"The emotion I felt in walking over the ancient grounds of Knossos was so superabundantly rich, so embroiled with life and death, that I find myself unable to analyze it clearly.... I gazed at the bullfights painted on the walls: the woman's agility and grace, the man's unerring strength, how they played with the frenzied bull, confronting him with intrepid glances. They did not kill him out of love...or because they were overcome with fear and dared not look at him. Instead they played with him obstinately.... Perhaps with gratitude. For this sacred battle with the bull whetted the Cretan's strength.... Thus the Cretans transubstantiated horror, turning it into an exalted game...conquering without annihilating the bull... considered not an enemy but a fellow worker. As I regarded the battle depicted on the walls, the age-old battle between man and bull (whom today we term God), I said to myself, such was the Cretan Glance."
~Nikos Kazantzakis
Mario Morales finds himself the heir to this rich legacy of confronting life with courage, grace and self mastery. He is the twin son of a renowned bullfighter, Antonia Morales, as played with regal regard by Fortunio Bonanova, who has longed for son to follow in his footsteps. He is blessed with two children from the womb of Senora Morales at the same time. First comes a daughter, Maria Morales, represented in childhood and young adulthood by Jean Van and Esther Williams. Moments later comes Mario Morales, performed as a child and as an adult by Joey Preston and Ricardo Montalban. The father welcomes his daughter's appearance into the world with pride, but absolutely dotes upon his son as the embodiment of his dream.
This story is a sly satire about the virtues and limitations of machismo. The Senior Morales is so intent to have his son become the next step in his creation of a dynasty, that he fails to give a proper evaluation of what exactly are his only son's hope and dreams. He also does not give much consideration to the fact that his daughter, Maria, has developed an aptitude for handling the cape and charging bulls in such a way as easily rivals Mario's own skill. While Mario from youth up to now has demonstrated a skill formed for a destiny in the bull ring, he comes alive even more for the thrill of music and composing. We sense through the narrative that in actuality there are two men who are serving as twin fathers to Mario's growth and development. There is Antonia Morales, his biological father, who sees him as one the greatest products of his manly virtue he can give to the future, and Maximino Contreras, the Maestro who sees in him the seeds of a great musician and artist capable of creating without dedicating himself to cruelty, violence and death.
The positive and negative qualities pertaining to the subject of Machismo is a fascinating study. It would be unfair to suggest that this little light comedy is a comprehensive examination of such a complex matter, anymore than to offer up the political satire of the film STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) as the last word on Fascism. No, what we have here is a romance with a good heart, that delicately treads on the duties and responsibilities that siblings have to themselves and to each other and to the concept of family, both biological and spiritual. Oddly enough, this is all touched upon in an intense passionate swirl of song and dance and music and familial humor that drolly walks with its partner away from the dance floor. This movie teaches no particular lessons except that it can be great fun to follow the beat of your own drummer.
Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is also apparently more than one way to know what it feels like to be a man. Perhaps The Cretan Glance can be found behind the rippling keys of a piano as much as it can be found in death in the afternoon. It could well be that Aaron Copland's 'El Salon de Mexico' has a power to strike fire in the heart, and lift spirits in a way that rivals even the most famous toreador marshaling his sword behind his muleta. Beyond that, it might even be possible for a woman to wield a cape with as much eloquent courage as a man. Unlikely, but not entirely beyond the realm of possibility when dealing with twins.
Ricardo Montalban is ably assisted in his debut by a more than worthy ensemble sporting the likes of Akim Tamiroff as Chato Vasquez, Mary Astor as Senora Morales, and Cyd Charisse as Conchita among others. John Carroll as Jose 'Pepe' Ortega adds more than a knife and a fork to the party while Alan Napier lends an unflappable dignity to the festive affairs. The music of Johnny Green brings us both the tantalizing flavor and breathtaking soul of the Latino experience. Director Richard Thorpe, casting not a few Americans in roles perhaps more deserving for those of Mexican heritage, yet and still gives us a rousing homage to its ethos. Esther Williams proves she can be more than pretty when wet, and despite the vicissitudes of production, cuts a mean figure in a traje de luces suit.
~Nikos Kazantzakis
Mario Morales finds himself the heir to this rich legacy of confronting life with courage, grace and self mastery. He is the twin son of a renowned bullfighter, Antonia Morales, as played with regal regard by Fortunio Bonanova, who has longed for son to follow in his footsteps. He is blessed with two children from the womb of Senora Morales at the same time. First comes a daughter, Maria Morales, represented in childhood and young adulthood by Jean Van and Esther Williams. Moments later comes Mario Morales, performed as a child and as an adult by Joey Preston and Ricardo Montalban. The father welcomes his daughter's appearance into the world with pride, but absolutely dotes upon his son as the embodiment of his dream.
This story is a sly satire about the virtues and limitations of machismo. The Senior Morales is so intent to have his son become the next step in his creation of a dynasty, that he fails to give a proper evaluation of what exactly are his only son's hope and dreams. He also does not give much consideration to the fact that his daughter, Maria, has developed an aptitude for handling the cape and charging bulls in such a way as easily rivals Mario's own skill. While Mario from youth up to now has demonstrated a skill formed for a destiny in the bull ring, he comes alive even more for the thrill of music and composing. We sense through the narrative that in actuality there are two men who are serving as twin fathers to Mario's growth and development. There is Antonia Morales, his biological father, who sees him as one the greatest products of his manly virtue he can give to the future, and Maximino Contreras, the Maestro who sees in him the seeds of a great musician and artist capable of creating without dedicating himself to cruelty, violence and death.
The positive and negative qualities pertaining to the subject of Machismo is a fascinating study. It would be unfair to suggest that this little light comedy is a comprehensive examination of such a complex matter, anymore than to offer up the political satire of the film STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) as the last word on Fascism. No, what we have here is a romance with a good heart, that delicately treads on the duties and responsibilities that siblings have to themselves and to each other and to the concept of family, both biological and spiritual. Oddly enough, this is all touched upon in an intense passionate swirl of song and dance and music and familial humor that drolly walks with its partner away from the dance floor. This movie teaches no particular lessons except that it can be great fun to follow the beat of your own drummer.
Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is also apparently more than one way to know what it feels like to be a man. Perhaps The Cretan Glance can be found behind the rippling keys of a piano as much as it can be found in death in the afternoon. It could well be that Aaron Copland's 'El Salon de Mexico' has a power to strike fire in the heart, and lift spirits in a way that rivals even the most famous toreador marshaling his sword behind his muleta. Beyond that, it might even be possible for a woman to wield a cape with as much eloquent courage as a man. Unlikely, but not entirely beyond the realm of possibility when dealing with twins.
Ricardo Montalban is ably assisted in his debut by a more than worthy ensemble sporting the likes of Akim Tamiroff as Chato Vasquez, Mary Astor as Senora Morales, and Cyd Charisse as Conchita among others. John Carroll as Jose 'Pepe' Ortega adds more than a knife and a fork to the party while Alan Napier lends an unflappable dignity to the festive affairs. The music of Johnny Green brings us both the tantalizing flavor and breathtaking soul of the Latino experience. Director Richard Thorpe, casting not a few Americans in roles perhaps more deserving for those of Mexican heritage, yet and still gives us a rousing homage to its ethos. Esther Williams proves she can be more than pretty when wet, and despite the vicissitudes of production, cuts a mean figure in a traje de luces suit.