La cruz y la espada
Cast & Crew
José Mojica
Juan Torena
Anita Campillo
Lucio Villegas
Carmen Rodríguez
Paco Moreno
Film Details
Synopsis
In California, in the late eighteenth century, José Antonio Romero lives in a village near one of Junípero Serra's Franciscan missions. When gold is discovered, José gets a group of men together to form a prospecting expedition. José goes to talk to his good friend, Brother Francisco, and tells him that he wants to find gold so that he can give a good life to his beloved, Carmela. Meanwhile, Carmela tells her aunt that she is not sure if she loves José. Bandits, led by El Mestizo, arrive at the mission and kidnap Carmela. Brother Francisco pursues then rescues her, and realizes that she is his friend José's beloved. At the chapel, Carmela is surprised to learn that her rescuer is Brother Francisco, and she asks why he gave up the world for a religious vocation. He tells her that it was because of his sorrow over a woman. Jaime arrives from the mining camp and tells Francisco that Esteban has been stabbed. Francisco volunteers to go to render medical aid and, on his way back from the camp, shelters from a storm in a cave where he discovers gold. Francisco then battles with temptation. His evil conscience tells him to take the beautiful Carmela and the gold. Francisco imagines that he goes to Carmela and tells her that he has burned his novitiate's clothing. However, Francisco overcomes these temptations and later writes to José telling him of the gold's location. In a cantina back at the village, a drunken local tells José that Carmela and Francisco have been seen flirting. José madly confronts Francisco, who denies all charges of infamy. After José attacks his old friend with a knife, Francisco tells him that Carmela is completely pure and José begs for the brother's forgiveness. Carmela arrives and Francisco says that José has asked him to sing at their wedding. At the ceremony, Francisco joyously sings their wedding song.
Cast
José Mojica
Juan Torena
Anita Campillo
Lucio Villegas
Carmen Rodríguez
Paco Moreno
Carlos Montalbán
Martín Garralaga
Julián Rivero
F. A. Armenta
Rudolph Galante
Soledad Jiménez
Enrico Ames
Jesús Mena
Crew
William Dubois
Frederick Hummel
Samuel Kaylin
Ernesto Lecuona
José Mojica
Amado Nervo
Troy Sanders
Paul Schofield
John Stone
Frank Strayer
Mario Talavera
Miguel De Zárraga
Miguel De Zárraga
Miguel De Zárraga
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Romance de California and Oro de California. The words for the song "Gratia plena" were from a poem by Mexican poet Amado Nervo. During the film's pre-production period, Carmen Samaniego, Carlos Villarías and María Calvo were announced as cast members, but their participation in the completed film has not been confirmed. Not long after making this film, star José Mojica became a Franciscan priest. According to Daily Variety, the film "has been one of Fox's biggest grossers among Spanish versions." Daily Variety also stated that Fox at one time thought about producing an English version, and that the version which opened in Los Angeles had English titles.
