HOW TO DISPOSE OF A DEAD BODY:A TASTE OF LATIN AMERICAN NOIR
6-26 SEPTEMBER | CINÉ LUMIÈRE
This September, Cinema Mentiré will transport London audiences into the shadowy world of cynical antiheroes with three noir masterpieces from Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.
6th September, 6.10pm
THE BITTER STEMS
LOS TALLOS AMARGOS
Dir. Fernando Ayala, Argentina, 1956, 92 min.
Buenos Aires reporter Alfredo, burdened by self-doubt, embarks on a venture with a mysterious Hungarian immigrant. Their scheme promises a quick escape from their troubles. However, as their operation flourishes, dark secrets and Alfredo’s growing paranoia threaten to unravel everything.
The Bitter Stems is Ayala’s second film, and the American Cinematographer magazine named it one of the top 100 in film history. The film was rediscovered in 2014 and restored thanks to the Film Noir Foundation. Adding to its brilliance, the score is composed by the legendary Argentine musician Astor Piazzolla, offering a captivating soundscape that hints at the innovative work he would soon become known for.
A meticulous new restoration by The Film Noir Foundation in partnership with the UCLA Film and Television Archive, shown in London for the first time.
A drinks reception will follow the screening, with a glass of wine kindly offered by the Embassy of Argentina in the UK, and an intimate bandoneon concert by Guillermo Willis.
12th September, 6.30pm
THE OTHER ONE
LA OTRA
Dir. Roberto Gavaldón, Mexico, 1946, 98min.
Magdalena and María are identical twin sisters who have taken different paths: while Magdalena becomes the widow of a millionaire, María lives a simple life and works as a manicurist. Desperation leads María to an appalling act, never imagining that fate has a cruel surprise waiting for her.
Roberto Gavaldón’s classic noir, introducing the femme fatale, with Dolores del Río playing both roles, is a story of greed, secrets and crime. Gavaldón, one of the most notable filmmakers of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, received the Ariel Award (the Mexican Oscar) for Best Adapted Screenplay for this film in 1947. Now part of Filmoteca UNAM Collection.
The screening of The Other One will be accessible: it will include descriptive subtitles and a printed introduction.
26th September, 6.30pm
ROAD TO CRIME
NA SENDA DO CRIME
Dir. Flamínio Bollini Cerri, Brazil, 1954, 71 min.
Sergio works as a mere employee at his rich uncle’s bank, leading a wasteful life in nightclubs and dating the sophisticated starlet Margot. Greedy and unhappy with this situation, he joins a trio of burglars to rob wealthy homes, later becoming the gang’s leader.
The first and only Brazilian noir of the period, Road to Crime was produced by Vera Cruz Cinema Company, an attempt to copy the Hollywood studio system in the burgeoning São Paulo as the upcoming biggest and richest city in South America. The film displays the faster growth of São Paulo at its time on several skyscrapers under construction, including the iconic final scene.
The screening will be presented by Brazilian journalist and programmer André Sirangelo and it will be followed by a drinks reception.
The print to be shown at Ciné Lumière was especially digitised and subtitled for this occasion, thanks to the work of Cinemateca Brasileira and Sociedade Amigos da Cinemateca. This will be the first time this extraordinary film will be screened outside Brazil in decades.
Discounted Season Pass
Receive 20% off when booking all three films together (discount applied automatically at checkout)
Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London.
Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
This season was possible to the support of our PR and Outreach coordinator, programmer and journalist André Sirangelo.
EXPLORING
LATIN AMERICAN NOIR
Originating in Europe in the 1940s and finding its most famous expression in Hollywood, noir cinema’s stylistic and thematic elements also influenced Latin American filmmakers. The gloomy thrillers exploring fatalism in never-ending, rain-soaked nights that emerged globally post-World War II would find the finest resonance in the substantial film universes of Argentina and Mexico. The two powerhouse industries of Latin American cinema at that time deeply engaged with the atmospheric and morally complex world of film noir, having become notable exponents of this genre while infusing it with a very particular, local flavour.
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In Argentina, directors such as Fernando Ayala, along with pioneers like Carlos Hugo Christensen and Román Viñoly Barreto, made significant contributions to the noir canon. Our pick The Bitter Stems is a prime example of Latin American noir, stepping firmly into the territory of a displaced, disillusioned, and paranoid character. Ayala’s work reflects the broader trends in Argentine cinema of the time, which adeptly adopted and adapted the noir style to explore themes of existential angst and moral ambiguity. A tremendous box office success on release, The Bitter Stems was lost until precisely ten years ago when it was rediscovered hidden away in a private collector’s home outside Buenos Aires.
In Mexico, cine negro flourished under the direction of the likes of Julio Bracho and Roberto Gavaldón, the latter often considered the foremost innovator in this genre not only in Latin America but also worldwide. Through their adaptations of the salsa saloons, scammers and corrupted authorities, Mexican filmmakers of the Golden Age embraced noir narrative and style and made it their own, including legendary national femme fatales. Gavaldón’s The Other One, starring the one and only Dolores del Río, showcases the director’s mastery in crafting psychological thrillers that rival their Hollywood counterparts. Unlike other Gavaldón’s classics recently restored, The Other One remains a seldom-seen gem that we are proud to put in the spotlight.
In Brazil, where an incipient but prolific film industry focused on cost-efficient carnival comedies thrived in Rio in the 1940s, the prosperous wannabe metropolis of São Paulo strived to create more artistic and socially relevant films. Among dramas, westerns and historical sagas produced within this context, Road to Crime stands out as the one-of-a-kind noir entry into Brazilian cinema, which makes this notable work even more special with its tale of inferiority complex, pettiness and ambition that leads to criminality and consequent decay. This was the first film by Flamínio Bollini, an incredibly young theatre director from Italy, who was joined by fellow countryman screenwriter Fábio Carpi (a future Dino Risi collaborator) and the accomplished British cinematographer Chick Fowle in this Brazilian cinema landmark. In 2010, the Cinemateca Brasileira and the São Paulo Film Festival restored the 35mm copy of Road to Crime. Still, this material has not yet been digitised, subtitled or travelled to other pastures – until now.
