Ansiedad

Mexico's Ansiedad (Anxiety, 1953), a melodrama with music, spotlights the talents of beloved pop vocalist/movie idol Pedro Infante and Argentine tango singer Libertad Lamarque. Infante has triple roles as a father and his grown twin sons, with the story beginning on a Christmas Eve when the boys are still babies. The father, Rafael, sells his gun cheaply to gain money to support his impoverished family. Later he finds an ill baby that has been kidnapped from a wealthy father. After infecting one of the twins, the baby dies and Rafael substitutes his own infant so it will receive the medical care necessary for its survival. The sale of the gun comes back to haunt the family in a tragic way. The twin who remains with the family becomes a singer, while the other grows up rich and spoiled with his adoptive father. Further complications ensue before everything gets sorted out. Along the way, Lamarque (as the twins' mother) gets to execute an elaborate tango. The songs include Amor de mis amoraes, by Augustin Lara; Tu recuerdo y yo, by Carlos Gardel; Estrellita del sur, by Coronel Rueda; Ando muy borracho, by Cuco Sanchez; and Ingrata perfida, by Salvador Flores. The reviewer for Variety found Ansiedad to have "a queer but engrossing story" and deemed it one of the best Mexican films of its year. When the film played three movie theaters in New York in 1953, the trade paper noted that it was "clicko with distaffers." Called "the idol of Mexico" and "the King of Mexican Bolero," Infante was born in Guamuchil, Sinaloa, in 1917. He made more than 50 movies, recorded more than 200 albums and made numerous personal appearances. His films were among some of the most popular ever made in Mexico, and he won the Ariel (Mexican Academy Award) for Best Actor in 1956 for La Vida no Vale Nada. He died in a plane crash in 1957. Lamarque (1908-2000), known as "the Queen of Melodrama," enjoyed a long and prolific career, starring in 65 movies (43 in Mexico, the others in Spain and her native Argentina). She recorded her first album of tangos at age 18 and made her movie debut in the silent Adios, Argentina (1930). Much admired as a singer of tangos, boleros and the folkloric songs of Latin America, she remained active in films and television until her death. Director: Miguel Zacarias Screenplay: Edmundo Baez, Miguel Zacarias Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa Original Music: Manuel Esperon Editing: Jose W. Bustos Set Design: Javier Torres Torija Principal Cast: Pedro Infante (Carlos Iturbe/Gabriel Valdivia/Rafael Valdivia), Libertad Lamarque (Maria), Irma Dorantes (Isabel), Arturo Soto Rangel (Don Lorenzo), Jose Munoz (Asesino). BW-127m. by Roger Fristoe