El crimen del padre Amaro (2002)

Director:

Carlos Carrera

Writers:

Vicente Leñero (writer)
Eça de Queirós (novel)

Release Date:

16 August 2002 (Mexico)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Lead us not into temptation

Plot:

Politics and sexual passions threaten to corrupt a young, newly-ordained priest in a small Mexican town.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Church | Mexico | Corruption | Bishop

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 20 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Gael García Bernal	...	Padre Amaro
Ana Claudia Talancón	...	Amelia
Sancho Gracia	...	Padre Benito Díaz
Angélica Aragón	...	Augustina Sanjuanera
Luisa Huertas	...	Dionisia
Ernesto Gómez Cruz	...	Obispo / Bishop
Gastón Melo	...	Martín
Damián Alcázar	...	Padre Natalio Pérez
Andrés Montiel	...	Rubén de la Rosa
Gerardo Moscoso	...	Doc
Alfredo Gonzáles	...	Viejo / Old Man
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	El Presidente Municipal Gordo / Mayor Gordo (as Pedro Armendáriz)
Verónica Langer	...	Amparito
Lorenzo de Rodas	...	Don Paco de la Rosa
Roger Nevares	...	Padre Galván

Also Known As:

El crimen del padre Amaro (Argentina) (Spain)
The Crime of Father Amaro (International: English title) (UK)
Le crime du père Amaro (France)
The Crime of Padre Amaro (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

USA:118 min

Country:

Mexico | Spain | Argentina | France

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico

Company:

Alameda Films

Trivia:

In 2002, this film became the highest-grossing Mexican film of all time (at Mexico's domestic box office), when it surpassed previous record holder, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas (1999), with a total gross of US$ 16.3 million.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Amaro is carrying Amelia out of the clinic and into the car, the old man who opens the car door and holds it for Amaro slams the car door into the camera, which looses its orientation for a while - and there even is a sound.

Quotes:

Padre Benito: I made you the priest's whore.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Vecinos: Cursos de verano (#2.13)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

O Ignee Spiritus

The Crime of Lousy Adaptation!!

"O Crime do Padre Amaro" (the original title of the Portuguese novel) is one of my all-time favorite books, written by one of the top 5 Portuguese writers ever, Eça de Queirós, in 1875. Eça's recognized status in 19th-century European literature is comparable to Flaubert's or Zola's, though the fact that he wrote in his native Portuguese language renders him unjustly lesser known. If you read this novel today, besides being marveled by its iconoclast wit, powerful story-telling, sharply drawn multi-layered characters and magnificent style, you will no doubt be startled by Eça's volcanic attacks on the Catholic clergy's corrupt morals and behavior in late 1800s Portugal.

Well, this Mexican adaptation is a total waste of the novel's story and shocking power, beginning with the bad idea to transpose it to modern times -- how can anyone relate to the impact of Eça's novel when sex scandals in the Catholic Church have become daily news? Anyhow, this is no excuse for the film's soap-opera approach, lame adaptation, common script, superficial characters, unimaginative direction, bland acting (Bernal, Talacón, though they make a beautiful couple) or sheer overacting (most of the cast, excepting the good jobs by Damián Alcázar and Angélica Aragón).

A major disappointment from director Carrera, writer Leñeros, and actor García Bernal, who was fine in "Amores Perros" and "Y Tu Mamá También" (and since then progressively déjà vu), but is totally lost here, his expression telling us he didn't get the first idea about Amaro's cynicism, passion, ambition and growing immorality. Amaro is NOT about standing there wide-eyed and being pretty!

If you want to be thrilled and overwhelmed by a real masterpiece, forget about this movie and read the magnificent novel instead. If you're not fluent in Portuguese, be sure to have a good translation. The book - 10/10 the film - 1/10.