El fantasma del convento (The Phantom of the Monastery). 1934. Mexico. Directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Screenplay by Juan Bustillo Oro, Jorge Pezet, De Fuentes. With Enrique del Campo, Marta Roel, Carlos Villatoro. In Spanish; English subtitles. 85 min.
MoMA presents the world premiere of UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project’s newly restored The Phantom of the Monastery, a pioneering work of Mexican gothic horror. Directed by Fernando de Fuentes, the most versatile filmmaker of Mexican cinema’s early sound period—he is best known for his trilogy of the Mexican Revolution but also made thrillers, costume dramas, and even helped invent the regionally distinct comedia ranchera Western—The Phantom is a wonderfully macabre film about a mad, lascivious monk who insinuates his way into a love triangle. New digital restoration courtesy UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, with support from the George Lucas Family Foundation.