Eduardo Alcaraz Movies

Humberto Gómez-Landero wrote and directed this generally effective satire about marital relationships that has a universal application. Top Mexican stars Julio Alemán and Sonia Furio, among others, bring a liveliness and vivid quality to their roles as beleaguered spouses. At issue is the traditional battle of the sexes over who is the real boss at home and who takes the orders. This brings in a variety of marriage problems and special challenges in handling them. In one instance, Furio has to transform herself from a paragon of motherhood to a slinking seductress, the two opposite and in this case, exaggerated extremes of demanding wifely roles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A zany spoof of The Phantom of the Opera, this standard comedy succeeds mainly because of the talents of Tin-Tan who shares Mexico's highest-ranking comic stature with Cantinflas. The story is aided and abetted by the usual song and dance numbers, as all the characters of the original "Phantom" (and more) parade by --- ghosts, tough guys, monsters, and others, including the requisite charming female or two. Although the story could be improved in the scripting department, it still offers a good, enjoyable hour and a half to the younger set of viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The English-language title of this Mexican musical was The Third Word. Singer Pedro Infante stars as a pampered young man who is sheltered by his doting aunts. Deciding that their darling boy needs an education, the ladies hire pretty schoolteacher Marga Lopez. Upon discovering that her pupil is 28 years old, Marga is momentarily nonplused, but then settles into her duties. Inevitably, romance blossoms between Pedro and Marga, much to the aunts' dismay. The fact that Pedro Infante had won the Mexican equivalent of the Oscar in 1955 hurt the box-office prospects of La Terera Palabra not in the slightest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A delivery man sets himself up for a case of mistaken identity in this musical comedy. Victor (Pedro Infante) is an actor whose former friendship with a notorious thief comes back to haunt him when the robber threatens to reveal ugly secrets about Victor's past. Victor decides to contact the police about the extortion attempt, but someone kills Victor while he's speaking with the authorities. The police persuade Raul (also played by Infante), the driver of a bread truck who bears a striking resemblance to Victor, to pose as the murdered thespian as they try to track down the killers. Raul soon finds himself dealing with Victor's unsavory acquaintances, as well as a beautiful woman who had fallen victim to one of his schemes. Escuela de Rateros proved to be the last film featuring the popular Mexican actor and singer Pedro Infante; he died in the crash of an airplane within a year of its release. ~ Mark Deming, 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

Few Mexican filmgoers gave a fig about the quasi-melodramatic plotline of El Senor Fotografo. The star was the incomparable Cantinflas, and that was all that mattered. Per the title, Cantinflas plays a trouble-prone photographer, whose assignments inevitably end in slapstick confusion. The "straight" plotline concerns governmental corruption, a topic with which most Mexicans were all too familiar. With Cantinflas involved, the bad guys are routed in high comic fashion. The cinematography in El Senor Fotografo was in the skilled hands of Mexico's top lensman, Gabriel Figueroa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide