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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Broken Wing remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Should you spend time with The Broken Wing? If you have a soft spot for 1930s melodrama and want to watch Lupe Velez be more interesting than the script deserves, then yes. Anyone looking for a tight, logical plot will probably find the whole thing a bit tedious. It is essentially a postcard from a version of Mexico that never really existed, but it has a strange, magnetic pull.
Lupe Velez is the only reason this thing works at all. She plays Lolita with this frantic, high-energy charm that makes everyone else look like they are standing in mud. When she is on screen, the movie feels like it has a pulse. When she steps away to let the men talk about duty and honor, the air just leaves the room.
The whole "gringo lands his plane" bit is handled with zero concern for aviation physics. It does not matter, though. The movie isn't interested in airplanes. It is interested in the way people look at each other across a table while someone else is throwing a tantrum in the background.
It reminded me a little bit of the energy in Daring Lions and Dizzy Lovers, where the chaos is the point. You don't watch these for the realism. You watch them because they are weirdly committed to their own silly logic.
Is it a masterpiece? Hardly. But there is something about the way the light hits the sets that feels honest, even when the dialogue is absolute fluff. It is a short watch, and it does not overstay its welcome. That is a rare trait for movies from this era. 🌵