MACARIO (1960) – Episode 115 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

"When we’re born, we’re carrying our death hidden in the liver… or in the stomach… or in the heart, that will one day beat no more." Join this episode’s Grue-Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr - as they learn about dia de muertas in Macario (1960), a wonderful fable from Roberto Gavaldón, starring Ignacio López Tarso, Pina Pellicer, and Enrique Lucero.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 115 – Macario (1960)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL
which will now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/

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.

IMDb

 

• Director: Roberto Gavaldón
• Writers: Emilio Carballido & Roberto Gavaldón (screenplay); B. Traven (story "The Third Guest")
• Selected Cast:
  • Ignacio López Tarso as Macario
  • Pina Pellicer as Esposa de Macario (Macario's wife)
  • Enrique Lucero as La muerte (Death)
  • Mario Alberto Rodríguez as Don Ramiro
  • Enrique García Álvarez as Member of the Inquisition
  • Eduardo Fajardo as Virrey (Viceroy)
  • Consuelo Frank as Virreina
  • José Gálvez as El diablo (The Devil)
  • José Luis Jiménez as Dios (God)
  • José Dupeyrón (as Jose Dupeiront)
  • Celia Tejeda as Chona
  • Pepé y sus Marionetas (Pepé and his Puppets) as Marionetas que aparecen en el sueño de Macario (Puppets that appear in Macario's dream)

Whitney gives a special treat to the Classic Era Grue-Crew with Macario as her pick for this episode. She tells of watching Macario with her father and her emotional response to the film. For her, it’s a beautiful movie about a character taking care of people, who must decide who to trust, and the consequences his choice brings. Chad identifies Macario as a fable, one of his favorite types of movie. In the case of Macario, the story of a good and honest man who is trying to care for his family but still desires something just for himself captures his heart. The importance of celebrating death in this culture appeals to Daphne. She loves the openness and honesty of the title character and his intriguing interactions with death as a character. Jeff also loves Macario. In particular, he is fascinated with the constant presence of hunger, Macario’s relationship with his wife, his interactions with Dios, el Diablo, and la Muerte. 

The Decades of Horror Classic Era Grue-Crew highly recommends Macario, a film with a great look and visuals in the telling of an emotional, supernatural fable. As of this writing, the only streaming available can be found on YouTube: Macario (1960) Roberto Gavaldón - English subtitles.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next on their very flexible schedule is one chosen by Chad: The Valley of Gwangi (1968). Ray Harryhausen, James Franciscus, Richard Carlson, Gustavo Rojo, Freda Jackson, and Gila Golan for the win! You will not want to miss that one!

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