Dark River (1952 film)
7.8 /10 1 Votes
Director Hugo del Carril Music director Tito Ribero Duration Language Spanish | 7.6/10 IMDb Genre Drama Country Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cast Hugo del Carril Release date 9 October 1952 Writer Eduardo Borras, Alfredo Varela (novel), Alfredo Varela (screenplay) Screenplay Eduardo Borras, Alfredo Varela, Jr. Similar movies Related Hugo del Carril movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dark River (Spanish: Las aguas bajan turbias) is a 1952 Argentine drama film directed by Hugo del Carril, starring del Carril, Adriana Benetti and Raúl del Valle. It is based on a novel by Alfredo Varela. The storyline is about exploitation of peons, and the film has a populist message that ties in with the director's sympathy for Peronism. The film won the Silver Condor Award for Best Film.
Contents
Synopsis
The brothers Santos and Rufino Peralta are used like animals in the workplace at the Parana Stop. There they encounter enormous hardship and inhuman conditions of work as a consequence of the immense greed of the managers. A worker's rebellion is maturing, to the point that it is developed into trade union of workers who respond against their grief. Finally, the workers plot a counterattack and punish their corrupt employers.
Cast
Production
The film is based on a novel by Alfredo Varela, but Varela is not mentioned in the credits because he was in prison as a consequence of his communist activities. The film was shot on location in the upper Paraná region.
Release
The film premiered on 9 October 1952 in Buenos Aires and on 25 February 1956 in the United States. It was distributed by Cinematográfica Cinco and Del Carril-Barbieri (DCB) in Argentina and the Times Film Corporation in the United States. Argentina released the film again in 2005 at the Mar del Plata Film Festival on 11 March 2005.
Critical response
A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote that the film "makes its points realistically and, occasionally, with harrowing effects" but "is somewhat less than striking as professionally-wrought drama". "As a tract against man's inhumanity to man," Weiler wrote, "it is sincere and powerful. But the spinning of this somber tale, like its outrages, is routine and more primitive than polished." The critic wrote about the performances: "Although Señor Del Carril has not extracted outstanding performances from some of his principals, his portrayal is restrained yet forceful. And, while the climactic scene is rudimentary melodrama, some of his supporting players contribute seemingly dedicated characterizations."
Accolades
The film received the awards for Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actor (Pedro Laxalt) from the Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences. It received four awards, including Best Film and Best Director, from the Argentine Film Critics Association in 1953. It also won a Special Mention at the Venice Film Festival.
References
Dark River (1952 film) WikipediaDark River (1952 film) IMDb Dark River (1952 film) themoviedb.org