Aventurera

Plot synopsis:
The quiet life of the young Elena (Ninón Sevilla), changes dramatically when her mother runs off with her lover, causing the suicide of her father. Alone and without resources, she immigrates to Ciudad Juárez, where she unsuccessfully looks for work. On the verge of starvation, Elena agrees to work with Lucio (Tito Junco), suspecting that his offer is a trap for prostitution. She ends up dancing in the cabaret of Rosaura (Andrea Palma), a woman who leads a double life: six months a year she oversees her brothel in Juarez, and the other six months she is a respectable society lady of Guadalajara. Rosaura abused and deeply humiliated Elena, who ends up running away from her with the help of Lucio, only to have to flee the city when Lucio gets involved in an assault and ends up in prison. Elena decides to start a new life working as a showgirl in Guadalajara. There she meets Mario (Ruben Rojo), a handsome young man who falls for her. Elena accepts his marriage proposal, only to discover, through a bitter twist of fate, that Rosaura is the mother of Mario. Elena decides to continue with her plans as a way of torturing Rosaura and avenge all the evil that caused her. But Lucio escape from prison, complicating the Elena riot situation.

Tags: revenge, murder, melodrama

Review:
"Aventurera" is a very good melodrama - meaning a drama spiced with musical numbers.
Well, anyway by seeing the picture I had the feeling that the actors were not really taking their part so seriously; what I mean is that it felt like they were having fun - the melodrama with its conventions, its stock characters and innumerable twists, had no surprises in store for them.
The only thing demanded of the public was a complete suspension of disbelief and they were only too happy to comply.The stereotyped roles presented by "Aventurera" demanded a stylized interpretation, so the film is a melodrama with a light touch - it tells a tragic story sprinkled with musical numbers.
And here enters the heroine.Niñon Sevilla is wonderful - I'm not speaking of her acting qualities, because good acting was not demanded for her character and would only spoil the film.
One can detect a feeling of camaraderie among the actors throughout the film.There's a musical number where Niñon Sevilla, dressed as Carmen Miranda, sings "Chiquita Bacana" in Portuguese!
"Aventurera" is a really good film - it's a melodrama like no other.
But Mexico is also the home of the 'cabaretera' genre of movie musical, in which a beautiful young woman is caught between a soap-opera plot line and elaborate floor numbers set in a nightclub.
Lovely young Cuban actress/dancer Ninón Sevilla stars as Elena, a virginal (but gorgeous blonde) Mejicana who is utterly devoted to her father.
Elena abandons her villainous mother, and goes off to Mexico City to seek her fortune.She meets a handsome young man named Lucio who offers to protect her, and who immediately takes her to meet a domineering woman named Rosaura who offers Elena a cup of tea ...
Elena's cabaret numbers are campy, but I was relieved that they never quite sink to the Carmen Miranda level.
(I despise Carmen Miranda.) The musical numbers are impressively staged, on a large budget, and are enjoyable in their own right...
The title song, a gentle ballad sung by a male soloist accompanied by Spanish guitar, is wistful and haunting.Eventually Elena escapes from the nightclub.
because (except for her dead dad) every major character whom Elena meets in the first half of the movie turns up 'unexpectedly' in the second half of the film, so eventually these 'unexpected' appearances become very expected indeed.
At one point late in the film, as Elena walked back to her hotel room, I found myself thinking: 'Lucio hasn't come back yet: it's just about time for him to escape from prison and come looking for Elena.' Just as I thought this, Elena walked into her room and switched on the light.
Except for Elena and her father, every major character in this movie is unsympathetic.
His appearance and behaviour suggest a stereotypical pervert, but his interest in Elena really seems to arise from dog-like affection rather than lust.
At the end of the film, El Rana murders Lucio with a well-placed 'cuchillo', then he watches approvingly from the shadows as Elena goes off to seek a better life for herself.
It's clear that this strange little man's interest in Elena is unselfish, and that he realises he's unworthy of her.I'll rate 'Aventurera' 8 out of 10.
I hope no one adds to that excellent plot summary, because the less you know about the story going into it, the better this movie is.
