NFR Project: 'Verbena tragica' (1939)

 

NFR Project: ‘Verbena tragica’

Dir: Charles Lamont

Scr: Jean Bart, Miguel de Zarraga

Pho: Arthur Martinelli

Ed: Guy V. Thayer Jr.

Premiere: 1939

75 min.

Golden Age Hollywood tried to make films specifically for Hispanic audiences, mostly by filming Spanish-language copies of their feature films. These were largely unsuccessful, as viewers wanted to see the big Hollywood stars, not Hispanic replacements. (The art of the subtitle was not very advanced at the time.)

Verbena tragica (“Tragic Festival”) is a rare example of a standalone Spanish-language film that tries to appeal directly to Hispanic audiences. It is not a copy of an English-language film, but an original production. It’s the story of a fateful Columbus Daay in the barrio. Prizefighter Mateo (Jose Soler) is released from prison for punching a cop. In his absence, however, his wife Blanca (Luana Alcaniz) has been having an affair with Claudio, the fiancé of Blanca’s half-sister Lola. She is pregnant.

Mateo learns this when Blanca faints at the sight of his return. She knows trouble is ahead, and is trapped by her choice. Mateo seeks to find out who’s been sleeping with his wife. When he discovers Claudio is to blame, he punches him, sending him reeling off the balcony and onto the street below, killing him. The police take Mateo away, and Blanca is left to rue her fate.

The extremely mature subject matter was simply not treated by Hollywood in English-language films. The film is competently executed, and the performances are convincing. Shortly after this film was made, all attempts to create Spanish versions of stories in English ceased, making this a unique example of material created for a specialized audience.

At the same time, Mexico began its own special Golden Age of cinema, producing a number of outstanding films, in a tradition that would last through the 1950s. These films were played to Hispanic-American audiences with great success.

The NFR is one writer’s attempt to review all the films listed in the National Film Registry in chronological order. Next time: The Wizard of Oz.