Luis Alcoriza Movies

A terrifying drama about a deranged killer on the loose set inside an apartment building, the story starts with a mild-mannered, part-time clarinetist for the local church. He has a hair fetish and has filled his closet with ponytails and braids from women who were sure his razor was the last thing they would see before having their throat slashed. In the same building a young wife is kept locked at home by a jealous husband who is convinced she could not remain faithful to him any other way. The moment she gets out (in hope of finding someone else), she comes across the clarinetist who has killed someone this time -- and she must run for her life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

During the birth of a child, an old soothsayer breaks a bottle containing evil omens and all the curses which famously come from witches' mouths afflict the community. The village swiftly disintegrates, and, eventually, most agree that they must move away from the ill-fated place. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this ironic drama set in a Mexican peasant village, the parish priest admonishes and chastises his congregation for not being generous, but then later catches a desperate father stealing a pearl from a statue so he can pay for the medicine his sick boy needs. After being caught, the fellow loses the pearl, which is later found in a pile of pig manure. Fortunately, the man's neighbors rally to his aide and he is freed. Later his wife finds the pearl and surreptitiously returns it to the statue causing the other locals to believe a miracle has occurred. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The great screen surrealist Luis Buñuel co-wrote and directed this dark, bitterly witty satire. A group of people in formal dress arrives at an elegantly appointed home for a dinner party. However, once dinner is over and the guests retire to the drawing room, they discover that the servants have gone away, and for some reason they cannot leave. There is no explanation why -- there are no locked doors or barred windows preventing them from going home -- but the guests are convinced that they're stranded. Left to their own devices, they slowly but gradually degenerate into genteel savagery, taking an axe to a water pipe for drinking water, killing and eating a sheep that was to be part of the post-dinner entertainment, hiding the bodies of dead guests in the closet, dabbling in witchcraft, and burning the furniture. Buñuel's dry, quixotic wit is abundantly displayed in this film. Leading the cast was Silvia Pinal, the renowned actress who starred in several of Buñuel's Mexican films (she was married to noted producer Gustavo Alatriste, who produced several films with Buñuel). Other than the short subject Simon of the Desert, El Angel Exterminador proved to be Buñuel's last film made in his adopted homeland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The celebrated Mexican comic Tin Tan steps outside of his usual slapstick in his portrayal of an eccentric millionaire in this comedy by director Gilberto Martínez-Solares. A singer with several albums to his credit, Tin Tan drops those talents here as well, making this an unusual effort that pays off in the end because of the credibility he achieves as the rich tycoon. The wealthy man comes across a woman in dire straits and nobly decides to help her out, hopefully giving lie to the title of this typical but effective Mexican comedy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Toro Negro is a standard drama by Spanish director Benito Alazraki about a big failure in a small arena -- a bullfighting arena, actually. When an aspiring toreador from a poor family decides he wants to go all the way with his training, his girlfriend and his buddies do their best to support and encourage him. At the same time, they have not really thought about issues like a true vocation or talent, and neither has he, in fact. The big day finally comes when he has to walk into a bull ring in a small town to face off with his first bovine challenge -- a day the bull will remember with a certain amount of satisfaction. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A moral decay leading to revolution is paralleled to the illness that is consuming the hero in this emotive tale by renowned director Luis Buñuel. Set on a fictional Latin American island, the action starts when Gov. Vargas (Miguel Angle Ferriz) is assassinated. His executive secretary Ramon Vasquez (Gerard Phillipe who died during production) is then forced to temporarily assume the mantle of power. After the new, brutal, and sadistic governor (Jean Servais) takes over, conditions steadily deteriorate. Meanwhile, the widow of the former governor, Inez Vargas (Maria Felix), and Ramon have fallen in love. Their relationship, as well as the stability of the island, is threatened by the new governor who covets Inez. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Recharging his creative batteries with a "commercial" venture, director Luis Bunuel came up with the stylish if undistinguished La Mort en ce Jardin (Death in This Garden). Set in a steaming jungle, the film concerns a disparate group of refugees from a despotic military regime. Among these worthies is "good time girl" Djin (Simone Signoret), ageing miner Castin (Charles Vanel) and deaf-mute Marie (Michele Girardon). The deeper the protagonists venture into the jungle, the more Bunuel's patented surrealism begins to surface. Only two of the escapees survive the ordeal, and they aren't necessary the two whom the viewers are rooting for. Some prints of La Mort en ce Jardin bear the title Gina. hel) F Lorsque L'Enfant Paris (When the Child Appears) was adapted from the hit play by Andre Roussin. The story revolves around the efforts of a well-meaning, highly moralistic minister, who wants the government to clamp down on illegitimacy. Complications ensue when the minister's own wife become pregnant--and all evidence indicates that the child is not his. Adding to the protagonist's headaches, his daughter, on the eve of her wedding to a wealthy young man, announces that she, too, may well be in the family way. Not to be left out, the minister's son declares that he thinks he's impregnated his father's secretary! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi