La Escondida

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SPANISH ONLY

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La Escondida
Starring: Carlos Agosti , Pedro Armendáriz , Maria Felix , Cuco Sanchez , and Andres Solér
Director: Roberto Gavaldon
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000C3L2RA
Release Date: 2006-02-28

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Revolutionary Mexico a la 1954
The spirit of old Mexico
Best Version of Rare Classic
LA ESCONDIDA
The Mexican Revolution in technicolor

La Escondida
Starring: María Félix , Pedro Armendáriz , Jorge Martínez de Hoyos , Domingo Soler , and Cuco Sánchez
Director: Roberto Gavaldón
Manufacturer: Urban Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009MGGD
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Description

Gabriela (Felix) rises from the depths of poverty to the heights of Mexican society as a much-sought after courtesan. Eventually, Gabriela proves that she is still true to her peasant heritage by siding with the rebels in the Mexican Revolution. But she never stops loving Felipe (Armendariz) a peasant who has now become the charismatic zapatista leader who wins Gabriela's heart back and inadvertently causes her downfall. Gabriela (Felix) surge de lo profundo de la pobreza a las alturas de la alta sociedad Mexicana como una cortesana muy codiciada. Eventualmente, Gabriela se dara cuenta que es aun fiel a su pasado campesino al ponerse del lado de los rebeldes durante la Revolucion Mexicana. Pero ella nunca deja de amar a Felipe (Armendariz), otro campesino que ahora se ha convertido en un carismatico lider zapatista que gana el corazon de Gabriela y sin quererlo causara su caida.

Customer Reviews:

Revolutionary Mexico a la 1954.......2007-03-19

If you are a fan of old films, and especially old Mexican films, this is for you! If not....well read the reviews and make up your own mind. This is an interesting view of the Mexican Revolution, which we in the US don't know that much about, so on educational grounds only, this is worth seeing.

Visually it is lovely although the DVD version apparently doesn't live up to the original. The acting style is very much typical of the time, with the proud brunette beauty spewing fire out of her eyes in most every scene. One man commented on how enticing her arrogance was....so obviously this was a prized trait in the culture of that time. For me, I found her one-dimensional acting style a little wearing...so much fire and ice...with little subtlety to make her more interesting. I also, with my modern eyes, picked at little things like her perfect eye liner in the remote dusty Mexican village, while the other women were plain-faced...(probably why they hated her!) Even in the scene of her death, her cherry red lipstick is smudge-free and she has only one very neat bullet hole in her forehead, so her beauty remained unmarred.

I found the male lead, the peasant hero, played beautifully by Pedro Armendarez, much more engaging. He plays it macho, true, even to the point of throwing his ladylove around a little to "appease his virtue" before he embraces her....But he has a charm that goes beyond the stereotype, at least to my eyes. (female eyes) He is physically strong and graceful and is perfectly believable as a charismatic peasant who rises to the position of a Revolutionary leader. (He looks good,too, in his white peasant clothes and pancho and later in his military uniform.) I found the last scene, in which he rides, expressionless, after having discovered the death of his beloved, very moving. Without doing anything he expressed profound emotion.

There is some great music here...especially the folk ballads sung hauntingly by two young men, who appear in moments of great emotional intensity for the hero. It's sort of like he is not permitted to show his feelings so we have this poignant music which does it for him.

There is also a very interesting scene in which the peasant men are at work, processing something (pulco?) in bins. They sing as they work although "singing" isn't exactly the right word. The sound they make is something like chanting but that isn't it, either. It reminded me of songs that Black slaves used to sing while working in the fields or prison gangs while doing road work. It's strange and intense and adds wonderfully to the overall mood of the time and place.

All in all this is a lovely film that depicts another time and place...both that of the Revolution and that of the era in which the movie was made.

