A Woman Without Love (1952)
"Una mujer sin amor" (original title)

After indulging in an affair with a man (a friend of the family) she truly loves, a woman returns to her young son and husband for good, and loses contact with the man. Her husband is ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Guy de Maupassant (novel), Jaime Salvador (adaptation),

Stars:

Rosario Granados, Tito Junco, Julio Villarreal

Cast

Cast overview:
Rosario Granados	...	Rosario
Tito Junco	...	Julio Mistral
Julio Villarreal	...	Don Carlos Montero
Joaquín Cordero	...	Carlos
Xavier Loyá	...	Miguel (as Javier Loya)
Elda Peralta	...	Luisa
Jaime Calpe	...	Carlitos
Eva Calvo	...	Enfermera / nurse
Miguel Manzano	...	Doctor

Storyline

After indulging in an affair with a man (a friend of the family) she truly loves, a woman returns to her young son and husband for good, and loses contact with the man. Her husband is unaware of the affair. Twenty years later, there is news that the friend has died and left all of his money to the younger son in the family, which leads us to question this younger son's biological origin...

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Plot Keywords:

extramarital affair | angina pectoris | patriarch | mexico city | medical clinic | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

31 July 1952 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

A Woman Without Love

Filming Locations:

Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Internacional Cinematográfica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luis Buñuel considered this the worst film he had ever made.

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Connections

Version of Pierre and Jean (1943)

User Reviews

I don't agree with Don Luis

Luis Buñuel thought that "Woman Without Love" was the worst movie he ever made and he wrote about it in his autobiography, "I'd been told to set up a screen on the set and just copy André Cayatte's movie (1943 film version of Guy de Maupassant's Pierre et Jean) scene by scene. Not surprisingly, I made it my own way, but it was still a disaster". I don't agree with him. I believe that he never made a bad film - he simply could not. Even if it lacks in his trademark surrealism, it still has his intelligence, his craft, and the ability to make a rather forgettable melodrama interesting and insightful. I am sure many directors would be proud of Woman Without Love. With changing the title of the movie and Maupassant's novella from Pierre et Jean to Woman Without Love, Buñuel, focuses on one of his favorite subjects - couple in love longing for each other and their inability to fulfill their desire due to all types of obstacles, social and religious, is evidently present in the film and elevates it above countless soap-operas. It is beautiful; it moves well, it is based on the writings by a talented writer. I like the acting, and the finale was not disappointing. "A woman without Love" may not be the best Luis Buñuel's film but as his devoted fan, I could not skip it and I am glad that I saw it.