''Río Escondido'' is a 1948 Mexican melodrama directed and co-written by

Emilio Fernández Emilio "El Indio" Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 August 1986) was a Mexican film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best know ...

and starring

María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and ...

, Fernando Fernández,

Carlos López Moctezuma Carlos López Moctezuma Pineda (19 November 1909 – 14 July 1980) was a Mexican film actor. He appeared in more than 210 films between 1938 and 1980. He starred in the film ''Happiness'', which was entered into the 7th Berlin Internationa ...

, and Domingo Soler.

Plot

The President of México sends Rosaura Salazar (

), a young teacher, to educate a remote rural village known as Río Escondido. Rosaura accepts the mission even though she suffers from a potentially life-threatening heart condition. While walking there in the heat, Rosaura collapses and is saved by Felipe ( Fernando Fernández), a student doctor on his way to a nearby town for his social service. At Río Escondido, the tyrannical local boss don Regino Sandoval (

) initially blocks her plans to reopen the school. Rosaura adopts two children whose mother died from smallpox. After becoming ill himself, don Regino calls for Felipe, who agrees to cure him in exchange for vaccinating the townspeople and letting Rosaura open the school. However, don Regino then insults Rosaura by offering her to become his mistress. She would take the place of the previous schoolteacher (

Columba Domínguez Columba Domínguez Alarid (March 4, 1929 – August 13, 2014) was a Mexican actress, singer, and painter. She is remembered particularly for her performance in the film ''Pueblerina'' (1949). Biography Early life Columba Domínguez Alarid was b ...

), who dies by suicide after learning that don Regino ordered his henchmen to kill her. Don Regino cuts the town's water supply and kills Rosaura's adopted son when he catches him "stealing" water from a well. Rosaura then defies don Regino's orders by following the tradition of holding an all-night vigil for the boy. In revenge, don Regino breaks into the school at night and attempts to rape Rosaura, but she kills him with a gun that Felipe secretly gave her for protection. Rosaura's strong will has given the townspeople the courage to kill don Regino's henchmen. Rosaura suffers a heart attack. She dictates a letter to the President reporting her victory in Río Escondido and dies after receiving a reply in which the President expresses his gratitude.

Bibliography

Fein, Seth. "From Collaboration to Containment: Hollywood and the International Political Economy of Mexican Cinema after the Second World War". In Hershfield, Joanne; Maciel, David R. (eds.). ''Mexico's Cinema: A Century of Film and Filmmakers''. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1999. pp. 123–163. Tierney, Dolores. ''Emilio Fernández: Pictures in the Margins''. Manchester and New York: Manchester UP, 2007.

External links

* 1948 films Best Picture Ariel Award winners Mexican black-and-white films 1948 romantic drama films 1940s Spanish-language films Films directed by Emilio Fernández Mexican romantic drama films 1940s Mexican films Spanish-language romantic drama films {{1940s-Mexico-film-stub