Film at Lincoln Center and the Locarno Film Festival’s retrospective presents 22 genre-diverse films impacted the filmscape of Mexico in a series called “Spectacle Every Day: Mexican Popular Cinema”. The films showcased were made from the 1940s through the 1960s and the event ran from July 26th through August 8th of this year.

“Spectacle Every Day: Mexican Popular Cinema” explores more than just the popular, but also the lesser-known gems of the era, showcasing a wealth of groundbreaking filmmaking and highlighting a rich, often overlooked period. It reveals a diverse range of films that captivated audiences and artists alike, from pitch-black noir and witty comedy to melodrama, 3-D swashbucklers, luchador-vampire horror, and superhero adventures. These captivating stories influenced popular culture with sweeping productions set in grand wrestling rings, lively cabarets, elegant haciendas, bustling cities, and beyond.

Courtesy of Permanencia Voluntaria and Cinema Preservation Alliance/Janus Films

Julio Bracho’s bold and influential melodrama, Take Me in Your Arms, highlights intense class struggles and emotional turmoil. The film tells the story of a fisherman's daughter, played by the extraordinary Ninón Sevilla, who becomes a famous performer to pay off her father's debts and reunite with her true love (Armando Silvestre). Bracho and renowned cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa craft visually stunning scenes with their precise lighting and composition, whether filming on location in Veracruz or through elaborate musical numbers. It is Sevilla’s powerful performance that truly makes this film stand out, turning it into a groundbreaking exploration of desire and how far a woman will go for love and for life. Casablanca is required viewing for every film fanatic, so too should Take Me in Your Arms be. Produced in 1954, this film was ahead of its time with its sense of melodramatic complications.

Movie posters for Take Me in Your Arms (left) and Wetbacks (right)

Wetbacks directed by Alejandro Galindo, begins in a documentary style following a warning that suggests that you should not do as what is depicted in the film as it is dangerous and would betray the trust of those we share a border with as a buffer from the content of the film. This film was the first to seriously explore the challenges faced by Mexicans in the U.S., prompting the Mexican government to postpone its release for two years to avoid angering their northern neighbor. Despite criticism for allegedly misrepresenting reality, Galindo effectively and sensitively depicts the perils of illegal migration and the difficult experiences of adapting to a new country, including labor exploitation, discrimination, culture shock, and feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Santo vs. The Vampire Women released in 1962 and was directed by Alfonso Corona Blake. This director has his finger on the pulse of this unique genre. Without Santo, this movie would have made a spectacular goth-noir on its own. With Santo, he blended together what could have easily been a comedic aspect into something that was taken seriously in tone. This film is an earlier feature in a series of movies that star the wrestling hero, Santo, as a detective for supernatural crimes. Santo vs. The Vampire Women was the first Santo film to gain notable international recognition. Besides its release in the United States, it was also featured at the 1965 Festival of San Sebastián in Spain. It became a cult classic, surely thanks to the out-of-this-world pairing of vampires going against a luchador, but also due to its impeccable entertainment value.

In 1968, amongst the “Batmania” of the time, The Bat Woman, directed by René Cardona, was released. It is as close to plagiarism as one could possibly get, yet the film itself is of its own creation that took several notes from Adam West’s Batman and Jack Arnold’s Creature from the Black Lagoon.Bat Woman, a wealthy lady who knows all martial arts and that of sports, is called in to solve the case of several murdered luchadores. In only a bikini and a cape, she hunts down the Doctor at fault who plans to use the DNA of these athletes to create his own species, a Gill Man. With luchador influence and a technicolor plot full of spying, monsters, and of course, a hero, this classic is the pinnacle of Mexican camp.

The first two films follow a more serious tone, one melodramatic, the other a serious, cautionary tale that both explore the isolation of an individual that was led on by false hope. The last two mentioned are more upbeat and highlight the importance of the culture surrounding lucha libre in Mexico. They are seen as superheroes and provide a campiness to what could be a separate story of their own. Haunting tales and colorful crime.

This event was sponsored by MUBI and Organized by Tyler Wilson and Cecilia Barrionuevo in partnership with the Locarno Film Festival and with support from Cinema Tropical. Tickets ranged from twelve to seventeen dollars and all access passes going for $129 and $99 for students. Events like these are important, reaching audiences that may have never had access to films such as these, giving many the experience of viewing phenomenal and newly restored film in a theater as they were meant to be seen.

Article by Seana Watson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Jung Chou, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine