Miguel Inclan Movies

Bandido is set during the Mexican civil war of 1916. Robert Mitchum stars as a sleepy-eyed soldier of fortune who finds himself in the middle of the fracas. At first refusing to take sides, Mitchum eventually casts his lot with insurrectionist Gilbert Roland. On the opposite side of the fence is gun-runner Zachary Scott, whose attractive wife Ursula Theiss has a yen for Mitchum. Lensed on location in Mexico, Bandido offers little in the way of provocative plotting or clever dialogue, but it definitely delivers the goods so far as action and adventure are concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

South-of-the-border screen idol Pedro Infante, Sr. headlines the period drama Las Mujeres De Mi General, set during the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s and '20s. Infante stars as a rebel general caught up in a tempestuous romantic tug-of-war between two women: his ex-girlfriend (Chula Prieto) and his wife (Lilia Prado). This love triangle yields devastating consequences for the wife, including imprisonment and estrangement from her child; when she is finally reunited with the baby and the general, all concerned (including the mistress) must face an onslaught of terror from bellicose governmental soldiers. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The winner of two Cannes Film Festival awards, Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados (aka The Forgotten Ones and The Young and the Damned) was the director's first international box-office success. Yet Buñuel showed no signs of curbing the outrageous iconoclasm that made him famous in Europe and South America; one of the more lasting images of the film is the clash-of-cultures shot of a glistening new skyscraper rising above the squalid slums of Mexico City. The story concerns a gang of juvenile delinquents, whose sole redeeming quality is their apparent devotion to one another. Part of the film's perverse fascination is watching Buñuel's street punks cause misery to those less fortunate. The audience immediately identifies with Pedro (Alfonso Mejía), the youngest gang member, who evinces a spark of decency; yet Pedro, like the others, remains a victim of circumstances far beyond his control. Throughout, Buñuel maintains an objective tone; it is our responsibility, not his, to judge the gang members. Seasoned with haunting dream sequences, Los Olvidados was the opening volley in what would turn out to be Buñuel's most creative period. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Fugitive was shot on location in Mexico by that country's premiere cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa. Henry Fonda plays a Christ-like priest in an unnamed Latin-American country where religion has been outlawed. Though incognito in a backwater village, Fonda cannot help but seem more spiritual and mystical than those around him. Meanwhile, another fugitive, homicidal-bandit Ward Bond, stumbles into the village. Bond and the beautiful Dolores del Rio, whose illegitimate child has been secretly baptized by Fonda, conspire to help the priest escape. Once Fonda is on safe ground, he is implored by police spy J. Carroll Naish to return to the village, ostensibly because Bond is dying and wishes to have last rites. Fonda is captured and sentenced to death, but is willing to forgive the repentant Naish for betraying him. The priest dies a martyr, and the outpouring of public grief proves to the authorities that simply outlawing religion will never subjugate the hearts and minds of the people. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", Fort Apache stars John Wayne as captain Kirby York and Henry Fonda as Custer clone Lt. Col. Owen Thursday. Resentful of his loss in rank and transfer to the West after serving gallantly in the Civil War, the vainglorious Thursday insists upon imposing rigid authority on rough-and-tumble Fort Apache. He is particularly anxious to do battle with the local Indians, despite York's admonitions that the trouble around the fort is being fomented not by the so-called savages but by corrupt white Indian agents. Thursday nonetheless ends up in a climactic set-to with Indian chief Cochise. He and his men are needlessly slaughtered, but the Eastern press builds "Thursday's Charge" into an incident of conspicuous valor--and York, ever loyal to the cavalry, is not about to tell the whole truth. The bare bones of Fort Apache's plotline are fleshed out with several subplots, including the romance between Thursday's daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple) and Lt. Mickey O'Rourke (John Agar), the son of Fort Apache veteran Sgt. Michael O'Rourke (Ward Bond). There's also plenty of time for the expected drunken-brawl humor of Victor McLaglen. Not in the least politically correct, Fort Apache is a classic of its kind, and together with Rio Grande (1950) the best of the John Ford/John Wayne Cavalry films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this tale of love versus class starring Mexican film icon Pedro Infante, a young boy and girl separated as children struggle to revive their childhood love despite the scorn of a disapproving society. When Lupita's dying father sent her to live with his servants, she thought she would never see Ramiro again. Though Romiro was raised in the lap of luxury by a wealthy socialite, Lupita found herself struggling to get by. Now, after years apart, Lupita and Romiro have finally been reunited - but is their love powerful enough to overcome the judgment of a society who scoffs at the idea of a love that knows no boundaries? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The title character is a young woman (Dolores DelRio) who is shunned by local townsfolk because her mother once posed naked for an artist and was stoned to death because of the incident. She must consider the consequences while making a similar choice. ~ John Bush, Rovi

The combined talents of star Maria Felix and director Fernando De Fuentes resulted in the can't-miss romantic drama Dona Barbara. Felix is cast as the title character, a rich landowner who has accumulated her fortune through the kindness of strangers-handsome, amorous strangers to whom she has sold her affections. Renouncing true love in favor of material gains, Dona Barbara ultimate falls desperately in love with neighboring rancher Santos Luardos (Julian Soler). Her euphoria evaporates when she learns that Santos is interested only in her young daughter Marisela (Maria Marques). Completed in 1943, Donna Barbara earned several industry awards in Mexico, and not a few similar honors elsewhere. ~ 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

In this historical drama from Mexico, Demetrio is a rancher whose home is destroyed by local authorities. Filled with rage, Demetrio sets out to join the revolutionary army of Pancho Villa, and soon takes part in an attack on the federales. Wounded in battle, Demetrio is nursed back to health by Camila, a pro-Villa medical student. Demetrio becomes infatuated with the beautiful medic, but she only has eyes for Curro. Despite his heartache, Demetrio soon returns to battle and after displaying his heroism, he seeks justice against the man who destroyed his ranch. Los de Abajo stars Emilio Fernandez, Domingo Soler, and Isabela Corona. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi