El Callejón de los Milagros (1995)

Based on the Nobel Prize Winner's novel, the Egyptian Naguib Mahfouz. The story, translated from El Cairo to Mexico City's downtown, narrates the life of the members of the neighbourhood ... See full summary »

Director:

Jorge Fons

Writers:

Vicente Leñero (screenplay), Najeeb Mahfouz (novel) (as Naguib Mahfuz)

Stars:

Ernesto Gómez Cruz, María Rojo, Salma Hayek

27 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ernesto Gómez Cruz	...	Don Ru
María Rojo	...	Doña Cata
Salma Hayek	...	Alma
Bruno Bichir	...	Abel
Delia Casanova	...	Eusebia
Margarita Sanz	...	Susanita
Claudio Obregón	...	Don Fidel
Juan Manuel Bernal	...	Chava
Abel Woolrich	...	Zacarías
Luis Felipe Tovar	...	Güicho
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	José Luis
Gina Morett	...	Doña Flor
Óscar Yoldi	...	Ubaldo
Esteban Soberanes	...	Jimmy
Eugenia Leñero	...	Tina

Storyline

Based on the Nobel Prize Winner's novel, the Egyptian Naguib Mahfouz. The story, translated from El Cairo to Mexico City's downtown, narrates the life of the members of the neighbourhood and the connection between them Don Ru, the owner of the local pub; Eusebia, his wife; Chava, his son and Abel his friend, who emigrate to USA in search of fortune; Susanita, the single landtender always dreaming to marry a good man; Guicho, the pub's employee, who extracts the money when Don Ru is not there and finally marries Susanita; Alma, the very good looking girl, the Abel's dream, who becomes a luxury prostitute while he's away; Jimmy, the handsome young man Don Ru becomes infatuated with, etc. This movie won the Ariel (the Mexican Oscar) as best movie in 1995.

---

Plot Keywords:

mexican | male rear nudity | male nudity | male frontal nudity | panties pulled down | 

---

Taglines:

THE MOST AWARDED FILM IN MEXICAN HISTORY (49 International Awards)

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Midaq Alley

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alameda Films, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA), Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in ¿Quién diablos es Juliette? (1997)

---

Soundtracks

La bicicleta
(uncredited)
Performed by EL SUEÑO DE ALICIA

User Reviews

Connected lives

Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian novelist, whose "Midaq Alley" serves as the basis of this film, wrote about the characters that populate that narrow strip of an Egyptian city, and how in some ways, all of their lives are so inter-connected to one another.

Director Jorge Fons and the adapter, Vicente Lenero, transferred the action to Mexico City. They used the same format that Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu later used for his successful "Amores Perros" in 2000. It would be unfair to compare both films, yet, one can see certain parallels in the way the films unfold. Each narrative shows exact moments in which the lives of the people that part of town prove pivotal for the stories presented in the film.

There are four stories in the film. Each deals with what happened to that particular character while all have points in which they connect with the others. The film shows that when Mexican filmmakers want to tell interesting human stories, such as the ones depicted in the film, they don't have a thing to envy to the best types of cinema of the world. This is clearly a movie that will survive because of its universal themes.

Salma Hayek was making her second appearance in front of the cameras. She proved why she was an actress to be reckoned with. Her Alma shows a vulnerability, and freshness as she approaches the character. Ernesto Gomez Cruz, Maria Rojo, Bruno Bichir, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Luis Felipe Tovar and the rest of the cast do excellent ensemble work under Mr. Fons direction.

The film will not disappoint the viewer.