MACARIO

Mexico, during the eighteenth century on all souls day. Macarlo is obsessed by his own poverty and the idea of death. Macario dreams of skulls devouring turkeys. He decides to endure his hunger until he has swallowed a whole turkey alone. So he goes to the woods and eats a turkey that his wife has stolen for him, refusing to offer even a piece to the Devil or to God, while he shares it with Death who in exchange gives him water with which to heal the sick. Macario heals one of his own five sons with the water. His fame as a healer grows. Macario becomes rich, but the Inquisition arrests him and searches his house. In spite of the fact that he overcomes every test to which he is subjected, he is declared to be a witch doctor and condemned to the stake. He can only save himself by healing the sick son of the viceroy. But Death refuses to help him and shows him the flame of his life which is just about to go out. Macario tries to steal the flame and escape, but his wife finds him dead with the turkey still intact.

Director: Roberto Gavaldón.
Plot: B. Traven, da un racconto dei fratelli Grimm.
Screenplay: Emilio Carballido, Roberto Gavaldón.
Director of photography: Gabriel Figueroa.
Art director: Manuel Fontanals.
Costume designer: Anita Jones.
Editor: Gloria Schoemann.
Music: Raúl Lavista.
Sound: Jesús González Gancy, Galdino Samperio.
Cast and characters: Ignacio López Tarso (Macario), Pina Pellicer (moglie di Macario), Enrique Lucero (la Morte), Mario Alberto Rodríguez (signor Ramiro), Enrique García Alvarez (inquisitore), José Gálvez (il Diavolo), José Luis Jiménez (Dio), Wally Barrón (fornaio).
Production company: José Luis Celis, per CLASA Films Mundiales, Armando Orive Alba.