By Frank Miller
Sombrero
Brief Synopsis
Three sets of lovers are caught between feuding Mexican villages.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Norman Foster
Director
Ricardo Montalban
Pepe Gonzales
Pier Angeli
Eufemia Calderón
Vittorio Gassman
Alejandro Castillo
Yvonne De Carlo
María
Cyd Charisse
Lola de Torrano
Film Details
Also Known As
Mexican Village
Genre
Musical
Drama
Foreign
Romance
Release Date
Apr
3,
1953
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Cuernavaca,Mexico; Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico; Mexico City,Mexico; Tepoztlán,Mexico; Tetecala,Mexico
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel A Mexican Village by Josefina Niggli (Chapel Hill, NC, 1945).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 43m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
9,288ft
(12 reels)
Synopsis
In Columba, Mexico, mischievous cheese-maker Pepe Gonzales commits his annual prank of drawing mustaches on the photographs of the town's beauty contestants to protest the exclusion of María, a low-born woman who lives by the river. When María's picture is mysteriously entered in the contest, she wins by a landslide, but fearing the reaction of the townswomen, the mayor instead names the socially prominent Elena Cantú queen of the carnival. That night, wealthy Alejandro Castillo visits María, his secret love, and admits that he entered her picture in the contest. Meanwhile, Pepe decides to become a hero by retrieving the bones of the great Don Romulo Balderas from the cemetery in the nearby town of Milpa Verde, which is engaged in a bitter feud with Columba. His friend Rubén, a candy-maker, agrees to join him, but they are caught trying to break into Don Romulo's tomb by Eufemia Calderón, who calls for help after Pepe kisses her. The two friends make a narrow escape, and Rubén's arm is broken when he falls from his horse. Pepe takes Rubén to see Mariano Martínez, known as Little Doctor, who has just advised Alejandro to consult a specialist in Mexico City about his persistent headaches. Alejandro and Rubén go to Mexico City, and while selling his candy at the bullfight, Rubén is immediately smitten by Lola, sister of the arrogant gypsy matador Gitanillo de Torrano. After the fight, the love-struck Rubén calls on Lola, but she is too afraid of her cruel brother to consider romance. Back in Columba, Pepe tells his friends that he is in love with Eufemia and plans to court her. That weekend, armed with an enormous wheel of his family's renowned goat cheese, Pepe approaches Don Homero Calderón's home, where Eufemia's birthday party is taking place. Pepe quickly charms his way into Don Homero's good graces and begins wooing Eufemia, but is forced to flee when a guest recognizes the fine cheese Pepe brought as being from Columba. Meanwhile, Little Doctor inspects the X-rays taken in Mexico City and sadly informs Alejandro that he has only a short time to live, adding that he will go blind right before the end. Alejandro swears Little Doctor to secrecy, then goes to María and tells her everything. Certain that she would never be accepted because of her illegitimacy, María insists that Alejandro obey his powerful father and marry Elena. Alejandro reluctantly goes through with the wedding, and the couple leave on their honeymoon as Maria sadly watches from a nearby rooftop. Pepe continues his clandestine courtship of Eufemia, but she says their situation is hopeless as long as the feud continues. Rubén returns to Mexico City and visits Lola, and she explains that Gitanillo is so possessive because he superstitiously believes that he will die if his sister marries. Lola tries to defy her brother, but when he strikes her and threatens Rubén, Lola seeks help from a sympathetic fortune teller, who gives her a voodoo doll. The following day, while in the ring, Gitanillo sees Rubén and determines to kill him. Desperate to stop him, Lola throws the doll into the ring, and Gitanillo is gored to death by the bull. In Columba, Alejandro and Elena return from their honeymoon, and Elena confides to her mother that Alejandro has refused to consummate their marriage. Alejandro goes to María and gives her a locket with a note in it, instructing her to take it to his father after his death. Alejandro suddenly loses his vision and is taken home, but Elena coldly refuses to send for the priest while María is there. Alejandro dies, and María is ordered by his father, Don Carlos, to leave the valley. She gives Don Carlos the locket, and he reads the note, which speaks of Alejandro's love for María and bequeaths to her a large inheritance. When María declines the money, Don Carlos asks her forgiveness and begs María to live with him as his daughter. Meanwhile, Lola remains haunted by Gitanillo's death, but after spending some time alone on a mountaintop, she overcomes her guilt and is able to be happy in her marriage to Rubén. Later, Pepe challenges the town of Milpa Verde to a cockfight, wagering his family's cheese against the remains of Don Romulo. Although Father Zacaya is appalled at the thought of a cockfight, he helps Pepe disguise the prize cock he had "borrowed" earlier from Don Homero. The day of the contest, however, Pepe's ruse is discovered, and Father Zacaya forfeits the contest. As the citizens of Milpa Verde eagerly dismantle a tower of cheese, they discover a magnificent statue of Don Romulo, which has been donated by Eufemia and Don Carlos. Father Zacaya blesses Pepe and Eufemia's engagement, and with the feud over at last, everybody celebrates.
