Macario (1960)

Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. After his wife cooks a turkey for him, he meets three apparitions, the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks him... See full summary »

Director:

Roberto Gavaldón

Writers:

B. Traven (story), Emilio Carballido (screenplay),

Stars:

Ignacio López Tarso, Pina Pellicer, Enrique Lucero

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ignacio López Tarso	...	Macario
Pina Pellicer	...	Macario's Wife
Enrique Lucero	...	Death
Mario Alberto Rodríguez	...	Don Ramiro
José Gálvez	...	The Devil
José Luis Jiménez	...	God
Eduardo Fajardo	...	Virrey
Consuelo Frank	...	Virreina
José Dupeyrón	...	(as Jose Dupeiront)
Celia Tejeda
Pepé y sus Marionetas
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miguel Arenas	...	Inquisidor
Alicia del Lago
Manuel Dondé	...	Enviado de la inquisicion
Mario García González

Storyline

Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. After his wife cooks a turkey for him, he meets three apparitions, the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks him to share his turkey, but he refuses all except Death. In return, Death gives him a bottle of water which will heal any illness. Soon, Macario is more wealthy than the village doctor, which draws the attention of the feared Inquisition.

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Plot Keywords:

death | starving child | starvation | hunger strike | hunger | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

9 June 1960 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Morte in vacanza

Filming Locations:

Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clasa Films Mundiales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Losely based on Brother Grimm's tale "The Death's Godson."

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Connections

Referenced in Una familia de diez: La dieta (2007)

User Reviews

OK: I've written this before, don't nag at me (please), but it also applies to this.

It is said that movie's were made to transport us out of our reality and immerse us in a different world.

When watching Macario I'm happy to say that kind of magic has endured for this picture since 1960.

It has been throughout almost than 45 years, the example of good Mexican cinema. It has a peculiar effect: this movie begins to make some distance from the happy, naive and joyful musical movies made in the Golden Years of Mexica cinema, nonetheless it still lacks the cynicism and irony of later films.

Parallel to the main character behavior, beneath that surface of the plot and narrative, lies a fully formed story: Even though Macario speaks little, we know he thinks a reflects a lot.

Igancio López Tarso made a classic with is quiet character, and I was amazed to find in Pina Pellicer one of the most beautiful women in Mexican movies.

It is sad to see movies like this are no longer made. Mysticism has no place in Mexican cinema right now.

(with a few... quite a few, and I mean quite a FEW -near to NONE- exceptions)