Themes: Small-Town Life, Miscarriage of Justice, Haunted By the Past
Director: Emilio Fernandez
Main Cast: Roberto Canedo, Columba Dominguez, Manuel Donde, Luis Aceves Castaneda, Ismael Perez
Release Year: 1949
Country: MX
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Emilio Fernandez, the politically volatile "bad boy" of Mexican filmmakers, served as director of Pueblerina (Town Tale). The hero, played by Roberto Canedo, is framed for murder and sentenced to a dozen years in jail (Fernandez himself escaped from a 20-year sentence for revolutionary activities in 1923). He returns to his hometown, symbolically located in the shadow of twin volcanic mountains Popocateptl and Iztacchuatal, only to find that he is still considered a pariah. The ex-convict himself exacerbates the already tense situation by falling in love with the girlfriend (Columba Dominguez) of the town political boss (Luis Aceves Castaneda). The melodramatic consequences share screen time with "local color" vignettes involving horse races and cockfights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cast
Roberto Canedo
Columba Dominguez
Manuel Donde
Luis Aceves Castaneda
Ismael Perez
Credit
Antonio Díaz Conde - Composer (Music Score); Emilio Fernandez - Director; Gabriel Figueroa - Cinematographer; Mauricio Magdaleno - Screenwriter
