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The Coward (1939 film)

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The Coward (El Cobarde)
Directed byRené Cardona
Written byAdolfo Fernández Bustamante (play)
Josep Carner Ribalta
Antonio Guzmán Aguilera
Produced byJuan Pezet
StarringJulián Soler
Adria Delhort
Josefina Escobedo
CinematographyRaúl Martínez Solares
Edited byJuan José Marino
Music byArmando Rosales
Production
company
Producciones Pezet
Release date
  • 21 March 1939 (1939-03-21)
Running time
66 minutes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

The Coward (Spanish: El cobarde) is a 1939 Mexican war film directed by René Cardona and starring Julián Soler, Adria Delhort and Josefina Escobedo.[1][2]

Story

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Alberto (Soler) is born in the imaginary republic of Sucravia (a country much like Mexico[3]) in time of war, where his father dies a hero's death. He grows up as an effeminate lover of music. His mother (Delhort) sends him to the military college. There, Fernando (Aldás) bullies him, but gradually they become friends. A second war breaks out, and Alberto tries to avoid danger. If he is to change his life, he must face his fear.[4]

Reception

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The New York Times, reviewing the film in 1939, describes El Cobarde as "likely to keep the spectators guessing until the last reel". In their reviewer's opinion, Cardonas combines some psychology with "considerable talk about the now generally discredited theory of prenatal influence", a mother's genuine pride in her son, and a gentle romance. Soler, says the reviewer, plays the "vacillating" son of a hero well, and Delhort is "excellent as the Spartan mother" intent on preserving the family tradition of patriotic bravery. Escobedo and the supporting cast ably play mainly comic roles.[5]

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ Elena, p. 106
  2. ^ Riera, Emilio García (1969). Historia documental del cine mexicano: época sónora (in Spanish). Ediciones Era. p. 218.
  3. ^ Riera, Emilio García (1990). Los hermanos Soler. Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro de Investigación y Enseñanza Cinematográficas. p. 80. ISBN 978-968-895-090-6.
  4. ^ "Filmoteca: El Cobarde" (in Spanish). Cine Nostalgia. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Movie Review. At the Teatro Latino". The New York Times. 27 March 1939.

Bibliography

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  • Elena, Alberto. El cine del tercer mundo: diccionario de realizadores. Turfan, 1993.
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