Arturo Soto Rangel Movies

Though Miercoles de Ceniza was released in English-speaking countries as Ash Wednesday, it bears no relation to the much-later Elizabeth Taylor vehicle of the same name. Virtually plotless, the film is a paean to the pomp, ceremony and splendor of the Catholic Church, as seen through the eyes of individual parishioners. The cinematography of Agustin Martinez Solares is superb, even when very little is going on. And the presence of Maria Felix and Arturo de Cordova in the cast assured the film a respective box-office take, despite its overall lack of a storyline. American distribution of Miercoles de Ceniza was hampered by the talkiness of the script, which required more than the usual alottment of subtitles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mauricio De La Serna's romantic comedy Pablo Y Carolina concerns a woman named Carolina who juggles three different men who are pursuing her romantically. When she begins to suspect that yet another man might be her true love, she pretends to be someone else in order to find out more about him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

This tuneful romantic melodrama is set in a tiny Mexican village and is comprised of three storylines. One tale concerns a pair of young lovers from rival villages who will not be able to marry until a long time feud is ended. In another tale, an heir to a large fortune falls in love with an impoverished girl. His family is dead set against the match. When he is diagnosed with a fatal tumor, the man begs the girl to marry him, but she refuses and instead arranges for him to marry another. In the third story, a matador's comely sister falls in love with a street vendor. Unfortunately, the matador hates her beloved and to break them up permanently, slyly convinces the peddler to enter the dangerous bullring. Fortunately for the sister, her brother's scheme fails spectacularly. She then marries the peddler and makes an ironic discovery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Fernando Mendez's 1953 Spanish-language melodrama El Lunar de la Familia unfurls against the backdrop of a deceptively innocent-sounding family reunion. Two freewheeling, party-happy young men, Luis and his buddy Antonio, catch the train in to San Miguel, on a visit to Luis's grandmother, Doña Luisa, and his sister Esther. Unfortunately for the visitors, Luisa's goddaughter Rosita, is sitting near them in the same train car. She soon catches wind of the boys' wild tendencies, and makes a point of telling Luisa. Furious, the crotchety old woman decides to teach the bad boys a lesson by beating them senseless with her cane and forcing Luis to seek out a proper mate for Esther. Unfortunately, Esther has already fallen in love with Antonio - who could care less. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Dos Tippos de Cuidado (Two Careful Fellows) teams a pair of very popular Mexican musical stars. Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante play a couple of wandering vagabonds who show up at a ranch. Here they try to avoid getting involved with the local female population, but it's a losing battle. Among the ladies are Carmelita Gonzalez and Yolanda Varela, two very good reasons for one to break a promise to oneself. The script was cowritten by regional comedian Carlos Orellana, who also plays an amusing character role. Dos Tippos de Cuidado was the last starring feature of Jorge Negrete, who died in 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Chano Urueta draws inspiration from the classic Mexican folk song about Pancho Villa to tell musical tale of romance concerning a privileged rich girl (Gloria Martin) who gives up her life of luxury to be with the famed Mexican revolutionary (Jorge Negrete). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

John Huston's 1948 treasure-hunt classic begins as drifter Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), down and out in Tampico, Mexico, impulsively spends his last bit of dough on a lottery ticket. Later on, Dobbs and fellow indigent Curtin (Tim Holt) seek shelter in a cheap flophouse and meet Howard (Walter Huston), a toothless, garrulous old coot who regales them with stories about prospecting for gold. Forcibly collecting their pay from their shifty boss, Dobbs and Curtin combine this money with Dobbs's unexpected windfall from a lottery ticket and, together with Howard, buy the tools for a prospecting expedition. Dobbs has pledged that anything they dig up will be split three ways, but Howard, who's heard that song before, doesn't quite swallow this. As the gold is mined and measured, Dobbs grows increasingly paranoid and distrustful, and the men gradually turn against each other on the way toward a bitterly ironic conclusion. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a superior morality play and one of the best movie treatments of the corrosiveness of greed. Huston keeps a typically light and entertaining touch despite the strong theme, for which he won Oscars for both Director and Screenplay, as well as a supporting award for his father Walter, making Walter, John, and Anjelica Huston the only three generations of one family all to win Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 1947, Emilio Fernandez' Hidden River (originally Rio Escondido) was distributed in the U.S. three years later. The matchless Maria Felix stars as Rosaura, an idealistic Mexican schoolteacher who does her best to educate the illiterate Indians in her native land. Rosaura is opposed by several authority figures who have no intention of losing their hold over the Indians, but she finds support in the form of a kindly priest. Director Fernandez' understanding of and sensitivity towards Mexico's teeming millions of unfortunates enables Hidden River to rise above its occasional cliches and unsubtleties. The cinematography is by Gabriel Figueroa, who like Emilio Fernandez and Maria Felix is a legendary figure in the Mexican cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pedro Infante, Sr. stars in the Mexican farce Viva Mi Desgracia as a fellow who downs a magic potion with tequila in it. He subsequently discovers that the substance has turned him into a magnet for the ladies and a terror for male rivals. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Mexican child star Evita Munos plays the title character in La Pequena Madracita (The Little Mother). When their mother can no longer care for them, Chachita (Munos) and Pepe (Narciso Busquets) are left in the care of their mom's stepsister. Chachita immediately takes charge of things, acting as surrogate mother for the stepsister's own baby. Things take a lachrymose turn when Chachita's mother dies, but happiness is at hand in the form of the kids' ex-alcoholic father. A charming child's-eye view of the world, La Pequena Madracita could have benefited from a little editorial trimming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide