Search - Caminantes Si Hay Camino: Leyendas del Cine Mexicano Vol. #1 on DVD

Los Dos Idolos de la Epoca de Oro

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 06/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Volume I of "Cine Mexicano" from the "Caminantes" TV series produced and directed by Luis Kelly, brings together the great voices and screen presences of two of Mexico's biggest icons during the Epoca de Oro of cinema history, Negrete and Infante, who were to appear together in only one film, "Dos Tipos de Cuidado," directed by Ismael Rodriguez and released in 1953. One peculiarity is that even though these two legendary luminaries both suffered untimely deaths, and in Infante's case incredibly sudden and tragic, as well as funerals attended by thousands, and national mourning, no mention is made in either documentary of how and when they died. I'm deducting one star in my rating for this strange omission. There are other omissions, but I'm sure time restrictions played a part in what and how much they could show. Otherwise well produced and edited, these documentaries are approximately 45 minutes each, and no subtitles are available.

"El Macho Divino" is the story of Jorge Negrete, surely one of the handsomest men to ever grace the silver screen, with the bonus of having an abundance of charm, and a smooth, rich baritone singing voice. He started his career at 19 singing on the radio in 1931, and achieved stardom 10 years later in the film "Ay, Jalisco no te Rajes!" where he was to meet Gloria Marin, his costar in 10 films and his longest relationship, though they never married. The film interviews two of his directors, Ismael Rodriguez and Miguel Zacarias, composer Manuel Esperon, who we get to hear play "Ay, Jalisco no te Rajes!" on the piano, writer Paco Ignacio Taibol, and actors Arturo Delgadillo and Beatriz Aguirre. The documentary ends with his 2nd marriage, to Maria Felix, and scenes of his remarkable horsemanship in the film "Hasta que perdio Jalisco" from 1945. Negrete died shortly after his marriage to Felix, while on a trip to Los Angeles in 1953, of hepatitis, which he had contracted in the early days of his career in New York. He is buried in the Panteon Jardin in Mexico City.

"El Idolo" is the story of Pedro Infante, from his humble beginnings to incredible fame as the most loved star of the Mexican cinema of his era, and beyond, as no one has achieved such a loyal following even 50 years after his passing. The archival photos of his youth that are shown are marvelous, especially the ones of his mother, whose strong face is remarkable. It shows his early films starting with "En un burro tres baturros" in 1939, but his star didn't start to rise until he met director Ismael Rodriguez, and made "Escandalo de estrellas," which eventually led to his most viewed film, "Nosotros los pobres," and their final award winning "Tizoc." Most of the time on interviews is spent with director Rodriguez, and others are Leticia Guadalupe Moreno Infante (nieta mayor), Jose Angel Rodriguez, a fan from his home town of Guamuchil, Pedro Verduzco Cuadras, a childhood friend, director Miguel Zacarias, and composer Manuel Esperon, who plays us "Amorcito corazon," from "Nosotros los pobres," which became a signature song for Infante. Actress Annabelle Gutierrez talks about what a practical joker he was, and how some of the hilarious moments we get to laugh at in "Escuela de vagabundos" are just more of his "travesuras," like the dunking he gave costar Miroslava in the fountain during a love scene. For some reason, the scene from "Sobre las olas," which was the first Mexican major release in color, is shown in b&w. The film does not mention his passion for flying, which brought about his death in a crash near Merida in 1957, when he was 39 years old. His unique and bright spirit lives on through his many films and recordings, and are treasures that transcend time."