Doña Bárbara. 1943. Mexico. Directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Screenplay by Fernando de Fuentes, based on the novel by Rómulo Gallegos. With María Félix, Julián Soler, María Elena Marqués. In Spanish; English subtitles. DCP courtesy of Filmoteca UNAM. 137 min.
Fernando de Fuentes’s adaptation of Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos’ novel is a key breakthrough in Félix’s career—and the source of her enduring nickname, “La Doña.” Félix plays a landowner whose sexual victimization during adolescence creates a deep hostility toward men, and leads her to pursue entirely self-sufficient control over her ranch and the surrounding area. De Fuentes presents the psychological aspects of a character who operates as both villain and victim, allowing Félix to develop the type of strong female protagonist that would become her legacy in Latin American cinema. The film’s treatment of rural power dynamics, sexual politics, and vengeance established Félix as an actress who could move beyond conventional female roles, offering instead a vision of female autonomy seldom represented in the cinema of that time.