The notion of a film about race from the 1940s is great--and "Angelitos Negros" is one of the first Spanish language films about race. Unfortunately, it's a terrible film and is both offensive AND makes little sense!
In a stretch, Pedro Infante plays a world famous singer (he WAS a world famous singer in real life). He meets a blonde lady and they marry. Soon she has a baby and the child is black! The father isn't terribly upset about it and accepts the child--calling it his little 'tar ball' or 'soot ball' (imagine what he would have called it had he NOT accepted it!!!). It turns out that the mother, though blonde, is actually half black and their maid is actually her mother. Here's where the plot gets insane...the priest insists that the husband NOT tell his the truth...at least not yet. So, the wife'll think HE is biracial, not her. Years pass and the mother hates the child and is a total B@*%! towards the child and her husband. Why they STILL haven't told her and put up with her awful behavior is beyond me--and the film is just plain awful AND offensive. It seems that they tried to make a good film about race but insisted on racial epithets AND having most of the black actors played by white folks who were spray painted black!!!!
In a stretch, Pedro Infante plays a world famous singer (he WAS a world famous singer in real life). He meets a blonde lady and they marry. Soon she has a baby and the child is black! The father isn't terribly upset about it and accepts the child--calling it his little 'tar ball' or 'soot ball' (imagine what he would have called it had he NOT accepted it!!!). It turns out that the mother, though blonde, is actually half black and their maid is actually her mother. Here's where the plot gets insane...the priest insists that the husband NOT tell his the truth...at least not yet. So, the wife'll think HE is biracial, not her. Years pass and the mother hates the child and is a total B@*%! towards the child and her husband. Why they STILL haven't told her and put up with her awful behavior is beyond me--and the film is just plain awful AND offensive. It seems that they tried to make a good film about race but insisted on racial epithets AND having most of the black actors played by white folks who were spray painted black!!!!