''The Power of Darkness'' ( es, El Poder de las tinieblas) is a 1979 Argentine

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

- horror

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

written and directed by

Mario Sábato Mario Sábato (born February 15, 1945) is an Argentina, Argentine film director and screenwriter. He is the son of the famed writer Ernesto Sábato. He worked mainly in the Cinema of Argentina best known for his children's comedy films. Filmogr ...

and starring

Sergio Renán Sergio Renán (30 January 1933 – 13 June 2015) was an Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. Biography Born Samuel Kohan in Buenos Aires in 1933, his parents were Jewish immigrants who had lived in one of the numerous Jewish ...

. It is based on the chapter named ''Informe sobre ciegos'' ("Report on the Blind"), from the novel '' On Heroes and Tombs'', written by the father of the director,

Ernesto Sábato Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary wo ...

. It was nominated for Best Film at the International Fantasy Film Award

Fantasporto Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to fantasy/science fiction/ horror-oriented commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental proje ...

in 1982.Fantasporto - Awards for 1982

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

The film can be read as a clear metaphor for the

State terrorism State terrorism refers to acts of terrorism which a state conducts against another state or against its own citizens.Martin, 2006: p. 111. Definition There is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the proper def ...

and violence produced by the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina at the time, the self-titled " National Reorganization Process" (1976–1983).

Synopsis

A man (Renán) has discovered a global conspiracy made by blind people, but can not prove or convince others. So he decides to write a report for the record, in case something happens. The film takes place in dark places, during the night, such as subways and basements.

Cast

Osvaldo Terranova Osvaldo Terranova (30 August 1923 – 4 October 1984) was an Argentine film actor. Terranova made over 50 appearances mostly in film between 1949 and 1985. In the early 1980s he made several TV appearances. His last film was Adios Roberto ...

* Carlos Antón *

Christina Banegas Christina may refer to: People * Christina (given name), shared by several people * Christina (surname), shared by several people Places * Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States * Christina, British Columbia, Canada * Chris ...

Aldo Barbero Aldo Barbero (13 February 1937 – 27 October 2013) was an Argentine actor who made over 65 appearances in film and TV in Argentine since the early 1960s. In 1971 he appeared in the musical ''Balada para un mochilero'' directed by Carlos Rinald ...

Leonor Benedetto Leonor or Léonor is a short form of the given name Eleanor. People bearing the name include: *Leonor Beleza (born 1948), Portuguese politician *Leonor Briones (born 1940), Filipino academic and civil servant *Leonor de Cisneros (died 1568), Sp ...

Rodolfo Brindisi Rodolfo Brindisi (1932-2009) was an Argentine actor who appeared in film and television in Argentina between 1970 and 2003. In 1971 he appeared in the musical ''Balada para un mochilero'' directed by Carlos Rinaldi Carlos Rinaldi (February 5 ...

* Franklin Caicedo * Jorge De La Riestra * Graciela Dufau * Enrique Fava * Valentina Fernández De Rosa * Augusto Larreta * Carlos Moreno *

Nelly Prono Nelly Prono (August 7, 1926 – August 29, 1997) was a Paraguayan actress who had a long career in Argentine theatre, radio, television and film. She began in Argentine theatre in 1947 with María Esther Podestá. She appeared in productions suc ...

References

External links

* 1979 films 1970s Spanish-language films Argentine mystery thriller films 1970s mystery thriller films Films directed by Mario Sábato Films set in Buenos Aires Films shot in Buenos Aires 1970s Argentine films {{mystery-film-stub