Director
Norman Foster
Director
Cast
Ricardo Montalban
Pepe Gonzales
Pier Angeli
Eufemia Calderón
Vittorio Gassman
Alejandro Castillo
Yvonne De Carlo
María
Cyd Charisse
Lola de Torrano
Rick Jason
Rubén
Nina Foch
Elena Cantú
Kurt Kasznar
Father Zacaya
Walter Hampden
Don Carlos Castillo
Thomas Gómez
Don Homero Calderón
José Greco
Gitanillo de Torrano
John Abbott
Don Daniel
Andrés Soler
Little Doctor [Mariano Martínez]
Fanny Schiller
Doña Fela
Luz Alba
Rosaura
Rosaura Revueltas
Tía Magdalena
Alfonso Bedoya
Don Inocente
Jorge Treviño
Don Nacho
Tito Novaro
Napoleón López
Manuel Arvide
Manager
Felipe De Flores
Tomás
Beatriz Ramos
Señora Inocente
Florencio Castelló
Mozo
Arturo Rangel
Professor
Salvador Báguez
Bartender
Juan Duval
Bellhop
Rita Conde
Silveria
Louise De Carlo
Girl in café
Gabrielle Roussillon
Girl in café
Tom Hernández
Man in café
Orlando Beltrán
Man in café
George Derrick
Man in café
Carlos Barbé
Man in café
Eduardo Cansino
Man in café
Miguel Contreras
Man in café
Alma Beltran
Party guest
Amapola Del Vando
Party guest
Pilar Del Rey
Party guest
Dorita Pallais
Party guest
Delmar Costello
Party guest
José Nieto
Background performer in "Eufemia" seq
Lorenzo Féliz
Background performer in "Eufemia" seq
Freddie Hernández
Background performer in "Eufemia" seq
Crew
Leo Arnaud
Composer
Leo Arnaud
Music Director and Arrangements
A. Fernández Bustamente
Composer
Daniel B. Cathcart
Art Director
Saul Chaplin
Composer
Saul Chaplin
Assistant to the prod
Jack Cummings
Producer
Joe Edmundson
Sound
Alvord Eiseman
Color Consultant
Alfonso Esparza Oteo
Composer
Norman Foster
Screenwriter
Rubén Fuentes
Composer
Gunther Gerszo
Technical Advisor
Cedric Gibbons
Art Director
Ray Gilbert
Composer
Arvid Griffen
Assistant Director
Sydney Guilaroff
Hair styles by
Henri Jaffa
Technicolor Color Consultant
Ray June
Director of Photography
William Kaplan
Unit Manager
Augustín Lara
Composer
William B. Lee
Singing voice double for Vittorio Gassman
Fred Maclean
Set Decoration
Rubén Méndez
Composer
Warren Newcombe
Special Effects
Josefina Niggli
Screenwriter
Hermes Pan
Choreography for Miss Charisse
Helen Rose
Women's Costume by
Charles Schrouder
Singing voice double for Rick Jason
Douglas Shearer
Recording Supervisor
William Tuttle
Makeup created by
Geronimo Villarino
Composer
Cotton Warburton
Film Editor
Edwin B. Willis
Set Decoration
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Also Known As
Mexican Village
Genre
Musical
Drama
Foreign
Romance
Release Date
Apr
3,
1953
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Cuernavaca,Mexico; Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico; Mexico City,Mexico; Tepoztlán,Mexico; Tetecala,Mexico
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel A Mexican Village by Josefina Niggli (Chapel Hill, NC, 1945).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 43m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
9,288ft
(12 reels)
Articles
Sombrero
MGM showcased the beauties of Mexico and a young, attractive cast in this adaptation of Josefina Niggli's short story collection Mexican Village. Niggli and director Norman Foster, adapted the stories about three young men in love. Cheesemaker Ricardo Montalban falls for a girl (Pier Angeli) from a rival village. Young nobleman Vittorio Gassman loves town pariah Yvonne De Carlo, but she convinces him to marry the more acceptable Nina Foch. And candy vendor Rick Jason (in his film debut) falls for Cyd Charisse, the sister of possessive bullfighter José Greco.
