DVD Review - Callejon del los Milagros (Midaq Alley)
This award winning Mexican film is adapted from a novel by Nobel Prize Winning Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz (who died in August of this year at the age of 95). Director Jorge Fons and his screenwriter Vincente Lenero transported the story from Cairo to downtown Mexico City.
The film is made up of four parts. Each part starts out with the same scene in a bar/restaurant with some men playing dominoes. The first part is entitled Rutilio - Rutilio (Ernesto Gomez Cruz) - who happens to be the owner of the bar (and who is also known as Don Ru). Rutilio is a very ill tempered man. He is always fighting with his son Chava (Juan Manual Bernal) and he beats his wife Eusebia (Delia Casanova). But he discovers that he is attracted to young members of his sex and he decides to act upon his feelings. Given the circumstances there will be consequences for his actions.
The second part of the film is entitled Alma - and Alma (Salma Hayek) is a beautiful and virginal young woman who lives with her mother Dona Cata (Maria Rojo). Dona Cata just happens to be a tarot card reader. Abel (Bruno Bichir) is madly in love with Alma but he suddenly has to go out of town with his friend Chava leaving Alma stranded as she was starting to develop feelings for him. Alma soon discovers that the older antique dealer Don Fidel (Claudio Obregon) is in love with her and wants to marry her. With her mother's prodding Alma reluctantly accepts. But something happens and the wedding does not take place. Instead Alma hooks up with the charming Jose Luis (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and her life takes a very bad turn.
The third part is entitled Susanita - Susanita (Margarita Sanz) is a spinsterish landlady who goes to Dona Cata for tarot readings. She has been told that a man will come into her life and she believes that it is Chava who has been coming to her in her dreams. When that doesn't work out she finds herself at the bar. As unlikely as it might seem things really heat up between Susanita and Guicho but all is not as it seems.
The last part of the film is entitled The Return and I will not say a word about it. You will have to see the film for yourself to find out what happens.
This was one of Hayek's first films and she is wonderful in it. And so is everyone else. The film really captures the lives of these people who live in this part of the city. It is a real slice of life type of film. And while there is humor throughout the film is not a happy one. It is a realistic portrait of people who are just trying to live their lives and have to make choices. And in many instances they make the wrong ones and have to pay the price. By the time the film ends you feel that you know these people and you care about what happens to them. And for that we have director Fons to thank because he really knows how to get his actors to transform themselves into flesh and blood characters.
This film was made in 1995 and, as I mentioned before, it won many awards. I highly recommend this film and if you decide that you want to see it you can rent it through Netflix. You won't be sorry that you did.
The film is made up of four parts. Each part starts out with the same scene in a bar/restaurant with some men playing dominoes. The first part is entitled Rutilio - Rutilio (Ernesto Gomez Cruz) - who happens to be the owner of the bar (and who is also known as Don Ru). Rutilio is a very ill tempered man. He is always fighting with his son Chava (Juan Manual Bernal) and he beats his wife Eusebia (Delia Casanova). But he discovers that he is attracted to young members of his sex and he decides to act upon his feelings. Given the circumstances there will be consequences for his actions.
The second part of the film is entitled Alma - and Alma (Salma Hayek) is a beautiful and virginal young woman who lives with her mother Dona Cata (Maria Rojo). Dona Cata just happens to be a tarot card reader. Abel (Bruno Bichir) is madly in love with Alma but he suddenly has to go out of town with his friend Chava leaving Alma stranded as she was starting to develop feelings for him. Alma soon discovers that the older antique dealer Don Fidel (Claudio Obregon) is in love with her and wants to marry her. With her mother's prodding Alma reluctantly accepts. But something happens and the wedding does not take place. Instead Alma hooks up with the charming Jose Luis (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and her life takes a very bad turn.
The third part is entitled Susanita - Susanita (Margarita Sanz) is a spinsterish landlady who goes to Dona Cata for tarot readings. She has been told that a man will come into her life and she believes that it is Chava who has been coming to her in her dreams. When that doesn't work out she finds herself at the bar. As unlikely as it might seem things really heat up between Susanita and Guicho but all is not as it seems.
The last part of the film is entitled The Return and I will not say a word about it. You will have to see the film for yourself to find out what happens.
This was one of Hayek's first films and she is wonderful in it. And so is everyone else. The film really captures the lives of these people who live in this part of the city. It is a real slice of life type of film. And while there is humor throughout the film is not a happy one. It is a realistic portrait of people who are just trying to live their lives and have to make choices. And in many instances they make the wrong ones and have to pay the price. By the time the film ends you feel that you know these people and you care about what happens to them. And for that we have director Fons to thank because he really knows how to get his actors to transform themselves into flesh and blood characters.
This film was made in 1995 and, as I mentioned before, it won many awards. I highly recommend this film and if you decide that you want to see it you can rent it through Netflix. You won't be sorry that you did.
posted by Film Fanatic | 6:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home