Search - Por Ellas Aunque Mal Paguen on DVD

Songs and Laughter

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 04/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A Comedia Ranchera, this film is about a fast talking aristocrat who has fallen on hard times, and tries to marry his pretty daughters off to wealthy men, to avoid having to work. As part of his plan, he takes them to a fancy nightclub, where they meet a naive but rich ranch owner who is smitten by one of the daughters. Then the plot thickens; the daughter is stubborn and self-indulgent, and the rancher must go to great lengths to "tame" her. Though die-hard feminists will not be amused, the twists and turns are very funny.
The cast is great:
It does not star the wonderful singing cinema idol Pedro Infante (1917-1957), but rather his brother Angel. Pedro makes a special appearance, in the beginning, a little later to sing a duo with Angel, and at the end, when he crashes his airplane into the ranch; in this last scene, he sings one of his most outstanding performances on film. This song is superb, and will delight every Pedro Infante fan. The plane crash is a sad omen, as this was how he was to die 5 years after this film was made.

Fernando Soler (1896-1979), who had a distinguished career of over 100 films as actor, and 22 as director, plays the elderly aristocrat, Anastasio Adolfo Armijo de Arpegio; Silvia Pinal, who was one of Luis Buñuel's favorite actresses ("Virdiana"), plays the obnoxious Isabel, and Angel Infante (1914-1987) as the rancher, Jose Manuel, is terrific. Tito Gomez adds a lot of humor as the aristocrat's son, who was brought up by an Argentine uncle.

The songs, assisted by the legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, are: La del estribo; Como estoy enamorado; Te he de querer; Las alazanas, La negra, Las Isabeles, as well as the title song, Por ellas aunque mal paguen.
Directed by Juan Bustillo Oro almost entirely on a soundstage, this may not be the most original of plots, but is fun-filled merriment, and with an unforgettable song by Pedro Infante, who is after all these years, still so dear to many hearts."