At times, the plot takes a backseat to the splendors of Mexico. Veteran cameraman Ray June captured Technicolor scenes in Mexico City, Cuernavaca and the small towns of Tepoztlán and Tetecala. Location shooting cost the film Fernando Lamas, originally slated for Gassman's role, when he refused to leave sweetheart Lana Turner behind in Hollywood. Instead, Gassman took over and his original role, the candy vendor, went to Rick Jason decades before he found stardom on TV's Combat series. The film features a few musical numbers, most notably Greco's energetic flamenco in the first U.S. film to capture his artistry. There's also a beautifully performed but decidedly strange number for Charisse, who dances out her psychological conflicts under Hermes Pan's direction (some sources credit Stanley Donen) on a studio-built mountaintop.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
Sombrero
MGM showcased the beauties of Mexico and a young, attractive cast in this adaptation of Josefina Niggli's short story collection Mexican Village. Niggli and director Norman Foster, adapted the stories about three young men in love. Cheesemaker Ricardo Montalban falls for a girl (Pier Angeli) from a rival village. Young nobleman Vittorio Gassman loves town pariah Yvonne De Carlo, but she convinces him to marry the more acceptable Nina Foch. And candy vendor Rick Jason (in his film debut) falls for Cyd Charisse, the sister of possessive bullfighter José Greco.
At times, the plot takes a backseat to the splendors of Mexico. Veteran cameraman Ray June captured Technicolor scenes in Mexico City, Cuernavaca and the small towns of Tepoztlán and Tetecala. Location shooting cost the film Fernando Lamas, originally slated for Gassman's role, when he refused to leave sweetheart Lana Turner behind in Hollywood. Instead, Gassman took over and his original role, the candy vendor, went to Rick Jason decades before he found stardom on TV's Combat series. The film features a few musical numbers, most notably Greco's energetic flamenco in the first U.S. film to capture his artistry. There's also a beautifully performed but decidedly strange number for Charisse, who dances out her psychological conflicts under Hermes Pan's direction (some sources credit Stanley Donen) on a studio-built mountaintop.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Mexican Village. The film opens with an onscreen dedication thanking the Mexican government and citizens for their cooperation and hospitality. The character "Pepe Gonzales" addresses the audience at the beginning of the film, explaining why he defaces the pictures of the beauty contestants and speculating that he and his friends are likely to remain bachelors. According to information in the film's press kit, Ralph de Lara wrote the lyrics to "Gypsy Dance," but the song was only performed as an instrumental number in the film. The press materials also indicate that flamenco dancer José Greco, who made his American motion picture debut in the film, performed a guitar solo in the "Farruca Flamenca" number. A modern source credits Stanley Donen with staging this number.
Pre-production news items in Hollywood Reporter reported that Ava Gardner and Fernando Lamas would co-star with Ricardo Montalbán. According to items in Hollywood Reporter's "Rambling Reporter" column, Lamas refused to go to Mexico for Sombrero, thus leading to his suspension from M-G-M, because he did not want to leave Hollywood, where Lana Turner, with whom he was then involved, was filming The Bad and the Beautiful with Kirk Douglas. According to a May 27, 1952 Daily Variety news item, Cornel Wilde was offered the role of "Alejandro Castillo," and Vittorio Gassman was originally cast in the role of "Rubén." The news item also adds Lewis Stone to the cast, but he was not in the film.
Sombrero was filmed on location in Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Tetecala and Tepoztlán, Mexico. According to a September 28, 1952 article in New York Times, the small towns of Tetecala and Tepoztlán embraced the production because they believed the creative team would portray the Mexican people sympathetically. The film opened in Mexico City on February 18, 1954. The Variety review stated Sombrero was Italian actor Vittorio Gassman's first American film, but he had previously made The Glass Wall (see entry above), which had its premiere in March 1953. Sombrero did, however, mark the feature film debut of actor Rick Jason. Modern sources add Pascual García Peña to the cast.