The spirit of old Mexico.......2004-01-13

Another gem featuring the acting duo of Pedro Armendariz and Maria Felix in tale of choices. The focus is mostly on Maria Felix who is La Escondida(The Hidden One). She is the hidden one because she is the woman of a powerful military man during the turbulent Mexcian Revolution and it's aftermath power struggle. Pedro Armendariz is Felix's peasant lover who becomes a federal soldier and returns only to find her having moved on. The opening of the movie sets the stage with Maria Felix riding in a train as some poor vendors sell their wares through the windows which takes her back to her humble beginning in flash back to her days as a poor vendor. She stares out the window and in the reflection sees herself and the viewer suddenly sees a younger Maria Felix selling on board the train. From this point the story unfolds of a woman torn between her roots and the people she left behind. She confronts this issue in typical Maria Felix dramatic flair. She plays the uppity woman to the hilt . Eventually she must make a decision between Armendariz and her powerful military man. Armendariz is perfect and plays the proud macho who rejects her; or so we think. The cinematography is spectacular, especially some of the scenes where Armendariz is tied to the giant centurty plants, like Jesus on a cross and Maria Felix as his Mary Magdelen at his feet with amazing blue skies highlighting the imagery. Although the transfer is not great it is not all that bad either (hey, at least it is in sync!)since it reveals in color the true artistry of sets, camera work , huge casts and top notch performers in a celluloid synthesis that results in a great movie. The chaos and the power struggle of early twentieth century Mexico is a nice backdrop to a fine performances by Felix and Armendariz. Maria Felix, the ever passionate woman is as bold and beautiful as ever. The movie makes a social statement about class struggle after the Mexican Revolution. A great Mexican movie with some spectacular vistas, scenes with hundreds of soldiers engaged in combat or celebration and of course, one of the best actresses to emerge from Mexico, the late, great, Maria Felix, La Dona. Recommended for old time movie buffs.

Best Version of Rare Classic.......2003-12-18

I give the movie a 5. The DVD would get a 1. But this is the best there is out there of this classic film starring one of the great actresses of the Mexican cinema in one of her finest roles. The photography of Gabriel Figueroa is, as always, GREAT!

It's almost sad to watch these classic films from The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema in such poor quality, but there is not yet a very big market for these films and, consequently, who is really going to spend the money to restore them to their former beauty. The price should be cheaper, however. But cinema lovers should really look into these Mexican classics, because they are as good as anything that was being made anywhere in the world at the time.

I look forward to one day seeing good DVD versions of MARIA CANDELARIA with Dolores Del Rio and LA PERLA, two of the very finest Mexican films. Anything from Maria Felix's great period (1940s-1950s) should be considered a find.

If you're looking for a flawless digital transfer, this is not it. But, otherwise, the film is quite worthwhile.

LA ESCONDIDA.......2002-08-08

THE OPRESSION AND TRYRANNY URGED THE MEXICAN TOWN,THE SUBJECTION BECOMES MORE EVIDENT IN THE LARGE ESTATES,FARMS AND SMALL TOWNS IN WHICH THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE REASON FOR THE RIGHTS OF MEN.THE STOICAL GROUP OF LABORERS WOULD SUBMISSIVELY BITE THEIR DISGRACE IN SILENCE,MEANWHILE THE LASHING ACCUMULATES FOR THE PRIVILEGED CAST.THIS IS THE DRAMATIC EPISODE OF THE TURBELANT AND CONFUSED ERA.THE HISTORY OF A LOVE THAT WAS SWEPT AWAY BY A WHIRLWIND OF THE REVOLUTION..

The Mexican Revolution in technicolor.......1999-11-04

The film revolves around a tragic love affair that bridges the causes of and the early years of the Mexican Revolution.

I enjoy using this film in my Spanish classes because it helps us better understand the Mexico of today. In the first scenes we see the super rich enjoying themselves at the expense of the poor. We see that the poor have no hope of justice.

Product Description

En los tiempos de la revolucion Mexicana tambien hubo historias de amor de lealtad al ser querido. Con la soberbia actuacion de Maria Felix y Pedro Armendariz qye por causa de las injusticias sociales se tienen que separar para despues volverse a encontrar como personas de alto rango y dieferentes pero con el mismo amor.

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La Escondida

Manufacturer: Cinema Disc 2004
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E8SZWI

Product Description

Gabriela(Maria Felix) rises from the depths of poverty to the heights of Mexican society as much-sought after courtesan. Eventually, Gabriela proves that she is still true to her peasant heritage by siding withthe rebels in Mexican Revolution. But she never stops loving Felipe(Pedro Armendariz) a peasant who has now become the charismatic zapatista leader who wins Gabriela's heart back and inadvertently causes her downfall.

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