''Midaq Alley'' ( es, El callejón de los milagros, also released as ''The Alley of Miracles'') is a 1995 Mexican film adapted from
the novel
''The Novel'' (1991) is a novel written by American author James A. Michener. A departure from Michener's better known historical fiction, ''The Novel'' is told from the viewpoints of four different characters involved in the life and work of ...
by Egyptian writer
Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...
, written by
Vicente Leñero
Vicente Leñero Otero (June 9, 1933 – December 3, 2014) was a Mexican novelist, journalist, and playwright. He wrote numerous books, stories, and plays, including a theatrical adaptation of Oscar Lewis's '' The Children of Sanchez.'' He was awa ...
and directed by
Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
. The film deals with complex issues such as gay and lesbian related topics, the lower-middle class of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, and the lives of many people.
The story is told from three perspectives: Don Ru (
), the owner of a cantina where most of the men in the story gather to drink and play dominoes, Alma (
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
), the beautiful girl of the neighborhood who dreams of passion, and Susanita (Margarita Sanz who won an
Ariel Award
The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...
for this role), the owner of the apartment complex where Alma and many of the other characters live.
The film was critically acclaimed by international critics. It earned 11
Ariel Awards
The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...
, including
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
37th Ariel Awards and more than 49 international awards and nominations. ''
Pan's Labyrinth
''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...
'' and ''El Callejón de los Milagros'' were named as the best
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
films by
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, ...
and ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
68th Academy Awards
The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles begi ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Plot
The lives of the inhabitants of El Callejón de los Milagros, in downtown Mexico City, are as closely knitted as the threads of a rug. Fifty-something Don Ru owns a small "cantina" where all the men spend afternoons playing domino. He's tired of his longtime marriage with Eusebia and has recently discovered new feelings inside his heart. It does not matter if these feelings are not aimed to a young lady but to a young clerk after all, as one of the characters says, "it's platonic love". Don Ru's son Chava does not like what he sees and almost kills his father's lover. Running away from Don Ru's anger, Chava escapes to the US with his friend Abel who is deeply in love with beautiful Alma, the daughter of Doña Cata, a tarot reader with bad luck in love. Susanita, the ugly landlady looking for love; Guicho, Don Ru's cynical employee, Maru, Don Fidel, Doña Flor, Zacarias and mean Jose Luis complete the cast of characters of this complex portrait of lives.
Structure
The film is divided into four successive and clearly labeled chapters. The first three are named after key individuals, and the fourth wraps up the story. Each chapter starts at the same time, with the same game of dominoes, and describes the same time period, but from the viewpoints of the named people; the chapters tell each person's story. Each chapter thus provides the viewer with details which help to explain things which happened in the other chapters.
#Rutilio deals with Don Ru's dissatisfaction with his marriage and his poorly hidden homosexual love affair with a young man.
#Alma deals with Alma's life and her falling in love with Abel. He leaves with Chava for the U.S. and Alma "disappears". She has been seduced and ends up in a whorehouse.
#Susanita is the landlady with horrible teeth whose feelings and romantic hopes are awakened. She marries Guicho.
#The Return describes the return of Abel and Chava, and Abel's search for Alma. Chava is married and has his wife and baby boy with him. Abel finds Alma in the whorehouse and is heartbroken. He tries to attack her pimp and is stabbed several times. He dies in her arms.
`Midaq Alley' Explores Humanity
August 19, 1998, Deborah Hornblow, ''Hartford Courant''
Cast
* as Rutilio (Don Ru)
* María Rojo
María de Lourdes Rojo e Incháustegui, commonly known as María Rojo (; born August 15, 1943 in Mexico City), is a Mexican actress and politician. She was Senator of the Republic in the upper house of Mexican Congress. She debuted during the Gol ...
as Doña Cata
* Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
as Alma
* Bruno Bichir
Bruno Bichir Nájera (born 6 October 1967) is a Mexican actor and one of the members of the Bichir family.
Biography
Bichir was born in Mexico City. He started his acting career at the age of five in several theater, film and television series. ...
as Abel
* Delia Casanova
Delia Casanova (born Delia Margarita Casanova Mendiola on November 4, 1948, in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico) is a Mexican people, Mexican actress.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
1948 births
Living ...
as Eusebia
* Margarita Sanz
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). ...
as Susanita
* Claudio Obregón
Claudio Obregón (11 July 1935 – 13 November 2010) was a Mexican actor. He appeared in over 60 films and television shows between 1965 and 2010.
Selected filmography
* ''The Garden of Aunt Isabel'' (1971)
* '' Reed: Insurgent Mexico'' (19 ...
as Don Fidel
* Juan Manuel Bernal as Chava
* Abel Woolrich as Zacarías
* Luis Felipe Tovar
Luis Felipe Tovar (born December 2, 1959, in Puebla) is a Mexican performance teacher and actor.
He studied in the Theatre Fine Arts School of Mexico and in the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de La Habana in Cuba.
He has been aw ...
as Güicho
* Daniel Giménez Cacho
Daniel Giménez Cacho (born May 15, 1961) is a Spanish-born Mexican actor and Ariel award winner, best known for portraying Tito the Coroner in ''Cronos'' (1993) and ''We Are What We Are'' (2010).
