THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN Volume 20 Number 2 (March-April 2014) The Mexican Film Bulletin Volume 20 Number 2 March-April 2014 Arvizu Martínez was born in the state of Guanajuato in July 1933. After relocating to Mexico City as a teenager, Obituaries Arvizu held a number of positions on the margins of the entertainment industry, from clown to magician’s assistant Gabriel García Márquez to cabaret performer. In the 1950s he began to work as a Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez voice artist on the Tele Revista shorts, then moved into died of cancer on 17 April 2014 in Mexico. Gabriel José dubbing animated cartoons, de la Concordia García Márquez was born in Colombia in sitcoms and theatrical films March 1927. Although he originally planned to study law, into Spanish. These García Márquez turned to literature and published his first included “Howdy Doody,” story in 1947. He worked as a “Bugs Bunny,” “Mr. newspaper reporter and film Magoo,” “The Flintstones,” critic while writing stories and “Top Cat,” “Get Smart,” novels. His work took him “The Simpsons,” “Lost in around the world; he relocated to Space,” The Godfather, Mexico in the early 1960s and Cars, etc. became involved with the film Arvizu also appeared industry there, while continuing frequently as an actor on the his literary efforts. García stage, on Mexican-produced Márquez subsequently lived in television programs, and in the cinema. His film credits Spain and Colombia, although include roles in Persíguelas y...alcánzalas! , La mafia he later left his native land for amarilla, La gran aventura del Zorro, Los cargadores, political reasons. Diagnosed Don Gato y su pandilla (a feature animated film based on with cancer in 1999 (and then, in 2012, with dementia), the “Top Cat” series), and his last, Fachon models García Márquez maintained his writing career: his last (released in 2014). book was published in 2010. García Márquez’s stories and novels were adapted to Valeria Pani films in Mexico and elsewhere, but he also worked on the Actress Valeria Pani, whose real name was Alma Rosa screenplays of a number of pictures himself. His most Corral Garcia, died on 12 March prolific period in Mexico was in the mid-Sixties, when he 2014 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, wrote or co-wrote the scripts for El gallo de oro, Lola de apparently during a robbery mi vida, Tiempo de morir, Juego peligroso , and Cuatro attempt. Pani was born in contra el crimen . He also taught screenwriting at the Mexico in 1957, and first entered Centro de Estudios Cinematográficas in Mexico City, and show business in the 1970s as a later in Cuba. vedette (showgirl). She appeared In the 1970s García Márquez received Arieles for in two Mexican films, El writing Presagio (with Luis Alcoriza) and El año de la patrullero 777 with Cantinflas, peste (shared with Juan Arturo Brennan). He also later and A fuego lento. She contributed to the screenplays for María de mi corazón, subsequently moved to South Eréndira, and Edipo Alcalde . In 1999, Arturo Ripstein, America, where she worked in who made his directorial debut with Tiempo de morir the Olmedo-Porcel comedy Amante para dos . [She (1965), adapted García Márquez’s novella “El coronel no apparently also appeared in El ojo de la tormenta , 1987, an tiene quien le escriba,” the final Mexican film to bear the unreleased feature.] author’s name. Valeria Pani was the sister of actress Mayté Carol, and thus the aunt of Carol’s actress daughter Valeria Palmer. Jorge Arvizu Pani married Paraguayan impresario Alfredo Samaniego Actor/voice artist Jorge Arvizu, nicknamed “El Tata,” and they had one son, Alfredo Steffano, a tango singer and died of heart trouble on 18 March 2014. Jorge Isaac dancer. 1 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN Volume 20 Number 2 (March-April 2014) Trueba ), Alfredo Leal (Julián Trueba ), Blanca Sánchez Antonio Morales “Junior” (Sonia ), Tito Junco ( comisario ), Quintín Bulnes ( Diego Spanish singer Antonio Morales Barretto, known Martín Ibáñez ), Miguel Maciá ( druggist ), Carlos Jordán professionally as “Junior,” was found dead in his home (Casildo ), Arturo Martínez ( cantinero ), Hortencia [sic] outside of Madrid on 15 April 2014. Morales, 70 years of Santoveña age, presumbly passed away of natural causes, since he (Rosita ), Carolina had been suffering from ill health for several years. Barret ( Sonia’s Born in the Philippines in September 1943, Morales mother ), Manuel moved to Spain Dondé ( barber ), as a teenager and Claudio Isaac became a (Claudio member of Sampedro ), various popular Leonardo Castro musical groups, (gravedigger ), including the Cecilia Leger “Spanish (housekeeper ), Beatles,” Los Chabelo Jiménez Brincos. He and (blacksmith ), Luz fellow Brinco Juan Pardo later formed the duo “Juan y Ma. Velázquez Junior,” before Morales went out on his own as a solo (nana ), Adolfo artist. Morales was married to singer-actress Rocío