Classic Mexican cinema!
Jorge A. Zarco | Fresno, CA USA | 04/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"El Inocente(1955) is a classic Mexican film starring Pedro Infante and Silvia Pinal and directed by Rogelio A. Gonzalez. It was remade in 1968 as Romeo Contra Julieta with Angelica Maria and Alberto Vasquez. On New Years Eve, Mane(Pinal)throws a fit in front of her boyfriend and she takes off in her car. On her way to Cuernavaca, her car stalls and breaks down on the highway. A mild mannered mechanic, Gutberto Gaudazar/Cruzi(Infante), gives her a ride to her parents' house in Mexico City. Mane and Cruzi get drunk on champagne and they pass out on eachother! Mane's parents(played by Sara Garcia and Carlos Ortiz de Pinedo)find Cruzi and Mane the following morning...and they jump to the wrong conclusion that Cruzi raped her! Mane's parents force Cruzi to marry Mane to save the family's good reputation("a shotgun wedding"). What's to become of Cruzi and Mane and their bitterness toward eachother?
El Inocente is an almost flawless film...almost! Silvia Pinal's shrill, whiny voice can hurt one's ears! In the plus column, Manuel Esperon composed and conducted a memorable score for the film(Sergio Guerrero scored the remake, Romeo Contra Julieta). Infante and Pinal do have chemistry with eachother and the cast give solid performances.
The song that Mane and Cruzi sing and dance to in the living room is really catchy! I wonder where screenwriters Luis and Janet Alcoriza got the inspiration for the plot? El Inocente stands up to multiple viewings! Enjoy!"