Macario (1960)

Macario is a 1960 Mexican supernatural drama film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and starring Ignacio López Tarso and Pina Pellicer. It is based on the novel of the same name by B. Traven, set in the Viceroyalty of New Spain (modern-day Mexico).

It was the first Mexican film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. The film received criticism in Mexico when released because it was considered a film made for the foreign viewer. The film was released when Mexico was experiencing a nationalist era of cinema.

Synopsis

The story centers on Macario, a poor indigenous woodcutter, during Colonial Mexico, who lives enraged for being so poor. His economic situation keeps him and his family at the edge of starvation. After he sees a procession of roast turkeys, his dream is to eat a whole roast turkey just by himself. He announces in front of his wife and children that he will not eat until his dream comes true. His worried wife steals a turkey and gives it to Macario before he heads to the mountains to work.

Actors