Macario

Adapted from socialist B. Traven's story of the same name, the film is a artistic masterpiece. The direction, acting are superb. The cinematography is moving and haunting. The trees, the sparseness of the village, even the expression on the actors' faces-all are moving-all are memorable.

Have you ever wanted anything in life, something you could just call your own? As Macario's wife admits to her husband she has also wanted something just for herself that she didn't have to share and gives him a turkey she stole that could have cost her her life so he can fulfill his desire to eat a turkey all to himself. For all of Macario's life he has always known nothing, but hunger as has his wife, his children and fellow villagers. However, Macario is a good man and cannot eat whole turkey without ultimately sharing. He is approached by the Devil, God, and what appears a very hungry man with whom does he share his turkey, but why?

Poverty, wealth, and racism all are shown here. The story takes place in Mexico during Spanish rule. Whereas the white Spanish ruling elite, shown to be greedy, cynical, arrogant, and inhuman, are wealthy and want for nothing; the local indigenous people, who maybe all honest and hard-working, are forced to starve and live in a dry, sparse desert with barely-thatched roofs, praying to God for justice rather than creating it. The same cinematographer that photographed Brunel's films in Mexico was also the cinematographer of this film. Perhaps, that's why it seems to be an odd mix combining the social criticism of Brunel's Los Olvidados along with the existentialism of Bergman's 7th Seal. Intellectually profound in its depiction of economic injustice in this world, it moves the viewer to comment. As the candle-maker tells Macario, "We are born to die …We spend most of our time dead." It is in contemplating death that we understand life in so far as we have only one; and it is this that makes us question injustice. The near to last scene is unforgettable. Few scenes are as memorable: J'Accuse, the 7th Seal, Ordet are the rare exceptions along with this film. It leaves is with 2 burning questions : What is life? Is it nothing more than a candle that burns for awhile then is spent? What is justice? In a Capitalist world can it be anything more than a concept that like an object can be bought and sold with money?

This film, set in colonial times, tells the tale of Macario, a destitute woodcutter who stumbles onto a magical source of healing power. He has a series of beautifully photographed adventures curing the sicknesses of the incurable in his tiny farming hamlet and the nearby town. As Macario's fame spreads, his wealth increases but his uncanny powers attract the wrong kind of attention, leading to a tragic denouement.

The powerless suffering of the poor, the boundless greed of the rich and of the poor alike, the eternal desire to cheat death and squeeze a few more drops out of this life -- these timeless themes are all operative here to good effect. This is not a subtle movie, and it is rather dated in its characterizations and its moralizing. Even so, the acting is competent and the plot engaging. There are some stunning scenes that combine with the first-rate cinematography to make the film lovely to look at.

If this rarely screened movie comes your way, I recommend that you take the opportunity to view it.

Gavaldon's "el nino e la niebla " ( 1953)already verged on the fantasy genre :remember the terrifying mask Dolorès Del Rio met at the ball , which came back as a vision for the gloomy final . Death is more important to Mexican people than to many other ones; don't we spend more time dead than alive? " a character says ; the movie begins with )the feast of Death - two decades later ,John huston began "under the vulcano " the same way -;death is omnipresent in a country where poverty runs rampant .

"Macario" is a fable ,using the Gospels : like Christ , Macario's forced fast is about over. His dream is about to come true : eating an entire turkey . The devil ,in the shape of an officer,has been watching him thinking then this human being will be most vulnerable.and he goes as far as to offer him the whole forest ;Macario is no Christ (didn't he show himself selfish when he hides from his children to wolf down his food?)so he denies God and opt for a third power ,Death ,whose gift is deceptive : a precious water can heal the sick ,but only if the supreme power (the Allmighty) has decided so.

Macario's wretched life comes to an end, but it arouses the hatred of the Holy see and of the Holy Office : these suspicious healings might mean witchcraft.

Roberto's Gavaldon 's directing is absolutely masterful : whenever he films his hero salivating in front of the turkeys prepared for the wealthy ,or this impressive scene of nightmare with these puppets going up and down ,all representing death for his feeble children (he screams :"leave me one of them"!); you may remember Daniel's nightmare in "el nino y la niebla ".

Of course the rapport Macario has with Death may remind you of Bergman 's "the seventh seal" ,but it seems that Gavaldon ,for his sequence in the huge cave, was influenced by FrItz Lang 's silent movie " Der müde Tod"(1921):all the candles representing a life and a fate ,which a simple pinch can blow out .But only when God has decided his/its time is through.

A jewel of the Mexican cinema.

It is not surprising that this film from 1960 became one of the greatest classics of Mexican cinema, a paramount production from its Golden Age. Very innovative, it is a fantasy drama which addresses hunger, social inequalities, the Catholic Church and it is inquisition. The hungry Macario will make decisions that will be decisive, concerning a turkey, the Devil, God and Death. By the way, I cannot help but mention a curious dark detail: every time Macario says he will not eat anything and prefers to starve than to eat a small portion, his children laugh happily because they will have a little more food. That was funny but also harsh!

this is truly a great, and rarely seen movie. it's beautifully photographed, wonderfully acted, and has the feel of a classic grimms brothers fairy tale (although this is too serious a movie for children). i was totally unfamiliar with the mexican film industry and basically only knew mexican wrestler movies, etc. this proves that there were and maybe, are, great movies coming out of mexico that deserve attention and prominence. great movie - 10 out of 10.