Jorge Mistral Movies

A land-owning aristocrat's daughter has gotten pregnant. Her boyfriend deserts her when she refuses an abortion, and her father plans to kill the baby. The family's longtime nurse knows all this, of course, and she steals the baby away to her faraway village. Years later, when the baby has become a doctor, he unknowingly returns to the town of his birth. He stumbles across clues to his origins and begins to investigate. This Mexican-made Spanish language anti-abortion film has been dubbed into English. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This romantic adventure centers on the romantic exploits of a lusty Arab princess who is saved from a terrible fate at the hands of Bedouin thieves by the handsome emissary and nephew of Emperor Charlemagne, who has come to the Sahara to see that an entourage of pilgrims make it safely to the Holy Land. The gallant emissary takes the princess to Baghdad where she is to join the harem of the Holy Land's ruler, Vilar. Trouble erupts when the emissary succumbs to the temptations offered by the seductive bride-to-be. Unfortunately, Vilar's jealous vizier finds the couple and condemns the wanton girl to death. Danger, romance and action ensues as the lovers attempt to escape their terrible fate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this western, a gambler wins a big Mexican ranch and decides to herd all of the cattle upon it into Texas. The crook enlists the aide of a few Mexicans, but they don't realize he plans to cheat them. En route, the cattle drivers are ambushed by banditos. They survive, but during the course of the struggle, the cattle hands learn the truth and ensure that justice gets served. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Director Chano Urueta and a top-flight acting and technical crew cannot do much with this comedy about a modern-day Juliet (Elvira Quintana). The Juliet of the title is caught in the dilemma of having to juggle three different suitors, modern-day "Romeos" with their own agenda. Without the Capulets and a Shakespeare to pen the script, the tale remains less than the sum of its talented actors and essential idea. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this family film, a hobo and his pet chicken become friends with a man and his child. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This Spanish film was officially inspired by the Prosper Merimee novel (and Bizet opera) Carmen. Instead of working in a cigarette factory, however, Carmen (Sarita Montiel) has become a cabaret singer. She and her lover, Napoleonic sergeant Jose (Maurice Ronet), end up joining a Spanish resistance movement fronted by Antonio (George Mistral), leading to a story marked by tragedy and betrayal, just like the Merimee original. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two of Spain's leading film personalities - star Carmen Sevila and director Juan Antonio Bardem - pool their talents for La Venganza. The Steinback-like scenario finds Sevila playing the sister of Raf Vallone, a recently released convict. Convinced that one of a group of migrant workers betrayed her brother to the authorities, Sevila insists that Vallone seek revenge. Complications begin piling up when the girl falls in love with the so-called informer (Jorge Mistral). La Venganza was one of Spain's entries in the Cannes Film Festival of 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Le Schiave di Cartegno (Slaves of Carthage) was produced on the super-epic scale that, in the late 1950s at least, was economically feasible only in Europe. Jorge Mistral plays Roman soldier Marc Valerio, assigned to the task of killing off any Christians who cross his path. Instead, he falls in love with Lea (Marisa Allasio), the titular slave of Carthage, who is accused of using sorcery to murder the Roman proconsul. For Lea's sake, Marco casts his lot with the Christians, suffering mightily as a result. Gianna Maria Canale is appropriately wicked as the Roman empress. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Luis Buñuel constructs this 1954 motion picture on the foundation of Emily Bronte's Gothic novel set in England. However, Buñuel substitutes a Mexican setting for the English one and Spanish names for the novel's central characters. He also alters the plot to heighten tension and maximize the effect of imagery. In the Bronte novel, Mr. Earnshaw rescues a foundling named Heathcliff from the streets and raises the boy at his estate on the moors, Wuthering Heights, along with his daughter, Catherine, and son, Hindley. Over the years, Hindley mistreats Heathcliff, regarding him as a rival for his father's affection. After Mr. Earnshaw dies and Hindley inherits the estate, he humiliates Heathcliff by making him a common stable boy. Catherine, meanwhile, falls passionately in love with Heathcliff, but looks down upon him because he lacks social standing. One day, after overhearing her speak of him disparagingly, Heathcliff abandons Wuthering Heights, then makes a success of himself in the world. After returning three years later, he finds Catherine married to an elegant gentleman, Edgar Linton. Heathcliff vows revenge. First, through clever scheming, he acquires liens on Wuthering Heights and drives Hindley to his grave. To spite Catherine and Linton, Heathcliff marries Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister, and treats her cruelly while gaining control of her property. The turn of events destroys Catherine, who is pregnant, and she dies after giving birth to a daughter. In the Buñuel film, Heathcliff becomes Alejandro (Jorge Mistral), Catherine becomes Catalina (Irasema Dilian), Hindley becomes Ricardo (Luis Aceves Castaneda), and Isabella becomes Isabel (Lilia Prado). Early on, the film generally follows the plot of Wuthering Heights although the setting is a hacienda in Mexico. However, the plot begins to shift when Alejandro discovers that the pregnant Catalina is gravely ill. Full of regret for his past action toward her, he relents and tells her he loves her, and she expresses her love for him. Then she gives birth and dies. After she is laid to rest, he is so grief-stricken that he exhumes her just to hold her one more time. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi

El Derecho de Nacer was released in English-speaking markets as The Right to be Born. Unmarried and pregnant, a young woman (Barbara Gil) seeks out an abortion. She approaches a doctor (Jorge Mistral), who refuses to perform the operation. Flashing back to an incident in his own past, the doctor explains his "right to life" stance. Adapted from a once-controversial novel by Felix B. Caginet, El Derecho de Nacer states its case with calm forthrightness, never descending to pure tract or dogma. During its initial run in Mexico, the film set a box-office record, a fact as much attributable to the notoriety of the Caginet novel as to the quality of the film itself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi