''The River and Death'' (Spanish: ''El río y la muerte'') is a 1954 Mexican film. It was written by

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 ...

and directed by

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 ...

. The film is an adaptation of Miguel Álvarez Acosta's 1952 novel ''Muro blanco en roca negra'' (White Wall on a Black Rock).

Cast

* Columba Domínguez as Mercedes * Miguel Torruco as Felipe Anguiano *

Joaquín Cordero Joaquín Cordero (; August 16, 1922 – February 19, 2013) was a Mexican actor of the cinema, theatre and telenovelas. Biography Shortly after his birth, Cordero's family moved to Mexico City. In the following years he studied in a seminary and ...

as Gerardo Anguiano * Jaime Fernández as Romulo Menchaca * Víctor Alcocer as Polo Menchaca * Silvia Derbez as Elsa *

José Elías Moreno José Elías Moreno (12 November 1910 – 15 July 1969) was a Mexican character actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1937 and 1969. He was from the state of Jalisco. His José Elías Moreno Jr., son of the same name, born in 1956 ...

as Don Nemesio * Carlos Martínez Baena as Don Julian *Alfredo Varela as Chinelas (as Alfredo Varela Jr.) * Miguel Manzano as don Anselmo

Background

The film, an adaptation of a novel about blood revenge that has lasted for several generations, is so country-specific that the audience at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

thought it was a comedy. Buñuel takes great pains in his autobiography to show that the despicable events portrayed in the film were even surpassed by reality.

References

External links

* 1955 drama films Mexican drama films 1950s Spanish-language films Films directed by Luis Buñuel Mexican black-and-white films Films set in Mexico 1950s Mexican films {{1950s-Mexico-film-stub