Durcal Lara & Alfredo from 1970 to her death in 2006; they had three children. Chavira ( guards ), Morales co-starred with Fanny Cano in the Mexican- Alfredo Ripstein Spanish coproduction Los jóvenes amantes (1970), as well Jr., Alberto Isaac, as in a handful of Spanish movies and—in the 1980s— Lucero Isaac, Emilio García Riera several Filipino films. Notes: Looking back from today’s perspective, one would expect great things from a film directed by Arturo Ripstein, one of the best Mexican directors of the past 40 Ariel Nominations years, and written by two of the most famous The 2014 Ariel Awards will be held at the Palacio de contemporary Latin American writers of that period, Bellas Artes on 27 May 2014. Lifetime Achievement Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Fuentes. But Tiempo Arieles de Oro will be presented to director Arturo de morir is actually just a decent Western, with nothing Ripstein and actor Ernesto Gómez Cruz. The ceremony particularly marvelous about it. will also contain tributes to María Félix and José This was 21-year-old Ripstein’s first feature (his father Revueltas. was producer Alfredo Ripstein Jr. and Arturo had literally Best Film nominations went to: La jaula de oro, Heli, grown up around Mexico’s movie studios)—in the future Los insólitos peces gatos, Club Sándwich, and No quiero he would refine his technique and make many impressive dormir sola . 17 fictional features received one or more films, but Tiempo de morir can be a bit of a let-down if nominations, led by Heli (14), La jaula de oro (14), one approaches it with one’s Tercera llamada (8), Los insólitos peces gatos (7), and expectations set too high. Workers and Ciudadano Buelna (6 each). The only Juan leaves prison after 18 category with no nominations was Best Feature-Length years and returns to his Animated Film. hometown, where he discovers his house has fallen into ruins (in an amusing Gabriel García Márquez Scripts scene, he tries to unlock the Tiempo de morir [Time to Die] (Alameda Films- front door, but the lock is jammed, so he kicks the door César Santos Galindo, 1965) Prod : Alfredo Ripstein Jr.; down, revealing that only the front wall of the house is still Dir : Arturo Ripstein; Adapt-Dialog : Gabriel García standing—there is no roof, and a cow is grazing “inside!”). Márquez, Carlos Fuentes; Story : Gabriel García Márquez; His ex-girlfriend, Mariana, has been married, had a son, Photo : Alex Phillips; Music : Carlos Jiménez Mabarak; and is now a widow, and his former employer is dead. Prod Chief : Enrique Morfín; Asst Dir : Ignacio Villareal; Everyone Juan meets urges him to leave town before the Film Ed : Carlos Savage; Art Dir : Salvador Lozano; Decor : two grown sons of the man he shot learn he has come Pablo Galván; Camera Op : José Antonio Zamora; back. Lighting : A. González; Makeup : Concepción Zamora; The sons are Pedro and Julián Trueba, who grew up Sound Supv : James L. Fields; Dialog Rec : Jesús González believing Juan ambushed their father and shot him in the Gancy; Music/Re-rec : Galdino Samperio; Sound Ed : back. Julián wants to kill Juan, but Juan—who carries no Reynaldo Portillo; Union : STPC pistol—refuses to face him. Pedro, engaged to marry Cast: Marga López ( Mariana Sampedro ), Jorge Sonia, is pressured by his fiancee to leave Juan alone. Martínez de Hoyos ( Juan Sáyago ), Enrique Rocha ( Pedro Furthermore, Pedro comes to realise that Juan is a decent 2 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN Volume 20 Number 2 (March-April 2014) man who killed his father in a fair fight, in self-defense. with a role that feels somewhat sterile. As noted earlier, When Pedro stands up for Juan, Julián savagely beats him critic Emilio García Riera has a cameo part, along with the with a belt. director’s father Alfredo Ripstein Jr., future director Finally, Juan can be pushed no further (Julián Alberto Isaac, and Isaac’s wife Lucero and son Claudio. repeatedly challenges him and also wrecked Juan’s house, Production values are fine. which the older man had been Juego peligroso [Dangerous Game] (César Santos reconstructing), Galindo--Nacional Cinematográfica, 1966) Prod : Alfredo and agrees to meet Ripstein Jr.; Dir : Arturo Ripstein (#1), Luis Alcoriza (#2); Julián outside of Scr: Gabriel García Márquez (#1), Luis Alcoriza (#2); town, at his Additional Dialog : Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Francisco father’s grave. Córdova (#1); Story : Luis Alcoriza, Fernando Galiana There, Juan beats (#2); Photo : Guillermo Angulo (#1), Rosalío Solano (#2); Julián to the draw Music : Nacho Méndez, Dorival Gaymmi (#1), Tamba Trío and kills him in a (#2); Prod Chief: Domingos Paron, Antonio Cursati; Film duel. Pedro witnesses the gunfight, picks up his brother’s Ed : Carlos Savage Jr.; Asst Dir : Javier Carreño (#1), Mario pistol, and demands Juan face him. Juan refuses, Cisneros (#2); Camera Op : Helio Silva (#1), Carlos unbuckling his gunbelt and dropping it on the ground.