Margarita Cortes Movies

As can be gathered by its title, the Mexican Los Miserables is still another adaptation of Victor Hugo's mammoth novel Les Miserables. At 103 minutes, it is also one of the shortest versions of the Hugo classic, telling its complex, multicharactered story with admirable precision and economy. Dominguo Soler plays the unfortunate Jean Valjean, who after serving a long prison sentence for stealing a loaf of bread is hounded by obsessive police inspector Javert (Antonio Bravo). Once he comes to realize that the whole world isn't against him, Valjean starts life anew as a prosperous merchant, but this tranquility is shattered by the diligent Javert, who intends to throw Valjean back in jail for violating parole. The ironic finale is both imaginitively and satisfying staged by director Fernando Rivero. The film's only real shortcoming is the impossibly hammy performance of Antonio Bravo as Javert--though as Charles Laughton and Robert Newton proved in other adaptations of Les Miserables, the role is virtually impossible to play in a subtle, sophisticated manner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Passion Island (La Isla de Passion) represented the first directorial effort of legendary Mexican filmmaker-patriot Emilio Fernandez. Taking place over a period of several years, this is the story of Clipperton Island, more popularly known to Mexicans as Passion Island. Annexed in 1909, the island is put under the control of a small detachment of soldiers, who assume that their stay will be brief. But when the Mexican revolution breaks out on the Mainland, the troops are forced to spend two years on the island. Disease and dissent are rampant, leading to desertion and mutiny. David Silva stars as Julio, a loyal officer who tries vainly to stave off the mutineers for Love of Country, becoming a martyr in the process. Combining all the popular elements-action, romance, self-sacrifice, even music--Passion Island was an auspicious directorial debut for Emilio Fernandez, as well as one of the first Mexican films to gain critical acceptance in the US. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having begun his directorial career in 1932, Fernando De Fuentes had four years' experience -- and ten pictures -- under his belt when he helmed the Tito Guizar musical vehicle Alla en el Rancho Grande. The film has been hailed by historians as the vanguard of the Mexican "Charro"-movie genre, which concentrated upon singing cowboys, golden-hearted bandits and fair senoritas. Popular radio singer Guizar is cast as itinerant ranchhand Jose Francisco, who falls in love in spite of himself with duckling-turned-swan Cruz (Esther Fernandez). It's essentially a Cinderella story, with a bit of Mexican "action dancing" and even cockfighting thrown in. On the strength of the enormously successful Alla en el Rancho Grande, Tito Guizar went on to even bigger stardom, and was still at the top of his profession as late as the 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi