To complement this year’s screening of El Fantástico mundo de Juan Orol, a spectacular bio-picture that covers the barely believable career of the legendary maverick film director, this introductory talk will explore the wonderful world of popular Mexican cinema. Whilst covering stars such as Dolores del Rio, Emilio Fernández and Cantinflas, the wrestling hybrids of Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata, and the exploitation epics of Rene Cardona Jnr.; the session will also consider the centrality of film studios, such as the legendary Estudios Churubusco, in facilitating the production line of Mexico’s particularly distinctive take on genre films.
Led by Andy Willis, Reader in Film Studies at the University of Salford.