Fanny Schiller Movies

Repeated infidelities and an unexplained death set the stage for this glossy soap opera. Kit Jordan (Lana Turner) is a wealthy woman slipping into middle age who likes attractive men and isn't averse to the notion of paying for their company. Her husband Pete (Cliff Robertson) is a one-time gigolo whom Kit met on the beach of the ocean side community in Acapulco she calls home. Neither are much on fidelity, and Pete sometimes has mistresses just as Kit has her boy-toys whom she meets in much the same way as she met him. One day, a dead body washes up to the shore wearing a bracelet with the inscription "Love Is Thin Ice." It turns out that the man was one of Kit's many former boyfriends, and the police are not sure if the death was an accident, suicide, or possibly murder -- with the Jordans as suspects. Carol Lambert (Stefanie Powers), the dead man's sister, arrives in town to get to the bottom of her brother's death, but she falls into a fling with Pete. Meanwhile, Hank (Hugh O'Brien), another beach bum, has been dallying with rich widow Margot Eliot (Ruth Roman), but with Pete getting more serious about Carol, he begins to think that Kit might be a more lucrative target for his affections. As the police step up their investigation of the death, the parties involved begin to realize that they're all going to have to settle on one partner, once and for all. Turner's costumes were designed by Edith Head, who spent a then-record $1 million on the many stylish beach outfits which are frequently changed by the cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A rebellious young man sets out to find himself in this melodrama by Roberto Rodríguez (of the brothers Rodríguez, well-established in Mexican cinema). The setting is Acapulco and the young man is one of the divers who throw themselves off the incredibly high cliffs known as the Quebrada, for recompense from tourists. That calling is dangerous enough but the unhappy home life of the diver sends him away, looking for his niche in the world. Just because of his dysfunctional family he is not so good at engendering relationships himself and when he does meet someone interesting he hurts the woman's feelings -- which does not bode well for finding the love he needs. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Filmed in Mexico, The Black Scorpion was the last theatrical feature to bear the imprimatur of special-effects maven Willis O'Brien. Allegedly an outgrowth of a ten-minute "test" film, the story is set in motion by a volcanic eruption which releases dozens of giant scorpions from a cave. American geologist Richard Denning and his cohorts try to drive the scorpions back into their lair, but the huge arachnids are soon at large in civilization, munching on innocent bystanders as they go their merry way. The authorities are able to destroy all but one scorpion, who unfortunately is the nastiest of the bunch. The climax takes place in a Mexico City bullring, where the scorpion does battle with a fleet of military helicopters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location, Treasure of Pancho Villa stars Rory Calhoun as a mercenary at large during Mexico's civil war. Though he'll sell his services to the highest bidder, Calhoun is eventually won over to Pancho Villa's cause by patriot Gilbert Roland and former aristocrat Shelley Winters. Before this happens, however, our hero (who doesn't behave like one) wheels and deals to get his hands on a cache of gold. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that the film borrows liberally from Treasure of Sierra Madre. While the dialogue passages in Treasure of Pancho Villa can be tiresome, the film is saved by its literally explosive action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Camelia is a woman who has been hurt by love but who is willing to give it another chance with her new, young and caring lover. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Produced in Mexico, Stronghold was distributed in the U.S. by Lippert Pictures. The studio hoped that the presence of American film stars Veronica Lake and Zachary Scott would prove beneficial at the box-office. Set during Juarez' revolution against Austrian emperor Maximillian, the film casts Lake as Mary Stevens, a wealthy American visitor who is kidnapped by gentleman bandit Don Pedro Alvarez (Arturo de Cordova) and his gang. Alvarez plans to use the ransom money to help finance the revolution, but Mary manages to orchestrate governmental resistance against the bandit's schemes. Eventually, however, she realizes that Alvarez is a man of honor and patriotism. Conversely, Don Miguel Navarro (Zachary Scott), the "heroic" overseer of a silver mine owned by Mary, is actually a double-dyed villain, finally showing his hand in the film's spectacular finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Mexican drama El Enamorado concerns a man who must stand up to murderous criminals would they threaten his hometown and his family. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

As directed by Fernando de Fuentes, the 1950 Spanish-language drama Crimen y Castigo constitutes an adaptation of the seminal novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Like its famous source material, the de Fuentes film tells of a young man who cruelly murders an elderly woman for her money, and later feels plagued by the need to confess his doings. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

La Negra Angustia is a sweeping recreation of the Mexican Revolution. Popular film star Maria Elena Marques stars as Angustia (whose name, significantly, translates to "Anguish"). In the course of the film, Angustia becomes a figurehead, a rallying point for the revolutionaries. The authentic "feel" of the film is enhanced by the evocative musical score, featuring vocals by Gracisca Amador. On the strength of La Negra Angustia (not to mention the earlier The Pearl), Maria Elena Marques was brought to Hollywood, where she was costarred with Clark Gable in Across the Wide Missouri. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Algo Flota Sobre el Agua translates as the somewhat less exotic-sounding Something Floats on the Water. Arturo de Cordova stars in this easygoing drama about a fishing community located off the Gulf of Mexico. There's no real plot to speak of, simply a series of realistic, affectionately detailed vignettes. Critics were unanimous in praising the film, but almost as unanimous in questioning the casting of 17-year-old Elsa Aguirre in a crucial adult role. No one, however, found any fault with the rugged, evocative cinematography of Augustin Martinez Solares. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The matchless Maria Felix essays a dual role in the Mexican romantic drama Sister Lieutenant. Felix begins the film as Catalina, daughter of a wealthy family whose dowry is stolen by a scheming aunt. After surviving a shipwreck, Catalina disguises herself as a man named Don Alonso. This she does to get to Peru without molestation and to locate her father's will, which will enable her to expose the aunt as a fraud. While comporting herself in male drag, Catalina has quite a time confessing her ruse to her lover (Jose Cibrian). Anyone who catches Sister Lieutenant on cable TV (where it pops up with alarming frequency) will immediately understand why Maria Felix was -- and is -- Mexico's favorite female film star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide