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What Wives Want Synopsis

Claire Howard, neglected by her husband, Austin, succumbs to the attentions of Austin's business partner, John Reeves, to the dismay of Alice Loring, her sister. When Claire ignores Alice's advice to end the affair, Alice goes to Reeves hoping to reason with him. Austin and Alice's husband, David, discover Alice and Claire with Reeves, but Alice takes the blame--causing David to ask for a divorce. Claire confesses to Austin, who resolves to mend his ways, and Alice is reunited with David.

The Penitentes Synopsis

In a seventeenth century New Mexico village, after Indians attack and kill everyone except two monks and a baby named Manuel, the neighboring Penitentes, a violent, fanatical Catholic sect, lay claim to all property, including the estate belonging to Manuel's family. Years later, during a regional fiesta, Father David, the local religious leader, notices the striking Manuel, now grown, and questions the Penitentes' chief about his background. Fearing exposure, the chief induces his followers to choose Manuel as their annual sacrificial victim, to be crucified on the upcoming Good Friday. Dolores, Manuel's sweetheart, attempts to sway him from the group, but he insists on participating in the ceremony. At the urging of Father David, Colonel Banca orders his troops to stop the ceremony, and Manuel narrowly escapes crucifixion. Later, the confession of one of the old monks reveals the true identity and heritage of Manuel.