O Fugitivo de Santa Marta

Today is so easy touch in this neuralgic matter at southwest American territory when it were fulfilled by Mexican's family workers who crossed the border to living into self-called American dream of life, on post war on fifties all America were in economic boom, needing those hard workers on the crops due strong demand, they living segregated on peripheral low profile neighborhoods, as shows at Sleepy Hollow community, even they were born on the American soil weren't recognized as such.

Joseph Losey has a never to put it on a picture, aside it doesn't has a great cinematography, the story overcame it on plenty, exposes on hard way a sad story about a teenager Paul Rodriguez (Lalo Rios) a son of Mexican immigrants that was born at America, after a small car's accident at street with his friend coming from an exhaustive working day picking tomatoes on the fields, the victims are two white fancy boys, followed a little quarrel stopped at once for the Police, later it's triggers a tragic events, these white boys going to at Sleepy Hollow's dancing party looking for trouble, soon starts a scuffle between them, the localo police intervenes quickly, on the thuggery Paul punchs accidentally a police officer, seeing the mistake the scared boy sneaks there, the policeman follows him, the boy stolen two cars on the run and hiding in a quarry.

Meanwhile appears there a newspaper's editor Larry Wilder (MacDonald Carey) who witnessed the scuffle, in same time a strong police squad arrives, Larry figures out the boy certainly will killed by those angry men, he finds the boy cornered at mainstay of river's bridge, under massive gunshots, under police's hands another arguing in the police car results in a crash, under the fire once more the boy escapes and try hidden in farm where a little girl hits her head at timber beam, later she misinform struck by the boy, at last the boy is caught.

Larry Wilder aided by a Mexican newspaper Sunny Garcia (Gail Russell) looking around and testifying the massacre of the news, television, radio broadcasting already blaming the boy without any fair judgment, he employs a fundraising campaign through his newspaper in order to pay the best defense attorney allowed on Santa Martha, it's unleash a riot on his newspaper tearing up the place and also at police precinct to get the boy to make justice for their own hands.

Apart the small budge presentation the movie rocks, in a period of time utterly impossible to talk about in this issue, it's an independent movie implied by the bold Losey with fortitude, thus he enters in the blacklist soon, pay attention on Martha Hyer on smallest role, almost in a twinkling of one eye, the upcoming Goddess of the cinema.

Thanks for reading.

Resume: First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

One of the best things about Joseph Losey is that he often made socially-conscious films. This is certainly no different. The premise to this film is good, but the execution is just a bit short. The story is about a Mexican youth in a border town who gets up caught in a violent situation that leads to a manhunt for him. The white part of town and the brown part of town are at odds here. There is a different kind of twist in the film that doesn't make both sides simply good and bad. Gail Russell plays a Mexican newspaper editor. Uh-huh. It's very far-fetched. MacDonald Carey plays the big-shot editor of the big paper in town. It's a middling film but with a daring message for its time.

Tightly paced social problem programmer is well directed by Losey. Carey was never the strongest of leading men and perhaps the film would have been better served by an actor with more gravitas in the lead but he turns in an acceptable performance. Gail Russell is fine in the limited screen time she has but her role isn't really noteworthy. The person who is underutilized is Lee Patrick as an out of town reporter, whenever she's on screen the other actors recede into the background so sharp is her presence, the mark of a truly outstanding supporting performer. The story is sadly relevant even today, how people can be swayed by mob rule and unreasoning prejudice.

When commenting about "The Lawless" (from 1950) - I know one thing for certain - It's very rare to come across a Hollywood production from that one's era that actually dared to make such a bold and adverse statement regarding serious racial discrimination in "Smalltown, USA".

Set in and around the seemingly quiet town of Santa Marta, California - "The Lawless" was certainly a tough, little social drama (once things finally got cooking) that clearly pitted the privileged whites against the "near-poverty-level" Mexican fruit-pickers of Sleepy Hollow.

I think it's interesting to note that this low-budget production was one of the very last Hollywood pictures to be directed by Joseph Losey.

In 1951 Losey was, indeed, blacklisted (for his apparent Communist ties). And with his directing career in Tinseltown now completely ruined by those self-righteous witch-hunters - He had fled to Europe where he attempted to continue his present occupation over there.

Pretty impressive description of the culture struggles between the white bread caucasians and Mexican workers in 1950. Right from the start, we see a confrontation between the young upper class Joe Ferguson (John Sands... where did he go, anyway...?) and the blue-collar worker Lopo Chavez (Maurice Jara in his first role.), trying to make ends meet Also in his first role is 20 year old Tab Hunter as "Frank". Nice performance by the attractive 25-year- old Gail Russell as the lead Sunny Garcia; unfortunately Russell died before 40 from a heart attack and alleged alcoholism. The story is that when reporter Jonas Creel (Herb Anderson) meets up with Sunny at a dance, he turns in a story on the fight that breaks out, and the poop hits the fan. Macdonald Carey is the union rep "Wilder" caught in the middle, along with Creel, the reporter. Then we see the fathers and sons discussing who gets what punishment, and the chase is on for one of the workers Paul Rodriguez (Lalo Rios) who may or may not have committed a serious crime. Good story. Many of these same issues are still hot-button issues today in southern California, and all along the U.S. border.