Career
He starred in several Mexican films ...
as José Luis
* Gina Morett as Doña Flor
* Óscar Yoldi as Ubaldo ''El Poeta'' ("The poet")
* Esteban Soberanes as Jimy
* Eugenia Leñero as Tina
* Tiaré Scanda as Maru
Awards and nominations
Ariel Awards
The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...
Won:
* ''Best Film''
* ''Best Direction'' for Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
* ''Best Actress'' for Margarita Sanz
* ''Best Supporting Actor'' for Luis Felipe Tovar
Luis Felipe Tovar (born December 2, 1959, in Puebla) is a Mexican performance teacher and actor.
He studied in the Theatre Fine Arts School of Mexico and in the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de La Habana in Cuba.
He has been aw ...
* ''Best Costume Design'' for Jaime Ortiz
* ''Best Editing'' for Carlos Savage hijo
* ''Best Make-Up'' for Elvia Romero
* ''Best Original Music Theme or Song'' for Lucía Álvarez
* ''Best Original Score'' for Lucía Álvarez
* ''Best Production Design'' for Carlos Gutiérrez
* ''Best Screenplay'' for Vicente Leñero
Vicente Leñero Otero (June 9, 1933 – December 3, 2014) was a Mexican novelist, journalist, and playwright. He wrote numerous books, stories, and plays, including a theatrical adaptation of Oscar Lewis's '' The Children of Sanchez.'' He was awa ...
Nominations:
* ''Best Actor'' for
* ''Best Actor in a Minor Role'' for Óscar Yoldi
* ''Best Actress'' for Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
* ''Best Actress in a Minor Role'' for Delia Casanova
* ''Best Actress in a Minor Role'' for María Rojo
María de Lourdes Rojo e Incháustegui, commonly known as María Rojo (; born August 15, 1943 in Mexico City), is a Mexican actress and politician. She was Senator of the Republic in the upper house of Mexican Congress. She debuted during the Gol ...
* ''Best Cinematography'' for Carlos Marcovich
* ''Best Set Design '' for Carlos Gutiérrez
* ''Best Sound'' for David Baksht
* ''Best Supporting Actor'' for Daniel Giménez Cacho
* ''Best Supporting Actor'' for Esteban Soberanes
* ''Best Supporting Actress '' for Tiaré Scanda
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
Wins:
* ''Special Mention'' for the exceptional narrative quality
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
Wins:
* ''Audience Choice Award"
Goya Award
The Goya Awards ( es, Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards, commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain.
The awards were established in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sci ...
Wins:
* ''Best Spanish Language Foreign Film''
Gramado Film Festival
The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of Br ...
Wins:
* ''Best Director'' for Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
* ''Best Supporting Actress'' for Margarita Sanz
Nominations:
* ''Best Latin Film''
Guadalajara Film Festival
The Guadalajara International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara) is a week-long film festival held each March in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara since 1986.
The presence in Guadalajara of dele ...
Wins:
* ''Audience Award''
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiva ...
Wins:
* ''Best Director'' for Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
* ''Best Screenplay'' for Vicente Leñero
Vicente Leñero Otero (June 9, 1933 – December 3, 2014) was a Mexican novelist, journalist, and playwright. He wrote numerous books, stories, and plays, including a theatrical adaptation of Oscar Lewis's '' The Children of Sanchez.'' He was awa ...
* ''Grand Coral'' (First prize) for Jorge Fons
Mexican Cinema Journalists
Wins:
* ''Best Film''
Paraguay Film Festival
Wins:
* ''Best Actress'' for Margarita Sanz
* ''Best Actor'' for Bruno Bichir
Bruno Bichir Nájera (born 6 October 1967) is a Mexican actor and one of the members of the Bichir family.
Biography
Bichir was born in Mexico City. He started his acting career at the age of five in several theater, film and television series. ...
Toulouse Latin America Film Festival
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...
Wins:
* ''Special Mention'' for the distribution of the film
Valladolid International Film Festival
The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
Wins:
* ''Best Actor'' for Bruno Bichir
Bruno Bichir Nájera (born 6 October 1967) is a Mexican actor and one of the members of the Bichir family.
Biography
Bichir was born in Mexico City. He started his acting career at the age of five in several theater, film and television series. ...
* ''Silver Spike'' for Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
Nominations:
* ''Golden Spike'' for Jorge Fons
Jorge Fons Pérez (23 April 1939 – 22 September 2022) was a Mexican film director.
He belonged to the first generation of film directors of the UNAM. His short film, ''Caridad'' (1973), is still considered one of the best films in Mexican c ...
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
*
*
''El Callejón de los Milagros''
at Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yaho ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midaq Alley
1995 films
Best Picture Ariel Award winners
1990s erotic drama films
Films directed by Jorge Fons
Films based on Egyptian novels
Mexican LGBT-related films
1990s Spanish-language films
Films set in Mexico
Mexican erotic drama films
Films set in Mexico City
1995 drama films
LGBT-related drama films
1990s Mexican films