The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales

I love films from all over the world and I understand that this makes me kind of weird--particularly here in the United States where most folks have little tolerance for subtitles. Perhaps it's because I have seen and reviewed so many films that I often look for something different--and The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is certainly different-- and in some very good ways.

In the past, I've written some articles about cheesy Mexican films-- such as the Aztec mummy films and the luchador (masked wrestler) films of the 60s and 70s. These films are pretty bad, but also are wonderful for a good laugh. But this does NOT mean that all Mexican films of yesterday are bad or silly--there are plenty of wonderful older Mexican movies that I've seen and I hope to see many more. For examples, the comedies of Cantinflas are quite charming and Pedro Infante's musicals are quite enjoyable--plus I am always hopeful that readers will write to me to recommend their favorites (hint, hint--PLEASE send me the names of your favorites)!

The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is an interesting tale because it's one of the few older films I've seen that would seem to endorse murder! Like the wonderful Hollywood film The Suspect (with Charles Laughton), the story is about a nice man who is married to a truly horrible woman. However, Mrs. Morales is unusual in her awfulness because she is two-faced. To her many friends in the local church and her extended family, she is a virtual saint who is forced to live with a terrible husband who drinks too much, abuses her and is irreverent. However, this is all part of Mrs. Morales' sick personality disorder. He is actually a very good husband and tries to love her, but she is both frigid and very cruel towards him--and being married to her is impossible. She wants others to think she's a martyr for staying with such a monster and he just wants a wife who will love him and so he puts up with a lot during their long and very unhappy marriage. All the while, most audience members are hoping that Dr. Morales will either leave this woman or kill her. I was rooting for him to kill her--especially after she smashes the camera he saved up to buy for two years and then convinced her friends that HE beat her! What's next? Well, the word 'skeleton' is in the title...so you might be able to guess SOME of what will happen. However, like all wonderful dark comedies, guessing exactly what will happen is just about impossible! And it features a wonderful twist ending that made me smile.

The bottom line is that while most people are much more likely to watch a recent Hollywood movie, there are wonderful films waiting to be discovered from all over the world. And, in the case of The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales, you don't have to travel that far from Hollywood to find a classic.

The taxidermist Dr. Pablo Morales (Arturo de Córdova) is a good man that loves children and animals and to drink a few beers with his three best friends. He has been married for fifteen years with the wicked, frigid, cruel and manipulative self-righteous Gloria Morales (Amparo Rivelles), who has one leg with poliomyelitis, and turns his life into hell on Earth. She lies to the Priest Artemio Familiar (Antonio Bravo) and his nosy and gossipy neighbors and sister and brother-in-law from her congregation, telling them that Dr. Morales is an abusive man that beats her. Indeed, Dr. Morales loved her and has paid the mortgage of his old house where they live to please her and now is saving money to buy a camera that is his dream. When Gloria tries to poison his pet, their servant Meche (Rosenda Monteros), who treats Dr. Morales very nice, does not allow and is fired and expelled by Gloria. She tells her to leave the house immediately, otherwise she will accuse Meche of theft. When the seller reduces her commission to allow Dr. Morales to buy the camera, the object becomes his pride and joy. Soon Gloria breaks his camera into pieces and Dr. Morales kills her. How will he explain the absence of his wife?

"El esqueleto de la señora Morales", a.k.a. "Skeleton of Mrs. Morales", is a Mexican masterpiece of black humor. This film is a must-see for fans of this genre, since it is impossible to describe the cruel treatment of Gloria Morales to her husband. The viewer will certainly hope that he is considered not guilty in the trial. His confession to the nosy priest and the black humor in the end is very funny and unique. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Esqueleto da Sra. Morales" ("The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales")

Upon discovering the existence of "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" and being amazed at the high rating and exclusively positive reviews around here, I instantly put the film on top of my must-see list. Thank the heavens for the digital era because there's an impeccably restored version with subtitles freely available on YouTube.

I tried not to get carried away and set my expectations only medium-high, as ratings & reviews can be misleading, but it rapidly became clear that "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" truly deserves all the praising superlatives and love it receives. Especially for a low-budgeted movie from early sixties' Mexico, it's a uniquely original and extraordinarily intelligent combo of pitch-black comedy and atmospheric horror.

It's deeply admirable how writer Louis Alcoriza and director Rogelio A. González toy around with the common horror standards and turn the viewers' logical expectations upside down. When you read the rudimentary premise of a taxidermist who plots to murder his wife, you automatically complete the rest of the film in your mind. But you'll be wrong, I assure you, like everyone else. Protagonist Pablo Morales is not the evil animal-stuffer and wife-slayer that you picture him to be. He loves to have a drink, but he's not a violent drunk. His housemaid idolizes him, but he doesn't take advantage of her. He has a sinister profession, but he's a well-doer to all children in the community. His marriage has ended years ago already, but he keeps hoping to get lucky. In fact, Pablo Morales is one of the nicest and most likeable men to ever appear on screen.

His beautiful wife Gloria, on the other hand, is - hard as it may sound to believe - one of the meanest, most manipulative, and downright loathsome women to ever appear on screen! She's disgusted by her husband's taxidermist activities, she spreads vicious lies about him being an abusive alcoholic and adulterer, and eventually even frames him for domestic violence he didn't commit. To make it all worse and more revolving, Gloria Morales behaves like a martyr and a saint towards the outside world, and obviously the myopic Catholic community in town supports her. When Pablo finally reached his personal limit and develops a plan to murder Gloria, it comes across as a giant relief to the viewer. This might even be one of those rare films where you hope the killer will get away with it.

The performances of Arturo de Córdova and Amparo Rivelles are exquisite, and the entire supportive cast contributes a great deal as well. The script is full of clever, ingenious, and incredibly funny little details, like the lady with a severe bladder issue and the confession moment. The ending is also fabulous. You know in the back of your head that in cinema crime never goes unpunished, but this excellent film nevertheless surprises us once more with a brilliant twist.

This film is charmingly macabre, about a taxidermist with a sincere love and lust for life, and his terrible antithesis of a wife. The performances are absolutely convincing, and the pompous catholic padre is unforgettable during the confession at the end, as is the lead character. The attention to detail makes it a pleasure to watch this film again and again.

I've seen quite a few cheezeball Mexican dramas. This is NOT one of those - it is a fine ensemble performance, with very high technical values. Most of the acting is top-notch. Some great 'Hitchcockian' camera angles and lighting- especially close-ups.

If I were to criticize this film mildly, it's that it views like a stage play. Perhaps it started this way? Anyway, I really enjoyed it thoroughly.