I only wanted to add that one of the delights of "Aventurera" is that it features several of the best singers and musicians of Mexico in that era, beginning with the title song by Agustín Lara.I didn't rate the movie because I think it's in a class of its own.
I know there are other related films in the noir+musical vein, but in terms of talent and plot twists, there is nothing quite like "Aventurera."And ¡Brava!
Two exceptions are Anthony Mann's 1944 Minstrel Man and Gregory Ratoff's 1939 Rose of Washington Square in which Tyrone Power plays an even sleazier and less likable male lead than Tito Junco in Alberto Gout's celebrated Mexican noir melodrama, Aventurera (1950).
Like Rose, Aventurera is superbly photographed (by Alex Phillips) and also boasts a splendid gallery of supporting figures, led by Andrea Palmer's Joan Crawford-like madame and Miguel Inclan's remarkable Rengo who starts off as the most despicable criminal in the movie, yet becomes at the film's end by far the most sympathetic – and without changing his character!
And as for the lavish staging of the musical numbers, Aventurera easily gets the nod.
Albert Ketelbey's "In a Persian Market" receives a truly rousing treatment not only from the orchestra and dancer-choreographer-heroine Ninon Sevilla, but from veteran film editor, Alfredo Rosas Priego (no less than 240 movies, would you believe?).
This greatly satisfying 1950 Mexican film, directed by Alberto Gout, is one of the best of the genre.
It helped to have cast a charismatic Ninon Sevilla to star as the woman at the center of the action.The story of "Aventurera", with its twists and turns, is something that was typical of the 1950s films from Mexico.
The story of a young, and naive young woman who learns about her mother's disloyalty to a father she adores, sends this film spinning into a real adventure.
She will remain a good woman no matter what.As in all the Mexican soap operas that are a staple of that country's TV, "Aventurera" keeps building up on unsavory situations where our heroine will have to fight against until everything turns well at the end.
Elena Tejera is different in many ways; she never stoops low to the sleazy life where everyone wants to get her into.Ninon Sevilla, the Cuban born star of "Aventurera" makes a charismatic appearance in the film.
Andrea Palma is excellent as the villainous Rosaura and Ruben Rojo is the kind Mario.This is a fun film that keeps delighting us..
The best known in a series of lurid "Rumbera" films, a genre peculiar to Mexican Cinema which combines noir and musical numbers, and usually takes place in the underworld of nightclubs and gangsters.
Starring Cuban actress Ninón Sevilla and directed by Alberto Gout who directed her in other similar films with names such as "Perdida" and "Sensualidad".
A campy stage show was created in the 1990's based on the film and is still running today in Mexico City.
So, in many ways it is reminiscent of a post-code Hollywood picture--gutted of its sexuality and sordidness.When the film begins, Elena is a happy young woman and her life seems wonderful.
It all begins when Elena's mother takes off with another man.
A 'friend' offers to help her and after he gives her some adulterated champagne, she awakens to find herself in captivity--forced to work for an evil lady.At this point, you assume Elena is going to be a prostitute--and it looks as if that is what the film WANTS to say.
Nah. They really are attempting, in a very clumsy way, to imply she's a prostitute and sleeps with customers--though you never see anything remotely like this and it's obviously a case of over-sanitizing the plot.What follows is a plot by Elena not only to escape from her boss but to ruin her.
While this is supposed to be one of Mexico's better films of the era, I just found it all to be a boring mess which again and again failed to capitalize on a decent story idea..
"Aventurera" has all the trappings of a modern, classic noir film.
It contains, but is not limited to, an exciting robbery heist gone wrong, double crossing, sexual innuendos, a dastardly mother, and a femme fatale that can not only hold her own with the guys, but dance whenever a moment gets too tense.
Made during an era where films were willing, and excited to take challenges, "Aventurera" begins with a bang and ends with a bigger bang.
It successfully keeps your attention through numerous characters, both evil and righteous, while continuing to keep you in the dark about the true motives of our heroine, Elena (played by Ninon Sevilla).
This is a noir film, it is stylish and backstabbing all at the same time, but there is another element throughout the film which heavily pulls it away from the true roots of the word "noir", and that my friends, is the nearly half-dozen song and dance routines smitten throughout.
