Dolores del Río - Princesa de México (1999)

User Rating:

(awaiting 5 votes)

Director:

Álvaro Vázquez Mantecón

Writer:

Olivia Pineda (writer)

Release Date:

1999 (Mexico)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Ilana Sod

...

Narration (voice)

Runtime:

44 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Company:

Clío

Movie Connections:

Features Del rancho a la televisión (1953)

Viva TV Dolores!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Available on DVD in an un-subtitled version only, this 44 minute Mexican documentary (from the "Clio" series) is similar in format to America's "A & E" Biography. Jam-packed with family photographs as well as stills & clips from her film, TV & stage work, "Dolores Del Rio- Princesa de Mexico" gives an all-too-brief over-all glimpse into the life, times and career of one of the most neglected stars of International Cinema. Any fan of Del Rio's Hollywood films will find this documentary fascinating (as well as informative) due to the fact it focuses on Dolores' contribution to "Cinema Mexicano en La Epoca de Oro". The documentary also touches, briefly, on her stormy personal life -her three marriages (including a "lavender" one to MGM Art Director Cedric Gibbons) & her torrid affairs with directors Edwin Carewe, Orson Welles & Emilio Fernandez. Not bad (and certainly no worse than any "A & E Biography") -but a definitive assessment of the complex Dolores Del Rio has yet to be done in either book or documentary form. In "Princesa", her charitable work and contributions to Mexico's cultural heritage are explored but her tireless efforts to promote tolerance for gays and Latinos/minorities in the Hollywood film industry were never mentioned. This shouldn't come as a surprise, however, because "Princesa" wasn't "Made In Hollywood". Dolores Del Rio was bisexual (her affairs with Marlene Dietrich & Anna May Wong are well documented) and what happened to her cousin (Silent Film's Romantic Idol Ramon Novarro) in Hollywood broke her heart. Del Rio wrote an introduction for gay writer/historian George Hadley-Garcia's "Hispanic Hollywood -The Latins In Motion Pictures": "The world of actresses & actors of Hispanic origin who have worked in Hollywood is one that still remains mostly unexplored... But the fact remains that earlier in this century, glamor, wit & comedy, as well as drama & colorful adventure, were synonymous with performers from Mexico through Central America and south to Argentina, and also including Spain & Portugal... With fresh memories of yesterday's stars -thanks to a book like this one -and with today's youthful energy, it is not unlikely that a Latin Renaissance can yet take place in Hollywood, whose worldwide influence is bigger than ever, for better or worse." There are two books available on Dolores Del Rio and, taken together, they give a well-rounded (although still incomplete) picture of the lady's legend and contribution to film and tolerance: "The Films Of Dolores Del Rio" by Allen L. Woll: "She worked for America's foremost directors (John Ford, Orson Welles & King Vidor) and appeared with the most popular actors of the age. She bridged the gap between silent & sound film with ease, and, when her interest in Hollywood slackened, she returned to her native Mexico and dominated the nascent film industry. During this period she won four 'Arieles', Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar... She is repeatedly honored by the Mexican Government for her contributions to the cinematic art as well as for her charitable efforts... Much of the reasons for Dolores Del Rio's continuing fame is the fact that she gave the Mexican people a symbol to be proud of... Del Rio's key to success was her ability to eliminate (Latin) stereotypes in the majority of her films..." Highly recommended as it delves deeply into each and every Del Rio film as well as the lady's "Life & Times" (as best it could in 1978). As any true film historian/cinephile knows, BOTH are inseparable from the other. Only when taken together can a true understanding of a film/performer ever begin to emerge.

"The Invention Of Dolores Del Rio" by Joanne Hershfield: "Dolores Del Rio first came to Hollywood from Mexico in 1925 and within a year became an international star after her role in 'What Price Glory?'. Throughout a career that spanned decades and included such classics as 'Bird Of Paradise', 'Flying Down To Rio' & 'Flaming Star' as well as work with John Ford, Orson Welles & Elvis Presley, Del Rio was an icon of fashion & beauty... Yet Del Rio challenged Hollywood's -and the public's -prevailing views on race & gender from the 1920's through the 1960's. Her roles, costumes & makeup, along with the advertising, publicity & reviews of her films, reveal the influence of her ethnicity and her construction as an exotic commodity: her sexual image ran counter to the dominant social standards for femininity and against miscegenation, but her exoticism -and the promotion of it -contributed to her renown as one of Hollywood's most enduring stars. " " 'The Invention Of Dolores Del Rio' intersects with different areas of film scholarship, from performance & star image studies to feminism & the ideological critique of race in film & society. More than a study of a particular actress, this book gets at the heart of several topics vital to contemporary film scholarship." -G. Marchetti, Ithaca College Anything on this magnificent lady is well worth reading/watching and "Dolores Del Rio -Princesa de Mexico" is only one more stepping stone into the 21st Century for a legend that only continues to grow...

Para mi Dolores: "I will love you til I die, I will see you in the sky- Tonight!" -Iggy Pop