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The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema
of the 1940s and early 1950s
María Félix
During the 1940s and the first five years of the 1950s, there was a boom for cinema production due mostly to two factors: World War II brought about a decrease in the production of films in North America and Europe which opened opportunities to export Mexican cinema, especially to Latin America and border cities along the Southern United States. Mexico’s accelerated industrialization process generated a significant migration flow from central Mexico to the principal urban zones of the country - Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Puebla - with the emergence of a middle class that chose the cinema as their premier entertainment, and thus strengthened the domestic market.
There were times during these decades when over 100 films were produced in a year, creating the need to establish production houses for directors and actors, as well as studios, laboratories, and firms for national and international distribution. La Cadena de Oro (The Golden Chain) and La Compañía Operadora de Teatros (Theatre Company Operations) were the main distributors of films nationally.
The selection of films we have chosen represents a balance between the most popular genres such as comedy or family melodrama with the most prestigious classic films of the time, including the films of Emilio “Indio” Fernández and Gabriel Figueroa, and stars such as María Félix, Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Joaquín Pardavé.
The MCI Film Series is free.
All movies will begin at 7:45 P.M. outside the
Mexican Cultural Institute on Olvera Street.
The film will be in Spanish with English Subtitles
Presentacion los viernes
a las 7:45 pm fuera de las instalaciones del
Instituto Cultural Mexico
Todas las peliculas se presentan GRATIS al publico
y no se requieren reservaciones
Todas las peliculas son en Espanol con
subtitulos en Ingles
Friday, June 24th
 “Ay, que tiempos, senor don Simon!”
(“Oh, what times, Mr. Don Simon!”)
(Julio Bracho, 1941) This film was produced by a new firm, Films Mundiales headed by Agustin Fink, who wanted to make quality films during the cinematographic boom of the early ‘40s that prevailed during the whole decade, known as The Golden Age. It is the first film by Julio Bracho, one of the most important directors of the time. The film created the genre known as “Porfirian Nostalgia,” featuring performances by Joaquín Pardavé, Mapy Cortés, and Arturo de Córdova in one of his first performances.
Friday, July 1
 “Cuando los hijos se van”
(“When Children Leave”)
(Juan Bustillo Oro, 1941)
This film is a production of the duo of Juan Bustillo Oro and Jesús Grovas, the most prolific producer of the time. It is a classic example of the family melodrama, a genre that would become very popular from the beginning of popular films and that slowly, from the ‘50s, would be disseminated by soap operas that adopted it successfully to television production. This film features one of the prototypes of Mexican melodrama, Sara García, personifying the suffering and self-sacrificing Mexican mother.
Friday, July 8
 “Doña Barbara”
(“Fernando de Fuentes”, 1943)
This production by Jesús Grovas and Clasa Films, directed by Fernando de Fuentes, is based on the popular novel of the same title by Venezuelan writer Rómulo Gallegos. This film began the legend of María Félix as a “man-eater” which she would later personify in almost all her films. The actress became know as “La Doña” as a result of this film. Julián Soler, María Elena Marqués, and Andrés Soler are also featured.
To learn more about this film, click here!
Friday, July 15
 “Maria Candelaria”
(Emilio “Indio” Fernández, 1943)
Agustín Fink and Film Mundiales made exclusive contracts with actors Dolores del Río, who had recently returned from Hollywood, and Pedro Armendáriz, as well as with Gabriel Figueroa as photography director, Emilio “Indio” Fernández as director, and Mauricio Magdaleno as screenwriter. This talented team created four films during 1943 and 1944: “Flor Silvestre” (1943), “Maria Candelaria” (1943), “Bugambilia” (1944), and “Las Abandonadas” (1944). Of these films, “Maria Candelaria” received the most international acclaim. It received recognition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1944 and launched into fame the duo “Indio” Fernández – Figueroa, who received many other awards in international festivals.
To learn more about this film, click here!
Friday, July 22
 “La Perla”
(“The Pearl”)
(Emilio “Indio” Fernández, 1945)
Based on a short story by John Steinbeck, The Pearl is a Fernández – Figueroa film that highlights the visual concepts of these artists. The images of the film are so strong that many times the audience has the impression that they overshadow the original script. It is a story of ambition and envy where an indigenous couple, played by Pedro Armendáriz and Maria Elena Marqués, are persecuted by the good and bad fortune of having found a very valuable pearl.
Friday, July 29
 “Enamorada”
(“In Love”)
(Emilio “Indio” Fernández, 1946)
In this classic film by Emilio “Indio” Fernández, based on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, María Félix presents one of the best performances of her career as the lead role in this love story between a revolutionary general (Pedro Armendáriz) and a socialite from a upper class family from Cholula, which has been recently taken under siege by revolutionaries. Also evident in this film is the splendid photography of Gabriel Figueroa, particularly in the scene where the General serenades Beatriz Peñafiel, and in the final scene where señorita Peñafiel must make a decision that will change the course of her life.
Friday, August 5
 “Salon Mexico”
(Emilio “Indio” Fernández, 1948)
In this film, the renowned director enters into one of the most popular genres of Mexican cinema of the 1940s, the cabaret melodrama. The difference with other films of this genre is that for the first time in his career, Miguel Inclán, one of the most popular villains of cinema, plays protagonist as the policeman who protects Mercedes, the showgirl with a heart of gold played by Marga López, from the villain, played by Rodolfo Acosta. The virtuosity of Gabriel Figueroa is apparent in an urban landscape, especially in the scenes that take place inside the famous cabaret.
Friday, August 13
 “Lifted to Heaven”
(“Subida al Cielo”)
(Luis Buñuel, 1951)
Among the productions of Luis Buñuel in Mexico, this film stands out as encompassing one of the favorite themes of this director: sexual desire and its counterpart, virtue. In this case, the Eve that offers Adam the forbidden fruit is the sensual Lilia Prado. The story takes place in a long voyage of temptation in a dilapidated bus that travels from town to town across a mountain, in which among other passengers, Esteban Márquez, a young newlywed, must resist temptation against his will. Formally, Buñuel intertwines realist scenes with others that are reminiscent of the early surrealist films of this extraordinary director.
Friday, August 20
 “Dos Tipos de Cuidado”
(“Two Types of Care”)
(Ismael Rodríguez, 1952)
This film stars two of the most popular singers of The Golden Age, Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante. Director Ismael Rodriguez joined the two talented singers – actors in this hilarious comedy. “Pedro Malo” and “Jorge Bueno,” the characters played by Infante and Negrete, exchange song duels and mistaken situations in which participate Yolanda Varela, Carmelita González, and José Elías Moreno.
For more information, contact maria@mexicanculturalinstitute.org
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