It is the one crucial element that pulled "Aventurera" from a supporting noir to a mediocre entry into 1940s cinema.What was there to enjoy about this film?
I digress, Ninon Sevilla portrayed Elena as this no-nonsense girl who wasn't afraid to show her emotion and be the one to take the lead.
Videohound's Independent Film Guide quotes, "Before we saw it ["Aventurera"], we'd never heard of its star, Ninon Sevilla, and now we can't wait to see some of her other movies", and I couldn't agree further.
Sevilla could even sing and dance, and while it was a distraction from the film, she was graceful and elegant in the way that she did it.
There were elements that felt too lightly handled, but when it came to the big bang moments, the team behind this film had no problem showing us their goods.
"Aventurera" shocked me, much like other films from the 40s, with its dark sexual undertones.
"Aventurera" is a very suspenseful film, and was able to keep this audience right at the edge of my seat.Overall, this isn't a perfect film.
There is one song which Sevilla wears bananas while dancing which brought me into a frustrating sweat due to its similarities to a horrid pseudo-documentary entitled, "Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business".
I loved the juxtaposition between Sevilla and her arch rival, Rosaura (played by Andrea Palma)  their scene shot sparks from my DVD player.
The characters are worth viewing this film once, maybe twice, but the songs are fast-forward-able.
These pulp-fiction film-noir musical extravaganzas are considered camp today and this one, starring the incredible Ninon Sevilla, is a classic example.
The Joan's over-heated Deep South potboiler would have made a fantastic cabaretera if they'd expanded Crawford's carnival cooch-dance and later had her become the hottest musical entertainer in Lute Mae's whorehouse.AVENTURERA careens from one melodramatic situation to the next from the outset and never lets up.
How Elena rises to become the top attraction of the cathouse/cabaret is only one of the many jaw-dropping plot developments.
There's a few more surprises as Elena, bitter but ambitious, sets out for revenge, but little does she know there's a man from her past looking to even the score.
It's the world, not the ruling class, that's decadent and corrupt and, unlike Joan Crawford's FLAMINGO ROAD, in the end all you have is yourself.Ninon Sevilla, like Maria Montez, takes her role very seriously and the Cuban dynamo throws herself into the role of Elena with delirious abandon.
Just try to look away from her musical numbers as Americans old enough to remember will re-live the old "Chicquita Banana" TV commercials.
Over-ripe dialog abounds (at one point Elena exclaims "My life has only been the road to perversion!") and there's an unforgettable title tune ("And he who awaits the sweet honey of your kiss/Must pay the price in diamonds for your sin")!
With (director) Alberto Gout, she completed a brilliant cycle of films that include AVENTURERA and SENSUALIDAD.
Sevilla no longer dances the rumba on-stage, but she assures me that she continues to do so in private life.
The only thing you need concentrate on is the incandescent presence of Ninon Sevilla in the title role as Elena Tejero, first an obedient middle class daughter wearing horrid plaid dresses and retarded hairdos that suddenly falls into hard times and her work/career runs the gamut quickly from secretary/waitress to cabaret dancer/prostitute.
This is a film you will never forget if only because the intense gesturing and posturing (there is no acting here) of Ninon Sevilla is too delicious for words, it needs to be seen, and several times, to be appreciated.
I will summarize by stating that her first cabaret appearance is directly related to the "ritual oriental dance" that was a sleazy feature of adventure/film noir and even horror movies since the days of Pola Negri in "The Eyes of the Mummy", which I believe is the first one.
Although she looks like a giant insect that has sprouted antenna, she acts and moves so convincingly as the "cabaretera" that we start to think this is normal, then she jumps into her elaborate Brazillian number, heavily influenced by Carmen Miranda and in the midst of a cloud of fog her headdress is transformed into a basket of bananas with foil accents that are just too divine for words.
He also happens to be the son of a the "evil" woman that owns the cabaret where Elena was transformed from studious secretary into dancing harlot.
This middle aged woman character, Rosaura Cervera (played by Andrea Palma) is so outlandish, yet believable when one thinks that she anticipated the Mayflower Madam in Manhattan by almost half a century, that it deserves a study of its own, not to mention a seminar for split personality experts.
