La sombra del caudillo (The Shadow of the Tyrant). 1960. Mexico. Directed by Julio Bracho. Screenplay by Bracho, Jesus Cardenas, from the novel by Martin Luis Guzman. With Tito Junco, Thomas Perrin, Carlos López Moctezuma. In Spanish; English subtitles. 129 min.
After a decade of routine assignments, Bracho made a spectacular comeback by finally realizing his dream project, a film of Martin Luis Guzman’s banned novel about the cynical power plays that created the Mexican political establishment. But after a premiere at the Karlovy Vary film festival, the film was forbidden and all copies were confiscated by the Ministry of the Interior. Only in 1990 was the film allowed to be screened publicly, by which point all of the 35mm elements had disappeared, leaving only the used 16mm print that is the basis for this restoration. Courtesy of La Seccion de Tecnicos y Manuales de la Produccion Cinematografica de la Republica Mexicana.