The Smile of the Virgin (1958)
"La sonrisa de la Virgen" (original title)

Marita, a charming little girl, lives in the country with his grandmother. Her best friend is a modest servant, Anselmo, who almost everyday takes the girl to visit the church known as "... See full summary »

Director:

Roberto Rodríguez

Writers:

Roberto Rodríguez (story), José Luis de Celis (story),

Stars:

María Gracia, Jorge Martínez de Hoyos, Prudencia Grifell

Cast

Credited cast:
María Gracia	...	Marita
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Anselmo
Prudencia Grifell	...	Doña María, Marita's Grandmother
Miguel Manzano	...	Cura
Emma Rodríguez	...	(as Emma Rodríguez Ruelas)
Manuel Santiago Rodrigo
Dario Vivian	...	(as Darío Vivian)
María Letícia Leger Uribe	...	(as María Leticia Leger Uribe)
Antonio León Yáñez
Jesús Navarro	...	(as Jesús García Navarro)
José Dupeyrón	...	(as José Dupeyrón Palazas)
Heriberto Rodríguez Álvarez
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hugh Downs	...	Narrator (US dubbed version) (voice)

Storyline

Marita, a charming little girl, lives in the country with his grandmother. Her best friend is a modest servant, Anselmo, who almost everyday takes the girl to visit the church known as "Guadalupe's Basilica", an important temple in Mexico City, where she discovers Virgin Guadalupe and the legend about her apparitions in that place. Marita doesn't behave properly in school, and her teacher always has a punishment for the girl. She doesn't like school, and she doesn't want to return to school anymore. Besides, Marita's worry about her animals, like a cow, who doesn't produce milk. The girl asks many miracles to Virgin Guadalupe, one of them is not going to school. During a visit to Basilica, Marita hears the Virgin's voice, and this could be the beginning of a responsible life for the girl, like to study and to be a good child.

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Taglines:

A Simple Story of Pastoral Beauty and Wonder!

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Musical

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Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

January 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Little Angel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Películas Rodríguez

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Marita has her turtle in her hands, it is an obvious dummy.

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Quotes

Narrator: The beauty and sincerity of a child's faith are perhaps the only merits of this story, but that is precisely why I think you will like it. It is a simple story, yes, but one that for a few short moments will take us from our world of trials and tribulations, to one of peace, love, tenderness.

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Soundtracks

"El toro Torongil"
Public Domain

User Reviews

A conventional Funny Film

This Kind of Mexican Marcelino Pan y Vino was starring for the little and ephemeral actress Maria Gracia in hands of the Rodriguez Brothers, specialist in direct children(chachita,la tucita,even their relatives Pepito and Titina)this time Roberto Rodriguez took advance of the Mexican devotion and released this movie in December a month full of religious festivities specially 12th virgin's Day With Roberto Rodriguez directing maybe the most capable of the Rodriguez Brothers to work with children and with the pastoral environment result effective for example every attempt of the little girl to avoid going to school, even her pleas to the virgin, result funny Rodriguez got a very conventional movie but not boring