''La cuna vacía'' is a 1949 Argentine

melodrama film In film studies and criticism, melodrama may variously refer to a genre, mode, style or sensibility characterized by its emphasis on intense and exaggerated emotions and heightened dramatic situations. There is no fixed definition of the term an ...

of the classical era of Argentine cinema, directed by

Carlos Rinaldi Carlos Rinaldi (February 5, 1915 – 1995) was an Argentine film director of the classical era of Argentine cinema and beyond. He began his career in 1937 with Argentina Sono Film, working in editing. Subsequently, he joined Associated Argentine ...

on his directorial debut. It stars

Ángel Magaña Ángel Magaña (August 24, 1915 – November 13, 1982) was an Argentine film actor of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He was married to the Spanish-Argentine film actress Nuri Montsé. Filmography #Hot ...

Orestes Caviglia Orestes Caviglia (; November 9, 1893 in Buenos Aires – April 1, 1971 in Tucumán) was an Argentine film actor and film director of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. He appeared in films such as '' La cabalgata del circo'' 1945 and '' Albe ...

and Nelly Duggan. The film, based on a story by

Florencio Escardó Florencio is a name which may refer to: Given name *Florencio de Valeránica, 10th century Castilian monk, scribe and miniaturist *Florencio Abad (born 1954), Filipino lawyer and politician * Florêncio Carlos de Abreu e Silva (1839–1881), Braz ...

, covers the turbulent life of Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez (played by Magaña).

Plot

The film begins with some sequences related to the youth of Dr. Gutiérrez, his arrival in Buenos Aires from his native

Arrecifes Arrecifes is a town in Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the ...

, his law studies and his frustrated life as a writer and being the subject of unrequited love. An accident resulting in the death of a child changes his vocation and he goes on to study Medicine. There are battle scenes, featuring Gutiérrez in the Civil War and the Paraguayan War and, finally, his struggles as a pediatrician.

Cast

* Nelly Duggan * Hugo Pimentel * José María Gutiérrez * Zoe Ducós *

Ernesto Bianco Ernesto, form of the name Ernest in several Romance languages, may refer to: * ''Ernesto'' (novel) (1953), an unfinished autobiographical novel by Umberto Saba, published posthumously in 1975 ** ''Ernesto'' (film), a 1979 Italian drama loosely ba ...

* Pascual Nacaratti * Claudio Martino

Production

In April 1948, the production company

Artistas Argentinos Asociados Associated Argentine Artists (Spanish: ''Artistas Argentinos Asociados'', AAA) was a leading Argentine film distribution company. It emerged during the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema and was modeled on the Hollywood company United Artists Un ...

signed a contract with the renowned writer, essayist, journalist and pediatrician

, whose pseudonym was Piolin de Macramé, to shoot a film based on his story of Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez. The following month, Germán Gelpi began to design the sets and Carlos Rinaldi was hired as director. The shooting of the film between July 1948 and January 1949 was long and arduous, during which the director of photography Francis Boeniger had to retire to fulfill other commitments and was replaced by Humberto Peruzzi, a collaborator who had been present from the founding of the production company. According to the critic César Maranghello,

Lucas Demare Lucas Demare (July 14, 1910 – September 6, 1981) was an Argentina, Argentine film director, screenwriter, and film producer notable for his work during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, classical era of Argentine cinema and beyond. Biogr ...

, who was one of the partners of Artistas Argentinos Asociados, actively participated in the direction of the film.

Reception

In 1982 the '' Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes'' described the film as "very picturesque and emotional, showing the social diseases of childhood".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuna Vacia 1949 films 1940s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Films directed by Carlos Rinaldi 1940s war drama films Argentine war drama films 1949 drama films Spanish-language war drama films 1940s Argentine films