''The Escape'' ( es, La fuga) is a 1944

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 ...

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and starring

Esther Fernandez Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

, and

Carlos Orellana Carlos Orellana Martínez (28 December 1900 in Hidalgo – 24 January 1960 in Mexico City) was a Mexican actor, film director and screenwriter. Filmography As actor *1932: ''Santa'' - Hipólito *1933: '' El anónimo'' - Médico *1933: ' ...

. It is based on the short story ''

Boule de suif Boule may refer to: ;Ball games * Boules, a collective term for games involving players throwing balls at a smaller target ball ** Pétanque, a common variety originating in France and sometimes loosely called "boules" in English ** Boule Lyonnais ...

'' by

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

. The sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

José Rodríguez Granada. The film is set during the French Intervention in Mexico. As the Republican forces of

Benito Juarez Benito may refer to: Places * Benito, Kentucky, United States * Benito, Manitoba, Canada * Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea Other uses * Benito (name) * ''Benito'' (1993), an Italian film See also * '' Benito Cereno'', a novella by ...

close in on

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 ...

, a group of pro-Imperial supporters flee on a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

to the port city of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

. Following the plot of the Maupassant story, the French lieutenant (Montalbán) demands sex from one of the passengers, a young Mexican prostitute (Fernández), in exchange for allowing the stagecoach to continue its journey. He tries to court her while her fellow passengers pressure her to accept. The ending of the film departs from the Maupassant story and makes the leads fall in love to form a tragic romantic couple. The film reunited Esther Fernández and Ricardo Montalbán after the critical and commercial success of ''Santa'' (Norman Foster, 1943), another period literary adaptation in which Fernández starred as a prostitute. Some sources mistakenly claim that Fernández's success in ''The Escape'' got her a contract from the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

studio

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. In fact, ''The Escape'' was not as successful as ''Santa'' and Fernández had already been under contract at Paramount in the early 1940s, though she didn't make any movies. Paramount reportedly rehired her to co-star in ''

Two Years Before the Mast ''Two Years Before the Mast'' is a memoir by the American author Richard Henry Dana Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California on a merchant ship starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the ...

'' based on old screen tests, not her performance in ''The Escape''.

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1944 films 1940s historical adventure films Films based on Boule de Suif Mexican historical adventure films 1940s Spanish-language films Films set in Mexico Films set in the 1860s Second French intervention in Mexico films Films directed by Norman Foster Mexican black-and-white films Films scored by Manuel Esperón 1940s Mexican films {{1940s-Mexico-film-stub