The Mexican Film Bulletin the Mexican Film Bulletin
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THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN, Vol. 18 No. 5 (Sept-Oct 2012) The Mexican Film Bulletin Volume 18 Number 5 September ---October 2012 Notes: re-viewing this film after many years, I was pleased to discover my original positive impression was not mistaken. This is an amusing fantasy-comedy with Special Halloween Issue!! good performances and some clever touches. Carlos has fallen into a depression his doctors can't cure, so one of his aunts calls in Dr. Aladino Jr., a "spiritual advisor." Carlos confesses he's fallen in love with the Countess María, but she considers him only a ‘40s Fantasy friend and remains faithful to her husband. Aladino instructs Carlos to visit his office at midnight. Carlos is preceded by Count Octavio, who is also in need of Aladino's assistance. Instead, the spiritualist puts Octavio in a trance. When Carlos arrives, Aladino offers to insert the soul of Carlos in Octavio's body (and vice- versa), so Carlos will be María's "husband" and can enjoy the pleasures of the conjugal bed. To achieve this, he uses a cigarette lighter ("the great- grandson of Aladdin's Lamp") which summons the El que murió de amor [He Who Died Of "Great Power" to do his bidding. Elisa, Aladino's receptionist, has fallen in love at first sight with Carlos, Love] (Artistas Asociados de México, 1945) Prod : but is unaware of the soul-switch. Gonzalo Elvira; Dir -Scr : Miguel Morayta; Dialog : Carlos (in Octavio's body) has a difficult time Carlos León; Story : Antonio Momplet, Tito Davison; adjusting to life as the foreign Count. To make matters Orig. Story : T[héophile] Gautier; Photo : Ignacio Torres; worse, María demands he speak to her in their native Music Dir : Elías Breeskin; Prod Chief : Luis G. Rubín; language ("Kinlandés"--they're from the fictional nation Asst Dir : Luis Abbadie; Film Ed : Mario González; Art of "Kinlandia") before she will admit him to their Dir : Luis Moya; Decor : Manuel Parra; Camera Op : bedroom. Octavio (in the body of Carlos) is having an Andrés Torres; Makeup : Felisa L. de Guevara; Animated even worse time, Titles : Saviur y Eddy; Dialog Rec : Rafael Esparza; since he doesn't Music Rec : Manuel Esperón; Script Clerk : Carlos know about Villatoro Aladino's plot. As Cast: Julián Soler ( Count Octavio de Riminsky ), Luis "Carlos," he attends Aldás ( Carlos Verlán ), Fernando Cortés ( Dr. Aladino a party at Octavio's Jr. ), Hilda Kruger ( Countess María ), Amparo Morillo house, and the two (Elisa ), Fanny Schiller ( Aunt Rita ), Pita Amor ( Julia, men exchange sister ), Rosa Castro ( other aunt of Carlos ), Jorge Treviño insults--this is an (Gen. Sibelius ), Conchita Carracedo ( Lolita, maid ), amusing scene, since Alejandro Ciangherotti ( voice of “La Gran Fuerza” ), Carlos insults Norma Ancira, Ramón G. Larrea ( doctor ), Manuel Pozos Octavio (but he's in Octavio's body, so it seems as if he's (old accordion player ), Ángel di Stefani ( tall guest at insulting himself ) and Octavio counters with insults party ), Héctor Mateos ( man at duel ), José Escanero about Carlos (but again, he appears to be denigrating (Count's servant ) 1 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN, Vol. 18 No. 5 (Sept-Oct 2012) himself). The two men arrange for a duel the next with the real Carlos--although he's rude to her--then morning. develops a relationship with Octavio in the body of To prevent the duel Carlos, then winds up with the real Carlos again, (and save Carlos), Elisa suggesting she only cares for him due to his physical steals the magic lighter appearance). Hilda Kruger, a German actress who was and commands the allegedly one of the mistresses of Nazi propaganda Great Power to stop the minister Joseph Goebbels (and later, of future Mexican duel: Carlos and president Miguel Alemán, among other prominent Octavio realise that political and business figures), appeared in a handful of killing each other would Mexican films during WWII. She speaks adequate essentially be suicide, so Spanish (with a heavy accent) and is satisfactory in her they reconcile and role. She sings one song during the party sequence, but demand that Aladino fix this scene does not seem designed to showcase her the situation. However, musical talents, focusing instead on the comic actions when the reverse soul-switch is to be performed, Carlos-- and reactions of Julián Soler, playing Carlos-in-Octavio. who now knows he'll never have María's love--abandons The script has a few logical flaws but it also includes his body, although Octavio is restored to his and joyfully a number of good lines reconciles with his wife. and funny bits. For Aladino, who loves Elisa, puts his own soul into the example, as several vacant body of Carlos. doctors are leaving the Despite displaying house after examining many of