''Skeleton of Mrs. Morales'' (Spanish: ''El Esqueleto de la señora Morales'') is a

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

Mexican

black comedy film Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

based on

Arthur Machen Arthur Machen ( or ; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh people, Welsh author and mysticism, mystic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his influential supernatural ...

’s 1927 short story "The Islington Mystery". It is regarded by critics as one of the hundred best Mexican films of all time. In the film, a

taxidermist Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the process ...

is unhappily married to a religious fanatic who maliciously torments him. After the wife breaks his new camera, he poisons her to death and puts her

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

on display.

Plot

Pablo Morales (

Arturo de Córdova Arturo García Rodríguez (8 May 1908 – 3 November 1973), known professionally as Arturo de Córdova, was a Mexican actor who appeared in over a hundred films. Biography Career Arturo García Rodríguez was born in Mérida, Yucatán on 8 May ...

) is a cheerful taxidermist, who lives with his bitter, crippled, obsessive, and extremely religious wife Gloria (

Amparo Rivelles María Amparo Rivelles Ladrón de Guevara (11 February 1925 – 7 November 2013) was a Spanish actress. Life and career Born in Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. ...

). Pablo wants to have children, but Gloria does not. Gloria constantly rebuffs his amorous advances, and constantly belittles him by telling him that he stinks of dead animals. Her primary reason for existence seems to be maliciously annoying her husband. Pablo has been saving money to buy a camera, but Gloria takes the money Pablo was saving and gives it to the church, leading to conflict with the local priest. Gloria falsely accuses Pablo of drunkenness and abuse. Pablo gets his camera, but Gloria maliciously breaks it, which proves to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Pablo takes his revenge by

poisoning Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when Toxicity, toxic substances are introduced into the body. The term "poisoning" is a derivative of poison, a term describing any chemical substance that may harm or kill a living organism upon ...

her. He then dissects Gloria's body and places her skeleton in the front window of his shop. The police and local priest become suspicious and he is put on trial, but he manages to escape man's justice (but not God's).

Cast

— Dr. Pablo Morales *

— Gloria de Morales * Elda Peralta * — Profesor * Rosenda Monteros — Meche * — Elodio * — Lourditas Mendiolea *

Antonio Bravo Antonio Bravo (12 May 1906 – 28 February 1992) was a Spanish-born Mexican film and television actor.Agrasánchez, Jr. p.159 He appeared in more than a hundred and forty productions during a lengthy career. Selected filmography * '' Beautiful ...

— Padre Artemio Familiar * Angelines Fernández — Clara, sister of Gloria

Production

's original 1927 essay, "The Islington Mystery", which can be found in his collection ''The Cosy Room'', was based largely on the case of the famous murderer Dr. Crippen. Screenwriter

Luis Alcoriza Luis Alcoriza de la Vega (September 5, 1918 – December 3, 1992) was a Mexican screenwriter, film director, and actor. Alcoriza was born in Spain and, exiled because of the Spanish Civil War, established himself in Mexico from 1940. His 196 ...

was influenced by his association with

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

Reception

This film is ranked 19 in the list of the 100 best films of Mexican cinema, in the opinion of 25 film critics and experts on Mexico, published by the magazine ''Somos'' in July 1994.
Las 100 mejores películas del cine mexicano
'

References

External links

* Mexican black comedy films 1960 films 1960 black comedy films 1960s Spanish-language films Films directed by Rogelio A. González Films based on short fiction Films about uxoricide 1960s Mexican films Films about marriage Films about poisonings Fiction about skeletons Spanish-language black comedy films {{1960s-Mexico-film-stub