La perla

This is a wonderfully shot film whose story, while not totally believable, could serve as allegory. Perhaps the family of the Mexican fisherman-diver played by Armendariz would have been happier if he had not discovered the pearl at all, but the poverty that endangers their baby's life makes his joy at this discovery (in a good underwater scene) credible. Immediately afterward, he finds himself beset by freeloaders and robbers (including his own brother), and the spiral continues until it ends in flight, hunger, death and a sort of redemption: the pearl is hurled back into the sea that spawned it. Apart from the story, the highlight is the Mexican scenery, the village and villagers, and the skillful and evocative camera angles. As one reviewer wrote, it's unlikely a villagers' celebration would have been as elaborate as the one shown in "La Perla," but it is enjoyable. Perhaps one semi-cynical message that could be gained from this film is that if you strike it rich, tell as few people as possible.

I am a Brit happily married to a Mexicana for many years and lived in Mexico for a number of years.

La Perla is a photographic masterpiece of significant beauty and well worth seeing for the magnificence of the incredible use of natural light to highlight the scenery.

In addition to the two main stars the cast contains a number of actors whose work I have enjoyed immensely and the scenes depicting the singing and dancing at the local fiesta bring back to me countless memories of pleasure during my life in that beautiful country.

This film really does reflect the Golden Years of the Mexican Fim Industry.

By the advent of the pearl, everyone appears to be changed in character into a monster of greed, except the protagonists, the fisherman, his wife and their baby, who instead turn into refugees and victims. It's an anatomy of greed with a definite morality, that a great fortune must lead to greed, criminality, death and loneliness. It doesn't have to be like that, but in this story, that is definitely the case in hopeless despair with no illusions surviving, As the pearl enters their lives they start dreaming of all the possibilities it imports, and there is great festivity in the entire village, as all the poor people rejoice in the fisherman's good fortune, but there are always opportunists, and at the appearance of a chance of fortune they will go at any length and sacrifice all human values for their greed. A return to absolute poverty seems to be the only solution to the problem. John Steinbeck's story is a grim study in the weakness of common man, what is lacking here is any wisdom in any man, the fisherman doesn't even have any reliable friend whom he can trust for advice, and the one who helps him gets shot for it. It is impossible not to have objections against such a hopelessly dark and bleak assessment of man, since there must be alternatives. Nothing is completely black, and although the fisherman and his wife survive their via crucis, there must be a new life for them.

Apparently this piece is uncomfortable for people who simplify into moralism its complexity and forcefulness in what it has to say both explicitly and implicitly, aspirationism for wealth and the discord and greed it provokes, bourgeois class robbery of the working class, colonialist extractionism, whiteness as a jewel that gives privilege, all this as true then as it still is, set in a melodrama full of anguish, plus of course a beautiful montage in which the photography and the masterful underwater sequences stand out, marvellous at the time and which stand the test of time with great neatness.

Some how I over looked this John Steinbeck brief story years ago and loved this 1947 production and the fantastic acting. The film is great in black and white and it clearly shows the poverty of local fishermen and their hard tasks of having to dive only when the ocean was calm. Pedro Armendariz,"From Russia With Love",'63 and Maria Elena Marques,"Pueblilo",'62, gave an outstanding performance as husband and wife who have to deal with finding a great treasure and having to face the hard facts of many people who want to share their wealth. Charles Rooner,(Doctor),"Silent Fear",'56 plays a very horrible doctor who seems to hate the local fishermen and wants to treat only the rich who will be able to pay his medical fees. This is truly a great film, which was very well produced and a great Film Classic from the late 40's. Enjoy