Romeo contra Julieta

Wow! Another confrontational movie! Just like COMO PERROS Y GATOS (Enrique Guzmán), also starring Angélica María, here in ROMEO CONTRA JULIETA she gets to fight Alberto Vázquez. Too bad they never got around to film CONTRA VIENTO Y MAREA, with César Costa and LO BLANCO Y LO NEGRO, with Johnny Laboriel (they were all rock and roll stars from the 50/60s.

The movie is also about recycling. They recycled the script, using one from the 50s (EL INOCENTE- Silvia Pinal and Pedro Infante), recycled the house and the parents too... This house is the same they will use in COMO PERROS Y GATOS one year later. Her father here is someone who more looks like her grandfather, Mr. Fernando Soler. This set is unforgettable! Huge round staircase with curtains from ceiling to floor. I remember because when I saw the movie I wondered who put them there and how, and who would be doing the cleaning...

Well.. what can we expect if the movie is just an excuse to make them both sing their songs.. and for that purpose, I wouldn't chose to remake a good movie like EL INOCENTE, when is always easier to make something new! Or isn't? Why spoil it?

This Mexican film(in groovy color!) from the Swinging Sixties is a remake of a black and white Pedro Infante comedy, El Inocente(The Innocent Man), from the Fifties. While at a New Years Eve party, Mane(the lovely Angelica Maria)throws a tantrum in front of her boyfriend and she takes off in her car! While on the road, her car stalls on her and it breaks down on the highway...in the middle of nowhere! A warm, affable, mild mannered mechanic in a VW bug, Gutberto, alias "Cruzi"(Alberto Vasquez), gives her a ride to her parents' house...in Mexico City. Mane insists that she spend New Years Eve with him and the two end up getting drunk on champagne! Mane passes out and moments later, Cruzi loses consciousness and he passes out on her! The following morning, Mane's parents and her brutish brother come home from a party in Cuernavaca and find them in bed together! Mane and her family think Cruzi raped her, but he's innocent and nobody believes him! Mane's paranoid, menacing, condescending parents force Cruzi to marry Mane to save the family's good reputation. What's to become of Cruzi and Mane and their bitterness toward each other?

Alberto Vasquez does a good job making his character Cruzi likable. He has rugged, good looks and charm. We sympathize with him even though Mane's folks have a lot of disdain and contempt toward him! He even gets two opportunities to sing his songs. Vasquez is like a cross between Elvis Presley and Ted Bessell. As for Angelica Maria, she looks so lovely and statuesque in her prime. Her mix of German and Mexican facial features adds to her pulchritude(good looks). Maria also does a good acting job; Mane is fussy one minute, then she'll do a 180 and ooze charm.

The supporting cast also adds some color and fun to the film. Romeo Contra Julieta(Romeo Versus Juliet) is "G Rated" compared to the content in other Mexican films...so it's safe to watch with the whole family. The content of violence and sexuality is higher in latter day Mexican films. RCJ was one of the films featured on a budget priced DVD set that I own. It was presented in watchable pan and scan format with missing frames and negative damage. I hope some company out there will be generous enough to find an anamorphic widescreen print of the film and restore it for future generations. Romeo Contra Julieta has a sweet sense of nostalgia. After one viewing, one can understand how Angelica Maria got the nickname, "Mexico's Sweetheart".