María Candelaria. 1943. Mexico. Directed by Emilio Fernández. Screenplay by Fernández, Mauricio Magdaleno. With Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendáriz, Alberto Galán. New York premiere. In Spanish; English subtitles. 98 min.
Winning both the Palme d’Or and Best Cinematography awards at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, María Candelaria marked Mexico’s entry into the highest ranks of world cinema. The floating gardens of Xochimilco provide a lyrical background to a self-consciously mythological tale of a pair of lovers (Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz) menaced by a covetous shopkeeper (Miguel Inclán, Mexican cinema’s Man You Love to Hate). Cameraman Gabriel Figueroa brilliantly finesses that most difficult of lighting situations: nighttime on water. Director Emilio Fernández captures the spirit of Mexico’s great muralists with his epic vision of a noble peasantry exploited by the petty bourgeoisie. This new restoration, based on the camera negative preserved by Filmoteca UNAM, returns this work to its original visual splendor.
Restored by the Academy Film Archive, Televisa-Univision, Filmoteca UNAM, and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, with funding provided by the Material World Foundation. This project was initiated by Fundación Televisa and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.