Their double entendre conversations from the moment they meet again as 'decent' women are the blueprint of drag queen competition dialogs, accompanied by a cavalcade of sudden tragic expressions, fits of fluttering from multi-leveled eye-lashes, twisting of the mouths into serpent-like lip acrobatics, all of which could turn plumbers into female impersonators if adequately imitated with patient study, which actually makes this film a true primer for drag studies.
There are many more twists and turn to the story which includes a film-noir jewelry heist, the unbridled passion of an escaped criminal, a murderous, deformed, yet loyal friend of Elena's, and so much more excitement than this summary could possibly describe.
An extraordinary creation of kitsch that anticipates Latin soap operas by a generation, this is a groundbreaking document of B cinema, film noir and gender studies..
Take a Lana Turner impersonator, a melodramatic plot from a Douglas Sirk film, stir with Busby Berkeley dance routines and more than a little film noir shadows and fog, and you will have "Aventurera," a camp classic that provides 101 minutes of entertainment with a lot of fun and laughs.It has a plot that goes on and on, the sort of story that would have been packed between the lurid covers of a '50's paperback.
"The mother of the man she loved was the madam who'd turned her into a harlot," the banner across the cover would have read.
The nightclub in Rosaura's brothel and her office, with its window that looked down on the customers seemed taken directly from "Gilda." Fog-shrouded streets resembled those of any number of noirs I've seen (foggy finale of "The Big Combo").The dance numbers, all of which were superfluous to the plot, were influenced by 20th Century Fox musicals that featured Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda.Had this been an American film, it would not have pleased the Hays Office for it is explicit in making clear that Elena becomes a prostitute.
Elena's rape is never shown, and when she appears the following morning to confront the madam, Rosaura, demanding to be let out of the brothel, all of her makeup is in place.
The Hays Office would have demanded that such scenes be deleted.Another thing that interested me about this film: all of the lead actors look very American.
Ninon Sevilla, who plays Elena, obviously a graduate of the Lana Turner School of Dramatic Arts, acts with the Turner flashing eyes and flaring nostrils.
In this cabaretera, Elena's curdled milk of human kindness would choke Mother Teresa.
Elena Tejero (Ninon Sevilla) is a peppy young girl from a well-to-do family in Chihuahua, the kind who skips across the dining room to plant a happy kiss on her loving father's indulgent cheek.
When her mother leaves home for another man and her father kills himself, a sad Elena decides to go to Juarez and find a new life as a secretary.
Thanks to Pretty Boy Lucio, a pimp and gangster, the innocent Elena winds up drunk, drugged and assaulted in the brothel/cabaret owned by a woman known as Rosaura.
Elena's future is simple, Rosaura tells her.
Elena does what she must, gains popularity as a dancer, never meets a man worth more than a used piece of wet chewing gum and gets out as soon as she can.
It's not long before Elena is a smash as a dancer and singer in Mexico City.
Elena by now has turned into a hard young woman who is determined to wreak vengeance on those who have ruined her life.
The twist, when it comes, is going to give Elena a lot of gimlet pleasure.
Aventurera is Elena's story.
We're talking corruption and revenge; songs and production numbers; diaphanous costumes and pineapple hats, melodrama and death; sex and sin...lot's of sin.
The movie is a type of Mexican film called a cabaretera, a cabaret/crime/melodrama movie that was hugely popular in post-WWII Mexico.
Ninon Sevilla may not have been a great actress but she had energy to burn.
With all the songs, dances, theatrics and...well, stuff, is Aventurera as campy as some say?
"Sell your love dearly, Aventurera./ May it pay the great cost of your painful past.
This is a gas.Its Mexican, and in the Spanish tradition that everything goes: all sorts of narrative devices and all sorts of plot types are sliced and diced and served in a sort of salsa that makes sense.Its old fashioned floor show musical, but sexier.
And it works, which is the miracle that is the most attractive.The noir elements are in the simple plot: girl on the street gets sold into slavery to a woman whose rich son she subsequently marries out of spite  and then falls in love with him.