aka Victims of Sin
starring Ninón Sevilla
directed by Emilio Fernández
84 minutes
in Spanish with English subtitles
Violeta (Ninón Sevilla), the new featured act at Changoos, a nightclub, adopts a baby boy whom she found in a trash can. The boy belonged to Rosa, one of the other women who worked in the nightclub. Rosa threw her baby in the trash after being given an ultimatum by Don Rodolfo, her pimp, and choosing the pimp over the baby.
Violeta does her best to raise the child and continue to work at Changoos but ultimately is brings her into conflict with the owner and Don Rodolfo. She is forced to quit after being given the same sort of ultimatum that Rosa was given, her job or her baby.
Violeta eventually meets Don Santiago, owner of La Machina Loca, another nightclub, who treats her much better and doesn't make her choose between her baby and her job. Don Rodolfo, isn't impressed, and attempts to force Violeta to stay put and continue to work for him.
I saw this movie as part of the 2024 edition of the Noir City DC film festival. It was the back half of a double feature. The front half was Odd Man Out (1947). I'm not sure why they chose to pair these two films together. I fail to see the thread that connects them.
This is the first movie that I have seen starring Ninón Sevilla. I've seen a couple of the other actors in this movie in American films where they had small parts. I wouldn't have known that if I had not checked their filmographies.
This movie is very, very melodramatic. It was fun to watch but I can't say that I loved it. How noir is it? It didn't feel very noir to me. Melodrama and noir don’t exactly mix in my mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment