Graciela Borges Movies

A man of God discovers his supernatural talents run counter to the tenants of his chosen faith in this drama from filmmaker Alejandreo Doria. Father Mario Pantaleo (Jorge Marrale) is a Catholic priest who looks after his congregation in a small town in Argentina. When Father Mario discovers he has the power to heal others, he begins performing acts of faith healing during his services; however, when church officials hear about this, they become upset and strip the priest of his credentials. One of Father Mario's parishioners, Perla (Graciela Borges), believes in the priest's healing powers and helps him set up a new church in a tiny farming community. However, when word of Father Mario's actions filter back to the Vatican, they send a young priest, Javier (Esteban Perez), to infiltrate the parish and find out what he's doing. On Javier's advice, the Vatican steps in to shut down Father Mario's new church, and the aging priest travels to Rome to appeal to Vatican bishops in person. Las Manos (aka The Hands) received its North American premiere at the 2007 Palm Springs Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In his retirement home, the former bartender (Pepe Soriano) at a brothel and bistro in a provincial town in Argentina in the 1930s regales his listeners with tales about the personalities there. Chief among them was the brothel's owner (Gian Maria Volonte), who seemed the master of all he surveyed, until he was smitten by the charms of a woman traveling with a tango band. As he tells these stories, they are shown onscreen. The film is much enhanced by lively tango performances by well known masters of the genre, including (Daniel Binelli). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A turbulent era in Argentine politics is highlighted in this well-wrought drama, set in Buenos Aires at the end of 1945, about Clara (Graciela Borges), a young, half-Jewish woman awakening to the reasons behind the political conflicts of her time and place. Clara's father was a Communist who fought the Nazis in Argentina and possessed a list of the top Nazi exiles and their contacts. Through a former lover, Clara -- a successful broadcast journalist -- begins to see her Jewish roots (and the leftists) in a whole new light. Meanwhile, the political storms sweeping through Argentina are setting the stage for the Peronist government to come. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Unlike the suggestive title, this is a mixed-up trilogy of tales about a woman dying of cancer and the kidnapping of a petroleum magnate, the woman's memories about the tycoon, and the woman's imaginary vision of herself as someone living in the 1930s married to an arms dealer. All three stories intertwine to such a degree that the viewers, along with the dying woman, may start to confuse present reality from past indiscretions from wishful thinking. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The trials and tribulations of a woman whose husband has walked out on her are the focus of this romantic melodrama. Often, it looks as though all the men she meets only want to go to bed with her. They had better beware, though, for her ex-husband is still jealous of her liaisons. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This well-acted psychological drama was wildly popular in its native Argentina, in part because it was based on the best-selling novel Heroina by Emilio Rodrigue. With a dispassionate, measured tone, it tells the story of a well-to-do girl, Penny (Graciela Borges), who seeks psychiatric help after making a suicide attempt. She has made attempts to socialize with working-class people rather than her own peer-group but is unable to break through to them. Perhaps it is her own emotional stiffness. Things become much more lively for her once she gets to the analyst's couch. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This grim and plodding drama concerns a young man who goes to work in a hardware store in a poor rural area. The owner is an old man who promises the young man he will inherit the store when he dies. Having no other means of support, the young man suffers daily indignations at the hands of his employer, swallowing his pride and tempering his thoughts of future ambition as he waits for the old man to die. He does find time to fall for a girl, the unstable daughter of a hopeless alcoholic, and the girl's mother agrees to the relationship when she hears of the young man's impending inheritance. When his employer finally dies, the two are married. To his horror, the young man soon discovers that his wife treats him with as much or more disrespect than he ever received from his irascible boss. He contemplates murder and suicide, convinced it is the only way he can escape the dilemma. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Henchmen of the dictator from an unnamed South American country blackmail Nick Thomas (Ian Hendry) into being a government spy. The former smuggler is to pose as a priest and enter a monastery thought to be sympathetic with rebel guerillas. For his compliancy, Nick is supposed to receive money and his freedom. Marina (Graciela Borges) poses as a prostitute in hopes of being thrown in jail to contact political prisoners. Maurice Evans plays Father James Keefe, suspected of being a rebel conspirator. Enrique Sandoval is sufficiently sinister as the corrupt police chief who follows the orders of the ruthless dictator. The release of the film coincided with real-life events, as Catholic priests continued to be the victims of government persecution throughout Latin America. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The titular femme fatale of Greek mythology was responsible for turning men into swine, lions and wolves as they visited her island. Graciela Borges stars as the alluring sorceress who takes an interest in one young man (Alberto Argibay) in particular. Argentine director Manuel Antin had help writing his script from H. Grossi and the novelist Julio Cortazar. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Director Leopoldo Torre-Nilsson and his wife, screenwriter Beatrice Guido have once more put together an interesting picture on the trials and tribulations of those somewhat comfortably set in life, in economic terms anyway. In this drama a still-young grandmother has a suitor whose son is suffering from an incurable illness. The woman knows that the son has fallen in love with her granddaughter, but the granddaughter does not reciprocate his feelings. Convinced she should do something about that situation, grandmom talks her granddaughter into going on a trip to Paris with the young man -- intent on bringing the two together. But this simple plan, it turns out, has unforeseen consequences. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This conventional Argentinian drama is a remake of the 1946 French version of Gringalet, with the setting changed to Buenos Aires and its port. After a wealthy businessman discovers that a certain pecadillo in his past has produced an illegitimate son, he overcomes his shock and then seeks out the young man, Gringalet (Walter Vidarte). Gringalet has been working at a blue-collar job in the port area and is quite easy-going about his life. His new-found father takes him home and tries to make him a part of the family. Even when Gringalet manages to finally attain acceptance from the haughty matron and her brood, he is not at ease in this new luxurious environment. Should he stay or should he not? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Alberto de Mendoza plays the unsavory title role in El Jefe (The Chief). Holding his suburban neighborhood in thrall with a cotillion of muscular henchman, crime boss Mendoza is as crafty as he is brutal. Reporter Duilio Marizio hopes to bring down Mendoza's reign of terror, but instead ends up as one of El Jefe's paid stooges. The villain's downfall comes about when he momentarily loses his cool and commits a senseless murder; his subsequent behavior exposes him to one and all as the craven coward he really is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide