominate the movie. Miguel Inclan is also fun as the racist thug, sneering in the best style of movie villainy. The boat rides are so beautifully shot that they leave a lasting imprint, and the scene where the Western doctor and traditional doctor argue over conflicting methods is priceless. There is also the great climax where the torch-carrying villagers chase Maria through the cornstalks and somehow the stalks don't catch fire. Maria Candelaria is among Mexico's most famous and beloved films; it is also first-class entertainment. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
However, in 1943, Cannes was in pro-Nazi Vichy France. This wartime period does not exist according to Wikipedia's own history of the festival. (VideCannes Film Festival.) Mexico had been at war with the Axis since May 1942, but did not see combat until sorties by Escuadrón 201 against the Japanese in June 1945.
Maria Candelaria won the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.
A young journalist asks an old artist about the portrait of a naked Indian woman that he has in his study. The artist tells the story of Maria Candelaria (Dolores del Río), a young Indian woman who was rejected by her own people for being the daughter of a prostitute. She is protected by a young Indian man, Lorenzo Rafael (Pedro Armendáriz), who has fallen in love with her.