the Carlos, they're asked by magician's former his aunts about his case. mannerisms, he fools We know what he's Elisa into believing he suffering from, they say, is the man she loves. and the autopsy will However, the Great prove our point! Carlos- Power strikes down as-Octavio stumbles Aladino-Carlos and through a breakfast with convinces the María, making faux pas disembodied soul of after faux pas (he lights Carlos (sitting on a cloud) to resume its rightful place. his cigarette on "the The real Carlos and Elisa embrace. sacred flame," turns down his usual breakfast of eggs--to El que murió de amor is basically a "mistaken the stunned shock of the servants--puts his cigarette butt identity" farce, but the fantasy elements make it in a heirloom samovar, then spills the hot water on his somewhat more entertaining and complex. Julián Soler wife, etc.) The joke of Carlos's ignorance of the and Luis Aldás do a decent job of playing two characters, language "Kinlandés"--which sounds like a combination their own and the "assumed" persona, Carlos-in-Octavio of Russian, German, and who-knows-what-- is used a and Octavio-in-Carlos. Soler has most of this body- number of times. Carlos-in-Octavio learns a few words switch footage and while he's not necessarily like the of greeting in time for his wife's party, but when his "real" Carlos (we haven't seen enough of Aldás in this countrymen speak to him at length, he is unable to role to get a good idea of his personality), he is understand or reply, leading to hard feelings. distinctively different than he is as the foreign nobleman The production values of El que murió de amor are Octavio. Aldás isn't especially notable playing Octavio- fine, with some substantial sets and sufficient number of in-Carlos, but he's quite funny as Aladino-in-Carlos. The extras in the party sequence. The design of Aladino's actual soul transfer is accomplished via double-exposure, "office" is effectively outré and, as noted earlier, the but the rest of the time it's up to the individual actors. sparse special effects are satisfactory. They are given a few El que murió de amor is a lively farce with a witty special tics (Carlos script and strong performances from its main players. loosens his collar, Octavio flicks his beard) to identify them El sexo fuerte [The Strong Sex] (CLASA Films in their new bodies, Mundiales, 1945) Exec Prod : José Luis Bueno; Dir : but this is not really Emilio Gómez Muriel; Adapt : Humberto Gómez necessary and a bit Landero, Max Aub; Scr Story : Miguel Morayta, Agustín annoying after a time. M. Carnicero; Photo : Agustín Martínez Solares; Music : Fernando Cortés, Rosalío Ramírez; Songs : José de la Vega, Ernesto as Dr. Aladino Jr., is Cortázar; Prod Chief : Ricardo Beltri; Asst Dir : Jesús extremely amusing in his role. Amparo Morillo does the Cisneros Tamayo; Film Ed : Jorge Bustos; Art Dir : Jorge best she can with a poorly-written part (she falls in love 2 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN, Vol. 18 No. 5 (Sept-Oct 2012) ("Paradise Island" in Bees in Paradise , "Edén" in El sexo fuerte ), men occupy subservient, traditionally-female roles in society; then a small group of men from the outside world accidentally arrive on the island and shake up the status quo . The humour arises from the inversion of "natural" social roles, with men acting like women, and vice versa. El sexo fuerte isn't quite as didactic as the other films Fernández; Camera Op : J. Antonio Carrasco; Decor : mentioned: although there are scenes in which men knit, Arq. Manuel Parra, Edward Fitzgerald; Makeup : Elda serve drinks, and perform other traditionally female Losa; Costume Des : Armando Valdés Peza; Dialog Rec : duties, the men themselves are not agressively feminised José de Pérez; Re-rec : José de Pérez, Antonio Bustos; (as they are in Cuando las mujeres mandan , for Music/Re-rec : Manuel Esperón instance). In fact, one of Edén's rules is that men allow Cast : Mapy Cortés ( Eva XLV ), Rafael Baledón ( Adán their beards to grow, which emphasizes their Preciado ), Ángel Garasa ( Curro Calvo ), Delia Magaña masculinity. Furthermore, the men are actively plotting (Eva's secretary ), Emperatriz Carvajal ( Minister of War ), to seize political José Pidal ( don León ), Alma Rosa Aguirre ( first power: in a spoof of "patient" ), Elsa Irma Aguirre ( Minister of Health ), Elisa contemporary Christy ( Minister of Internal Affairs ), Pedro de Aguillón Mexican politics, the (operator ), Velia Martínez ( auctioneer ), Olga Leticia "masculinists" are Mendoza ( first sergeant ), Francisco Reiguera, Hernán split into two Vera ( prisoner ), América Imperio ( second sergeant ), opposing parties, PIM Humberto Rodríguez ( one of Eva's suitors ), José and PAM (which Escanero ( prisoner ), Héctor Mateos ( man in nightclub ) eventually merge to Notes : I first saw this film a number of years ago at a form PUM).