“If Garbo was a woman who became a goddess, Dolores del Río was a goddess who became a woman.” — Carlos Fuentes
In LA OTRA/THE OTHER ONE (1946)—directed by Roberto Gavaldón—del Río plays twin sisters: one bad, the other worse. Dead husbands, playboy lovers, mirrors, betrayals, and closets full of couture all play their part in this Mexican noir—the first big hit by its director.
The films of Gavaldón (1909–1986)—a peer of Douglas Sirk, Vincente Minnelli, and Max Ophüls—are largely unknown in the States. This rare double bill—part of the PST: LA/LA program Recuerdos de un cine en español: Latin American Cinema in Los Angeles, 1930-1960—includes another Gavaldón masterpiece, EN LA PALMA DE TU MANO (1951), starring Arturo de Córdoba.
LA OTRA and EN LA PALMA DE TU MANO
Monday, September 25, at 7:30 pm.
Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood, Los Angeles.
From top: La Otra poster; Victor Junco and Dolores del Río in La Otra; Del Río.