Mecha Ortiz Movies

Hollywood had no monopoly on big-budget, star-studded soap operas in 1952, as proven by this Argentine production. Dishonored is the woeful tale of trained nurse, played by Fanny Navarro, who is falsely accused of murder and shipped off to prison for five years. Having been pushed around in the outside world by lechers and mini-dictators, the poor woman finds life even more intolerable behind bars. Fortunately, a new prison administrator enters the scene, advocating understanding and compassion rather than brute force. By this time, however, she is "great with child," busily plotting an escape in the hopes of finding a proper home for her baby and bringing the person responsible for her incarceration to justice. There's a superbly filmed Third Man-style climax in the sewers of Buenos Aires. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The titular "three rats" in this Argentine romantic comedy are a trio of pretty sisters, the young and prettiest of which is star Maria Duval. When economic difficulties befall them, the ladies leave their family hacienda behind and head for the big city. Here they try to find true love and happiness, with mixed results. For example, the middle sister (Amelia Rence) falls for a no-good louse (Gomez Cou), whose misbehavior has a profound effect on the other girls. In the end, only one of the "three rats" has found her heart's desire -- and it isn't top-billed Mecha Ortiz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

El Canto del Cisne (Swan Song) was another feather in the cap of up-and-coming Argentine director Carlos Christiansen. Mecha Ortiz stars as an attractive woman of a certain age who falls in love with a much-younger composer (played by Roberto Escala). Though her lover isn't bothered by the differences in their ages, Ortiz becomes obsessively determined to retain her dazzling beauty. This leads to a tragedy of operatic dimensions, and a dramatic climax not dissimilar to the unforgettable finale of the 1946 Joan Crawford soap opera Humoresque. Enormously popular in Argentina, El Canto del Cisne didn't do too badly in other Spanish-language markets, either. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood-trained John Reinhardt handled the direction of the Argentine crime drama Ultimo Refugio (The Last Refuge). Top-billed Mecha Ortiz plays a "loose woman" who teams up with young crook Jorge Rigaud. Ortiz throws over her doctor lover (Pedro Lagar) to join Rigaud in his flight from justice, only to desert the boy when he runs out of money. In desperation, Rigaud attempts suicide, but is saved from himself at the last minute by the self-same jilted doctor. At the time of its release, Ultimo Refugio was praised for its offbeat decision to cast film favorite Mecha Ortiz in an unsympathetic role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title Mujeres Que Trabajan translates roughly as Working Women, an accurate description of the film's collective. Spending their days laboring away at a huge department store and their nights cooling their heels in a boarding house, the girls are naturally susceptible to any and all promises of overnight wealth. Curiously, when wealthy Ana Maria (Mecha Ortiz) moves in with them and offers them a huge amount of money, they refuse, preferring to make their own way through the world. Ana Maria's inability to "connect" with the girls causes her a great deal of grief, but at long last they accept her as one of their own. Stealing the film is third-billed Nini Marshall, who wrote all of her own dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide