Lilia Prado Movies

In this comedy that's heavy with one-liners, the work ethic takes a drubbing and family values are touted as the true source of happiness, even for crooks. "El Multiple" (Rafael Inclan) is a devoted father and husband who loads up on stolen goods, smuggles his family and the loot into the United States, and then strikes it rich by selling his merchandise for high prices. In contrast to "El Multiple," Don Proculo (Pedro Weber) works hard to get a better life for himself by pouring his energy into his antique shop. One day while he's away on vacation, someone breaks into his store and steals everything of value. Don Proculo is forced out of business and "El Multiple" comes back, looking for a place to start a small family restaurant. For the characters in this film, family means more than a business, or the goods which so readily (and illegally) change hands. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama with overtones of the occult, Venusita (Elena de Haro) falls in love with the scion of a wealthy family whose mother, very conscious of their social position, sends her son off to the United States in order to keep the two apart. Not to be rejected so easily, Venusita visits Saurina the sorceress (Irma Serrano) who comes up with a spell that kills off the merchant and zaps the son back home -- but Venusita's problems are far from over. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In rural Mexico, during the silent-film era, people who could read were delegated to narrate the films' story cards. In this film, Lucas Lucatero not only performed that chore, but traveled around with a charismatic peddler, Anacieto Morones (Emilio Fernandes) who at some point began to pass himself off as a miracle worker. The film begins as a group of women land on Lucas' doorstep requesting his help in having the now-deceased wonder-worker considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic church. Flashbacks tell Anacieto's true story, which is as far from pious notions of sainthood as is possible, for his miraculous accomplishments were mostly of a sexual nature. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

La Vida De Pedro Infante takes a look at the short but influential career of the Spanish performer Pedro Infante. Utilizing clips from many of his movies, the film shows how he became a cultural sensation, and how he met an untimely death due to an interest in aviation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Although this melodrama begins with a young boy hit by a car and then brought to the nearest hospital where he lies on the narrow division between life and death, that in itself is not the story. Once the lad is in the hospital, the tale unfolds in a series of flashbacks that relate how his young parents have struggled each day to make ends meet. The obstacles that stand in their way of economic progress, their attempts to overcome these obstacles, and their human relationships are all brought forward. The fact that their son is in the hospital fighting for his life makes their former sacrifices for him all the more poignant. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Volatile, home-grown Mexican director and actor Emilio "El Indio" Fernández guides this simple melodrama through its paces to put across a relatively effective -- though idealistic -- story about social change. Set in a backwater village, the tale begins when an architect arrives in town, sent by the government. It turns out that the local schoolteacher is fed up with holding classes in a ramshackle lean-to that barely keeps a roof over the students' heads. The architect's job is to make sure a decent school is built. But on the opposite side of the fence is a local landowner who is against the project. Battle lines are drawn, and the conflict over the school starts to galvanize the villagers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Produced on a grand scale, the Mexican Talpa relates the simple story of two brothers. The older of the siblings, Tanilo (Victor Manuel Mendoza) is a well-to-do family man; the other, Estaban (Jamie Fernandez), is one step above a wastrel. When Tanilo is felled by illness, Estaban is forced to take over the family's blacksmith business. He also inaugurates a romance with Tanilo's attractive young wife Juana (Lilia Prado). Punishment is eventually doled out in a manner which suggests that God Himself is exacting retribution on the adulterous couple. Originally released at 87 minutes, Talpa was pared down to 73 minutes for American consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Spanish language drama La Vida No Vale Nada stars Pedro Infante as Pablo, a stranger new to town who finds work in the antique shop of widow Cruz (Rosario Granados). The two fall in love, even though the local priest makes it clear he believes Pablo is unworthy of her company. Pablo messes up this seemingly idea situation when he goes on a drinking binge and reverts back to the less than honorable ways familiar to him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

One of the nicest aspects of Mexican films from the 1930's through the 1960's is how much they borrow from Hollywood cinema of the same era. Las Interesadas is a perfect example, a musical-comedy of the type that, with color shooting and a slightly less comedic script, could have been made with June Allyson, Betty Hutton, Doris Day, or Lucille Ball during the late 1940's. Three women (Amalia Aguilar, Lilia Prado, Lilia Del Valle), all aspiring performers who are tired of being abused in their work and private lives, join forces to try and find success together. They are almost distracted from their goal when they accidentally injure a stranger (Manolo-Fabregas) with their car and have to care for him, which means that they have to go out and find regular jobs. In a manner reminiscent of any number of plots on I Love Lucy, as well as numerous movies, it turns out that none of them is suited to the job she's taken and they are close to being evicted; taking in an apparently homeless man (Roberto Font) doesn't help their situation. At the last moment, however, they are rescued when it turns out that the man they thought was homeless was a disillusioned millionaire, who sets the three women up in their own lavish stage review, where they succeed after overcoming the jealousies that have built up during their time together. Cuban-born Amalia Aguilar is the sparkplug of the trio, an enchanting mambo dancer and actress who is something of a cross between Charo in her looks and Lucille Ball or Joan Davis (or Kirstie Alley in modern terms) in her approach to comedy; Lilia Prado and Lilia Del Valle are also engaging in their roles, as well. Some viewers will find some of the audio gags on the soundtrack a bit silly, and the plot simplistic and improbable, but Las Interesadas is also a fascinating homage to Hollywood, ending with some surprisingly elaborate mambo and modern dance numbers featuring each of the three performers. The fact that these numbers, and the score for the movie, were all written by renowned mambo and dance-band leader Perez Prado gives Las Interesadas added interest even for non-Spanish speaking viewers with memories of the Mambo King's musical triumphs in the United States during the 1940's and 1950's. The lushness of the dance numbers may surprise those who only associate the bandleader with numbers like "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White." The quality of the music, the comedic talents of the actresses, and the script's attempts at a knowing, self-conscious brand of humor over its plot make one wonder how much a director like, say, Frank Tashlin, with a large budget to work with, might have made out of these same elements. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Better known as Ascent to Heaven, Luis Bunuel's Mexican Bus Ride is a genial surrealistic comedy with many of the earmarks but little of the elegant cruelty of Bunuel's later works. Esteban Marquez plays a young bridegroom who is called away from the altar. Marquez's mother is dying, necessitating a bumpy two-day ride in a rickety bus to the little village where mama resides. En route, Marquez meets many eccentric characters, and is detained in a variety of mirth-provoking ways. Once he's arrived, Marquez is prevented from returning to his wedding by legal squabble's over mama's will. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

From Mexican writer/director Roberto Gavaldon comes this 1948 Spanish-language musical-drama about tragic love. Yolanda Montes stars as an exotic dancer who has found true love. Unfortunately the news is unwelcomed by her boss and a jealous magician. Han matado a Tongolele also stars David Silva and Lilia Prado. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide