Feature film
The Kneeling Goddess
La diosa arrodillada
Roberto Gavaldón · 1947
Synopsis
Antonio Ituarte, a wealthy businessman, is having an affair with Raquel Serrano, a cabaret singer, and the two decide to break it off. To celebrate his wedding anniversary, however, Antonio gives his wife, Elena, the marble statue of a kneeling nude woman, for which Raquel was the model. Faced with the work, the obsession he believed extinguished takes hold of him again.
Context
Written notably by José Revueltas and Edmundo Báez, produced by Panamerican Films at the Churubusco studios and photographed by Alex Phillips, the film brings together María Félix (Raquel), Arturo de Córdova (Antonio) and Rosario Granados (Elena), with Fortunio Bonanova. Released on 13 August 1947, it surprises by its freedom of tone, at a time when puritanism prevails. A recent French review compares it to the irrepressible desire dear to Buñuel, while finding it close to the photo-novel.
Who it is for
An hour and forty-seven minutes of black-and-white melodrama, in Spanish, about desire and infidelity.
Prizes and reception
A great popular success in Mexico on its release, with María Félix and Arturo de Córdova in the leading roles.
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