El compadre Mendoza
(Godfather Mendoza)
dir. Fernando de Fuentes, 1934
Mexico, 85 min
In Spanish with english subtitles

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 – 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 – 10 PM

The second installment in Fernando de Fuentes’s Revolution Trilogy revolves around Rosalio Mendoza (Alfredo del Diestro, in a weary-eyed performance), a rich landowner whose estate serves both Zapatista revolutionaries and Huertista army men. A rich parable about Janus-faced desperation, EL COMPADRE MENDOZA sees Fuentes double down on his critique of government corruption. The country setting also lets him build upon his cinematic technique, making ample use of landscapes and crowds, as well as optical effects and music, to heighten the drama on the screen.