Ánimas Trujano (film)

(Redirected from The Important Man)

Ánimas Trujano (El hombre importante) (The Important Man) is a 1962 Mexican drama film directed by Ismael Rodríguez, based on a novel by Rogelio Barriga Rivas. It stars Toshiro Mifune, Columba Domínguez, Flor Silvestre, and Antonio Aguilar.

The Important Man
Ánimas Trujano (El hombre importante)
Directed byIsmael Rodríguez
Written byIsmael Rodríguez
Ricardo Garibay
Vicente Oroná Jr.
Based onLa mayordomía
by Rogelio Barriga Rivas
Produced byIsmael Rodríguez
StarringToshiro Mifune
Columba Domínguez
Flor Silvestre
Antonio Aguilar
CinematographyGabriel Figueroa
Edited byJorge Bustos
Music byRaúl Lavista
Production
company
Películas Rodríguez
Release date
  • January 10, 1962 (1962-01-10) (Mexico)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot

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From left to right: Antonio Aguilar, Toshiro Mifune and Flor Silvestre in a publicity photograph for the film

The film's setting is a town in Oaxaca during the festival of its patron saint, for which the church appoints a layman as mayordomo or steward, an honor that in effect is gained by being able to organize and cover the high costs of most of the saint's local festivities. The post is however very coveted by the locals as it is socially prestigious.

Ánimas Trujano (Mifune, dubbed by Narciso Busquets) is a drunken, irresponsible peasant who abuses his children and does nothing while his long-suffering wife supports the family. Obsessed with earning the respect which is denied to him by his peers as a result of his behavior, Trujano aims to be mayordomo in the annual festival and begins to do everything he can to get the needed money. After his eldest daughter is impregnated out of wedlock by the son of the local land baron (played by Eduardo Fajardo), Trujano sells the baby to the land baron in exchange for a small fortune that makes him eligible to be appointed mayordomo.

Meanwhile, Trujano's wife (Columba Domínguez) encounters trouble when it is revealed that her husband has been seeing a local woman of dubious morals (Flor Silvestre).

Cast

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Awards and nominations

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The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film[1] and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1962.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
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