Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1934
The Woman of the Port (1934 film)
Buy The Woman of the Port (1934 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'The Woman of the Port' is a 1934 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Arcady Boytler and starring Andrea Palma. The film is based on the novel 'Le Port' by French author Guy de Maupassant.
Plot
Rosario (Andrea Palma) was the average Mexican girl that grew up in a humble household with her dad. Her boyfriend had promised to marry her and that they would be better off once he landed a decent job. The Father falls sick and isnt able to work, leaving his daughter helpless because she was not wedded yet. In the process of trying to find some money and trying to get help she turns to her boyfriend and finds him sleeping with another village girl. She is distraught and leaves town. She decides to leave Cordoba City to settle in Veracruz City. In a port that is facing the Gulf of Mexico, she establishes herself above a sordid cabaret, and starts selling love to the sailors that come from afar. She made this her life profession and enjoyed being heartless and reckless with mens feelings. One night, a drunken sailor gets out of hand and Alberto (Domingo Soler) rescues her from getting beat. She is grateful and takes Alberto to her room to compensate him. After the love making they begin to talk about their backgrounds and discover that they are siblings. Rosario, distraught, leaves the cabaret and makes her way to the port's dock. Alberto searches for her, only to find her shawl floating in the water near the dock, implying that she jumped.
The Director
Arcady Boytler's film La Mujer del puerto had some strong themes of incest and prostitution. Around this time prostitution was not a theme that most were surprised by, but it was the incest notion that gave the film controversy. It would be tempting to attribute the films credentials with Boytler's Birth nation, but the reality of things is that it is an untouched topic. Earlier in 1930's Sergei Eisenstein's visit to Mexico influenced a dozen of directors. Boytler set out to make a film that could transcend its culture and make it an international treasure. Mexico was being torn apart with modernity and post-revolution trying to rebuild and keep the heritage intact. Through cinematic art and the influence of Eisensteins visit to the Americas, Mexico flourished with talent and pushed its boundaries. Boytler said To be sure, great films will made in Mexico. In this country, there is a great artistic spirit, many elements of magnificent value to be discovered. I think that not all films should be to vernacular so that they are accepted and understood in other Spanish-speaking countries. Countries that dont understand the tendencies, or culture if you will, from a certain part of Mexico would have a hard time understanding the message or dialect pushed through the film. On one side we have the country debating concern in identity and the other we have a post-revolutionary period. Boytler tried incorporating the loving side of the entity engendered by the revolution into the nation space. On the other, we have the drive of modernization and desire to measure up to international standards of progress. In other words, you have two opposing sides: on one hand you have the highbrow, Europeanized elite dream of inserting the nations creative talent into global stream, and on the other you have ancient and borrow elements, is produced by and from the masses. Boylter
Cast
* Andrea Palma as Rosario
* Domingo Soler as Alberto
* Stella Inda as "a woman in the cabaret"
* Fabio Acevedo as Rosario's father
References
Buy The Woman of the Port (1934 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1934