''Sólo de noche Vienes'' is a Mexican film produced by Panamerican Films and Guatemalan producer Manuel Zeceña Diéguez and directed by

Sergio Véjar Sergio Véjar (11 October 1928 – 15 February 2009) was a Mexican cinematographer, film director and screenwriter. His 1963 film ''Los signos del zodiaco'' was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival. Selected filmography * ...

. It starred Elsa Aguirre and

Julio Alemán Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a Mexican actor.Herbert Meneses and Regina Torné. The plot is about a forbidden romance that takes place during

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

in a city in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. is also an important documentary of the

Holy Week processions in Guatemala Semana Santa or Holy Week in Guatemala is celebrated with street expressions of faith, called processions, usually organized by a "hermandad". Each procession of Holy Week has processional floats and steps, which are often religious images of the ...

of the 1960s.

Plot

Andrés Villalta is a Mexican tourist visiting a city in

to enjoy the

Holy Week processions A Holy Week procession is a public ritual march of clergy and penitents which takes place during Holy Week in Christian country, Christian countries, especially those with a Catholic culture. Various images of the saints, especially the Virgin Ma ...

. He meets Remedios, a local socialite married to one of the most powerful men in the country, with whom he has an instant spark. Carmen, Remedios' sister-in-law appears and Remedios hides from her without giving an explanation to Andrés. When Andrés takes her home in his fancy sports car, Remedios lies to him, telling him that her name is Carmen and neglecting to mention she is married. Confusion ensues, making Remedios seem even more mysterious to Andrés. During the film's climax, the whole family gathers to watch the Virgin Mary's silent procession. When Andrés sees Remedios and tries to reach for her, Remedios' husband's associates kill him on the spot. Andrés dies in Remedios' arms, still calling her Carmen. The movie was directed by

, and is based on a screenplay written specifically for the movie by the Mexican writer

Elena Garro Elena Garro (December 11, 1916 – August 22, 1998) was a Mexican author, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, short story writer, and novelist. She has been described as one of the pioneers and an early leading figure of the Magical Realism move ...

. Garro, producer Manuel Zeceña, and Véjar all worked on the final version of the screenplay. The plot shows the impossible love between a Mexican tourist and a mysterious woman who appears and vanishes as if she were a spirit or from another dimension; Guatemala during

is the perfect setting for the mysterious romance. The elusive woman was actually married to a powerful character, who upon discovering her liaison orders the killing of her lover during a procession. The climactic scene shows the infinity of the horizon, the rigidity of the religious and the volatility of love. Since the plot was originally written for the movie it was not included among Garro's literary works.

Filming

The film was filmed in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

; intriguingly, producer Manuel Zeceña was able to get Alemán and Aguirre to work together despite their strained relationship. Interiors were filmed mainly in

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

, in private homes in Santa Tecla and the exclusive neighborhoods of Escalón and San Benito. The exteriors, on the other hand, were filmed at tourist attractions in Puerta del Diablo and Planes de Renderos, as well as in El Salvador; however, since the plot centers around a tourist who went to Central America to watch the Holy Week processions, several processions were filmed in

Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

. Therefore, the movie takes place in a fictitious city which is represented alternately by

and

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by French composer

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...

. The Salvadorian singers Los Hermanos Cárcamo (The Cárcamo Brothers) sang the title song (''I lust for you, love''). In February 2002 Roberto Cárcamo, the lead singer, told an interviewer that they had the opportunity to perform for the movie after

Julio Alemán Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a Mexican actor.Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, the movie opened in May 1967 and due to the plot's strong controversy for the times, it was shown in a censored version and only for mature audiences at least 21 years old.

Top billed cast

* Elsa Aguirre: Remedios *

Julio Alemán Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a Mexican actor.Regina Torné: Carmen * Rodolfo Landa: Marcial (Remedios' husband) * Cosmo Alessio * Herbert Meneses

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Solo de noche vienes Guatemala City San Salvador Holy Week in Mexico Mexican drama films Films about religion Films set in El Salvador Films set in Guatemala