Ensayo de un crimen (1955)

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (writer)
Eduardo Ugarte (writer)

Release Date:

19 May 1955 (Mexico)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Plot:

The delirious journey of a mental disordered man, who is obsessed in making the perfect crime.

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Compulsion | Stockings | Surrealism | Attempted Murder

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Miroslava	...	Lavinia
Ernesto Alonso	...	Archibaldo de la Cruz
Rita Macedo	...	Patricia Terrazas
Ariadna Welter	...	Carlota Cervantes
Eva Calvo	...	Señora de la Cruz, Archibaldo's mother
Enrique Díaz 'Indiano'	...	Señor de la Cruz, Archibaldo's father
Carlos Riquelme	...	The commissioner
Chabela Durán	...	Sister Trinidad
Carlos Martínez Baena	...	Priest
Manuel Dondé	...	Colonel at wedding
Armando Velasco	...	Judge
Rodolfo Landa	...	Alejandro Rivas
Andrea Palma	...	Mrs. Cervantes
Leonor Llausás	...	The governess
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Armando Acosta	...	Man at Gordo's
Eduardo Alcaraz	...	Gordo Azuara
Janet Alcoriza	...	American tourist
Rafael Banquells hijo	...	Archibaldo as a boy
Antonio Bravo	...	Antiques dealer
Emilio Brillas	...	mannequin maker
Lupe Carriles	...	Maid at Carlota's home
Jorge Casanova	...	draftsman
Ángel Di Stefani	...	police agent
Enrique García Álvarez	...	Chucho
Jesús Gómez	...	Lopez, policeman
Elodia Hernández	...	dress shop owner
Francisco Ledesma	...	Antique shop asst.
José María Linares-Rivas	...	Willy Corduran
Salvador Lozano	...	Gambler
Ángel Merino	...	handwriting expert
Roberto Meyer	...	Doctor
José Peña	...	Esteban
Ignacio Peón	...	wedding guest

Also Known As:

La vida criminal de Archibaldo de la Cruz
Rehearsal for a Crime
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (USA)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Alianza Cinematográfica Española

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crimen ferpecto (2004)

Not all that glitters in Buñuel is gold

Adapted from a mediocre novel by Mexican playwright Rodolfo Usigli (gladly the only one he wrote) "Ensayo de un Crimen" gathers several of the worst cinematographic moments issued from such an uneven filmmaker as Luis Buñuel. Its many clumsy aspects are generously distributed on all areas of its making: there is not a single actor that can deliver his/her lines without sounding like your average end-of-semester College play. The scenery and decor are elementary and full of anachronisms. To mention just one, in the initial flashback Archibaldo (as a young child) is playing in the 20's with a Lionel train from the 40-50's! Buñuel's directing job is plainly bad, even if he tries to embellish it with a couple of his famous "oniric" sequences that just don't work here.

Maybe the worst part of all is the script. There's not a single line that doesn't sound corny and forced. Here's to those who watched the film with the benefit of translated subtitles or dubbed into a foreign language: I envy you. In Spanish, the dialogs are plainly awful.

However, the most remarkable feature is the enormous amount of praise this unholy stinker has received during its 50 years of existence! Undoubtedly this shows that to most moviegoers and critics -moviegoers of the Summa cum Laude species, I guess- suppose that the sole name of a famous filmmaker must mean you're watching a work of art.

To this I must add that practically none of the movies that Buñuel filmed during his stay in Mexico is a true masterpiece. Even the celebrated "Los Olvidados" is sadly marred by an unabashed pamphlet scene extolling the social merits of the Juvenile Delinquent re-adaptation centers issued from the government of President Cárdenas. Maybe Buñuel considered necessary giving a little lick to the hand that was feeding him at the moment...