Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. After his wife cooks a turkey for him, he meets three apparitions, the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks him to share his turkey, but he refuses all except Death. In return, Death gives him a bottle of water which will heal any illness. Soon, Macario is more wealthy than the village doctor, which draws the attention of the feared Inquisition.
Cinematography
Shadow-soaked Day of the Dead sequences, all smoke and bone.
Acting
Ignacio López Tarso's hunger in his eyes before he speaks.
Production
Practical skeleton costumes that still haunt Mexican cinema.
Director
Roberto Gavaldón
Ignacio López Tarso
Macario
Pina Pellicer
Esposa de Macario
Enrique Lucero
La muerte
Mario Alberto Rodríguez
Don Ramiro
José Gálvez
El Demonio
Eduardo Fajardo
Virrey
Consuelo Frank
Virreina
Luis Aceves Castañeda
Verdugo infartado (uncredited)
Miguel Arenas
Inquisidor (uncredited)
Queta Carrasco
Vecina de Macario (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
First Mexican film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, lost to Bergman's 'The Virgin Spring'—robbed, frankly.
The three apparitions were originally written as more overtly comedic; Gavaldón fought to keep them genuinely unsettling.
MX
