The Young and the Damned (1950)

A group of juvenile delinquents live a violent and crime-filled life in the festering slums of Mexico City, and the morals of young Pedro are gradually corrupted and destroyed by the others.

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buñuel

Stars:

Alfonso Mejía, Roberto Cobo, Estela Inda

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 12 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Estela Inda	...	La madre de Pedro
Miguel Inclán	...	Don Carmelo, el ciego
Alfonso Mejía	...	Pedro
Roberto Cobo	...	El Jaibo
Alma Delia Fuentes	...	Meche
Francisco Jambrina	...	El director de la escuela granja
Jesús García	...	El padre de Julián (as Jesús García Navarro)
Efraín Arauz	...	Cacarizo
Sergio Virel	...	Miembro pandilla (as Sergio Villarreal)
Jorge Pérez	...	Pelón
Javier Amézcua	...	Julián
Mário Ramírez	...	Ojitos

Storyline

Hell-bent on revenge, the cocky reform-school runaway, El Jaibo, returns to his old neighbourhood in post-World-War-II Mexico City's poor and squalid slums, to reunite with his faithful gang of juvenile delinquents and street urchins. However, as the dangerous ringleader lives and breathes retribution, his destructive obsession to find the informant who supposedly sent him to jail will intricately interweave his bitter fate with that of Pedro, his weak and unwitting accessory, in a despicable act of pure evil. In the end, are humans inherently good or bad--and above all--is immorality contingent with society?

---

Plot Keywords:

slum | mexico city | delinquent | social commentary | neorealism | 

---

Taglines:

The First Prize Winner "Best Directed Film 1951 Cannes International Film Festival"

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

24 March 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los Olvidados

Filming Locations:

Estudios Tepeyac, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ultramar Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 77 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Recently a ninth roll of the movie was found after decades of thinking that the movie only had eight. The ninth roll includes an alternative "happy" ending, and is included in a new DVD released in Mexico with a book about the movie.

---

Quotes

Don Carmelo, el ciego: I hope they'll kill every one of them before they born!

---

Connections

Edited into Origins of the 21st Century (2000)

User Reviews

Mexico, 1950. It Could be Rio de Janeiro, 2003 or Any other Big City in a Third World Country in the Present Days

"Los Olvidados" focuses the drama mainly in the bandit 'El Jaibo', just–arrived from a reformatory (where he learnt 'new techniques' of robbery), Pedro (Alfonso Mejía), a boy rejected by his mother and Ojitos (Mario Ramirez), abandoned by his family and the new comer to the group, showing a few hopeless days of a group of marginal youths, in the slums of Mexico in 1950, with the leadership of 'El Jaibo' (Roberto Cobo). . Each one of these boys is in a stage of criminality life: El Jaibo is graduated, Pedro is leaning and Ojitos will start. The restored B&W picture on DVD is splendid. Although taking place in Mexico, 1950, this masterpiece could be Rio de Janeiro or any other big city in a third world country in the present days. The end of the plot is marvelous. Fortunately the alternative end has never been used. Outstanding! My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Os Esquecidos" ("The Forgotten")