Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of Mexico: Cult Guide

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The Mexico Phenomenon

The vintage appeal of Mexico to maintain its cult relevance across several decades.

As it opens we find a young Mexican, Lopez, living in Juarez. He has joined the revolutionary party. The Federals advance toward the town and Lopez receives an order from Villa to join the forces. This he does leaving his wife, Rosa, and baby in the care of her father, a doctor. The Federals arrive and with them is Lieutenant Toro, a brutal officer. He breaks into Lopez's home searching for conscripts and takes a fancy to the wife; but the arrival of his superior officer keeps him from doing her any injury. In a convincing series of scenes a revolutionary spy is now caught on the outskirts of the town. This spy is to be Toro's agent and is set free after giving a promise to help in capturing Lopez's wife. An attack is made on the cabin; it is set on fire and Rosa is carried away, but Toro, in fear of a court martial, sets her free and she takes refuge with her father. Toro's next move is to decoy Lopez to the town and destroy him. The spy is sent back to the revolutionary camp and tells Lopez that Rosa is unfaithful. Lopez leaves camp without permission, has a brisk encounter with a Federal sentry whom he throws over a cliff, and finds Rosa still true to him. There is very commendable art in this meeting of wife with husband, and the acting conveys the changing emotion of it to us with justice and sense of proportion. It is followed by the attack of Toro's men on the house. Lopez is surprised, but makes his escape through the window and as those waiting outside give chase he fires killing the spy; but is himself captured. The court martial scene that follows also evidences the pleasing human qualities of the story that are found all through. Lopez, though defended by a Federal officer as his counsel, is found guilty of being a spy and condemned to death; but is helped by his father-in-law to escape. The fourth reel is a battle reel and deals mostly with an attack of a band of Federals under Toro and their repulse by the revolutionary forces.

Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of Mexico

Based on the unique unique vision of Mexico, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of cult cinema:

★ 3.7

1. The Padre 1911

Dir: Unknown Director

It is the early days of California. Father Sebastian, trudging his way on foot from the Mission, his attention is attracted to the wall of an infant coming from the crest of a ridge. He finds the body of a Spanish woman. Sitting beside its dead mother, a tiny baby greets the Padre's gaze. Lifting the infant tenderly in his arms, the Father resumes his journey, accompanied by an Indian woman, to whom he has entrusted the care of the orphaned child. Years pass by and we see the infant grown to manhood strong, handsome and a true worshiper; the bright eyes of a pretty Spanish maiden turn the head of our Jose, causing him to forget his duty. How, after the Padre has warned him of the danger, he disregards the advice of the Father and leaves in the night with his inamorata; how, in their ignorance of the trails, they wander out into the terrible desert and almost die from thirst and the burning heat; how they are found by some American prospectors and nursed back to life; how Jose lays in a delirium of fever and Papinta returns to another, and the long search of the patient Padre for his adopted son, which is rewarded at last by finding him. The settings are real and beautiful, the locations being chosen from in and about San Gabriel Mission, the sea coast, the Sierra Madre Mountains and the great desert of southern California.

Film Title	Atmosphere	Complexity	Similarity
The Padre	Surreal	Layered	90% Match
Life of Christ	Surreal	High	92% Match
The Joe Gans-Battling Nelson Fight	Ethereal	Linear	97% Match
May Day Parade	Gothic	Abstract	88% Match
The Miner's Daughter	Surreal	High	91% Match

The Mexico Phenomenon

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