María Eugenia Explained
María Eugenia is a 1943 Mexican drama film written and directed by Felipe Gregorio Castillo and starring María Félix,[1] alongside Manolita Saval and Rafael Baledón. The film's sets were designed by the art director Manuel Fontanals.[2]
Cast
Production
María Eugenia was the first film María Félix made after her film debut in El Peñón de las Ánimas.[1] [3] During filming, Félix caused a stir while shooting the opening scene of the film, which featured her in a white bathing suit, attracting publicity to Félix.[1] [3] It is the only film in Félix's filmography where she appeared in swimwear.[4]
It was the only film directed by Felipe Gregorio Castillo, who afterwards became a film censor.[4] [5]
Reception
In his book Más allá de las lágrimas: Espacios habitables en el cine clásico de México y Argentina, Isaac León Frías collects Emilio García Riera's view of the film, calling it a "terrible melodrama."[4] The book Archivos de la Filmoteca refers to the film as a sign of how "the Mexican melodrama [was] so subject to conventions and norms" at the time, noting that the film was directed by a later film censor.[5] María Félix herself would later refer to the film in her autobiography as "a film that had no other importance than to give me experience."[6]
Notes and References
- Book: Pilcher . Jeffrey M. . The Human Tradition in Mexico . 2003 . Rowman & Littlefield . 0-8420-2976-1 . 192 .
- Book: Peralta Gilabert . Rosa . Manuel Fontanals, escenógrafo: teatro, cine y exilio . 2007 . Editorial Fundamentos . 978-84-245-1110-4 . 336 . es .
- Book: Barajas Sandoval . Carmen . Una mujer llamada María Félix: historia no autorizada . 1992 . EDAMEX . 968-409-673-9 . 16 . es . Casi inmediatamente después de su primera película, María firma el contrato para la segunda que se llamó "María Eugenia" […] Con esta película se suscitó un gran escándalo que le dió a María mucha publicidad. En una escena ella aparecía en traje de baño; un traje de baño blanco […] [Almost immediately after her first film, María signed the contract for the second one, which was called "María Eugenia" […] With this film a great scandal arose that gave María a lot of publicity. In one scene she appeared in a bathing suit; a white bathing suit […]].
- Book: León Frías . Isaac . Más allá de las lágrimas: Espacios habitables en el cine clásico de México y Argentina . 2019 . Fondo Editorial Universidad de Lima . 978-9972-45-486-8 . 323–324 . es . Después, la actriz lució por única vez en traje de baño para María Eugenia (1943), pésimo melodrama que supuso la única experiencia en la dirección del después censor Felipe Gregorio Castillo. [Later, the actress wore for the only time a bathing suit for ''María Eugenia'' (1943), a terrible melodrama that was the only experience in direction of the later censor Felipe Gregorio Castillo.].
- Book: Archivos de la Filmoteca: revista de estudios históricos sobre la imagen . 1999 . La Filmoteca . 77 . es . El melodrama mexicano está tan sometido a convenciones y normas que la segunda película de María Félix, María Eugenia, la dirige el mismísimo director de la censura, Felipe Gregorio Castillo. [The Mexican melodrama is so subject to conventions and norms that María Félix's second film, ''María Eugenia'', is directed by the director of the censorship himself, Felipe Gregorio Castillo.].
- Book: Félix. María. 1993. Todas mis Guerras. Clío. 968-11-0556-7. 69. es. Después de mi debut en El peñón de las ánimas hice una película que no tuvo otra importancia que la de darme experiencia: María Eugenia. [After my debut in ''El peñón de las animas'', I made a film that had no other importance than to give me experience: ''María Eugenia''.].
