La Valentina

I've seen this movie a couple of times in Mexican TV. It's very funny. Eulalio Gonzalez (a.k.a. "Piporro" or "El Piporro") is an excellent comedy actor. The beautiful Maria Felix in one of her last films is superb. The last time I saw it was some years ago so I can't remember the plot exactly. Mainly it is about a trip among the revolutionary Mexico. Pedro Pablo "kidnaps" Valentina, a rich woman, and Valentina has to deal with a country lifestyle very different to his rich lifestyle. Of course she hates her kidnapper, making the relationship very funny as she tries to escape and annoy him all the time. 8 out of 10 for excellent performance, funny screenplay, and good wardrobe.

"La Valentina," a Gregorio Walerstein production, unites two popular figures of Mexican cinema: María Félix and Piporro. The film was, in all aspects, a very costly production. It was shot in color (using the Eastmancolor process, popular in Mexico), and that alone set it aside from other big productions of the time such as "Los cuatro juanes" or "Tiempo de morir." The lush interior sets created to represent a wealthy hacienda are also one of the film's major assets. Costumes are also very accurate, with Félix properly dressed as an early 20th-century Mexican woman from the rural upper class. Cinematography is very vivid; especially in the closeups.

This film is a timeless classic of Mexican cinema. It brings together two strong performers into one motion picture and the result is a one-of-a-time cinematic experience. It is a perfect, empowering mesh of comedy, drama, romance, adventure, and war.