Carlos Bracho Movies
In this French-Mexican-Spanish film that hops back and forth between the narration's present and its past, viewers watch Antonieta (Isabelle Adjani) as she is involved in the turbulent Mexican political scene in the first decades of the 20th century -- as she goes to Paris and commits suicide in the Notre Dame cathedral of that city, and then, in a confusing segment of the film, as she is seen with the present-day Parisian author (Hanna Schygulla) who is researching the story of Antonieta's death and who is a witness to her suicide. The film does not follow that chronology exactly, rather introducing the Parisian author first, and taking the author to Mexico for her research where she sees film clips from the political turmoil of the 1910s-1920s and gradually gets to "know" Antonieta -- though in the end, it could be said that no one seems to know Antonieta really well, or why she would want to kill herself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabelle Adjani, Hanna Schygulla, (more)
- 1978
La Coquito is not a misspelling, it is a Spanish coining which combines masculine and feminine genders in a way which suggests scandal. La Coquito is the stage name a Cuban-born cabaret-singer (played by Ilyana Ross), who rises to prominence singing in low-down dives in Cuba and goes on to become a celebrity in pre-revolutionary Madrid as a cupletista. Her music is very sexually suggestive, and her earthy allure wins her the favors of many men, including one old man who buys a theater to showcase her art. This movie, illumining the life of a performer in a long-forgotten musical genre, is based on a novel by Joaquin Belda, which may be based on the real-life experiences of the cupletista "La Chelito." ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Amparo Rivelles, Fernando Allende, (more)
Marcela Fernandez Violante directs the 1977 historical Western Cananea, based on the true story of the American-owned Cananea mine. Colonel William Greene ran the profitable copper mine in the Sonora desert, and the Mexican people who worked in the mines were exploited for their labor. This situation eventually led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The largest desert in North America, the Sonoran Valley was acquired by the U.S. after the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848. The low-lying area now covers parts of Arizona, California, and Mexico. Starring José Carlos Ruiz, Carlos Bracho, Milton Rodriguez, and Yolanda Ciani. Cananea was released on DVD in 2004 as part of the Latin Cinema Collection from Desert Mountain Media. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
