La Mujer del Puerto

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Watch for Fans of Mexican Cinema
Review: I saw La Mujer del Puerto on the rental shelf and thought I'd give it a look. Directed by a Russian immigrant Arcady Boytler (1890-1965), it has much the dark look and racy feel of Pabst's 1928 silent classic Pandora's Box. It seems to be a bit of a landmark of sorts for Mexican cinema, starting the careers of at least a few early Mexican screen artists (the Mexican Magazine SOMOS listed this as #8(!) on its list of "Las 100 mejores pel?culas del cine mexicano" in 1994). Released in 1934, it still has the rough transitional construction of early talkie cinema. The opening scene is virtually voiceless and the players still show all the mannerisms of silent acting. The storyline and script are simple. There are some interestingly shaped screen cuts (the earliest film in which I can remember seeing any type of these), as well as some refreshing (if shaky) cinematography of ships along the Veracruz coast.

Estela Inda (Captain from Castille, Los Olvidados) is credited on the box, although she was not listed in the original film credits and I didn't even manage to notice who she was in the film (IMDB lists her as "woman at the cabaret"). Domingo Soler was an actor of some repute in early Mexican cinema, as was apparently the lead actress Andrea Palma, who gives a worthy performance here.

The DVD image is poor, but interestingly it is not poor in such a way as to detract from a proper enjoyment of the film. The images are focused and sharp, there are no lines, and the brightness is correct. It just suffers a bit from what you might call the "high school projector effect", or little flickering spots. But again this doesn't really detract from the viewing at all; on the contrary, you can almost hear the projector clicking along and see the beam of light striking particles in the air thru a dark room; strangely but surely adding to the film's ambiance. There are neither extras nor subtitles, so this is for Spanglophiles only. Nothing to change the world, but you could do a lot worse. Easily worth the asking price if you can understand Spanish and have an interest in the history of Mexican or Latin American cinema.

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Watch for Fans of Mexican Cinema
Review: I saw La Mujer del Puerto on the rental shelf and thought I'd give it a look. Directed by a Russian immigrant Arcady Boytler (1890-1965), it has much the dark look and racy feel of Pabst's 1928 silent classic Pandora's Box. It seems to be a bit of a landmark of sorts for Mexican cinema, starting the careers of at least a few early Mexican screen artists. Released in 1934, it still has the rough transitional construction of early talkie cinema. The opening scene is virtually voiceless and the players still show all the mannerisms of silent acting. The storyline and script are simple. There are some interestingly shaped screen cuts (the earliest film in which I can remember seeing any type of these), as well as some refreshing (if shaky) cinematography of ships along the Veracruz coast.

Estela Inda (Captain from Castille, Los Olvidados) is credited on the box, although she was not listed in the original film credits and I didn't even manage to notice who she was in the film (IMDB lists her as "woman at the cabaret"). Domingo Soler was an actor of some repute in early Mexican cinema, as was apparently the lead actress Andrea Palma, who gives a worthy performance here.

The DVD image is poor, but interestingly it is not poor in such a way as to detract from a proper enjoyment of the film. The images are focused and sharp, there are no lines, and the brightness is correct. It just suffers a bit from what you might call the "high school projector effect", or little flickering spots. But again this doesn't really detract from the viewing at all; on the contrary, you can almost here the projector clicking along and see the beam of light striking particles in the air thru a dark room; strangely but surely adding to the film's ambiance. There are neither extras nor subtitles, so this is for Spanglophiles only. Nothing to change the world, but you could do a lot worse. Easily worth the asking price if you can understand Spanish and have an interest in the history of Mexican or Latin American cinema.