Salvador Toscano Barragan opened Mexico's first public movie theater in 1897, which showed early films like 'The Great Train Robbery' and 'A Trip to the Moon'. He began his film-making career by filming local sports and news events, and by making short documentaries out of the footage. In 1898 he began production on the country's first full-length feature, 'Don Juan Tenorio', based on a stage play by the same name.
Despite being Mexico's first fiction filmmaker, Barragan considered himself a documentarian more than anything, and filmed many of the events of the Mexican Revolution. Most of his career was focused on those years. His recordings were gathered into a 100-minute film in 1950 by his daughter Carmen, by which point some of the footage was already over half a century old.
By 1906, there were sixteen movie salons in Mexico City, as well as tent shows which catered to the lower-class citizens of the area. However, film production ground to a virtual halt during the next few years due to political tension and slashing of government budgets. The 1930s saw stability return to the region, and filmmaking once again took off, with directors experimenting with the medium to create new ways of telling a story. The first Mexican 'talkie' was released in 1931.
The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema started in the 1940s; actors and directors became household names, and the industry was full of promise. With Hollywood and Europe focused on World War II, Mexico was able to dominate Latin America in terms of movie production. The most popular performer during this time was Mario Moreno, AKA Cantinflas; upon the release of the film 'Ahi Esta El Detalle', he was compared favorably to Charlie Chaplin.
In 1943, the industry produced 43 films, the most for a Spanish-speaking country at the time. Several of these starred Dolores del Rio, an immensely popular and beautiful actress who had been a silent star in Hollywood before moving to the Mexican industry; she was often called the "Princess of Mexico". Her two 1943 productions, 'Flor Silvestre' and 'Maria Candelaria', are still beloved and well-known to this day. They were directed by Emilio Fernandez, one of the country's most prolific filmmakers.
In 1948 the first Mexican film trilogy was released, consisting of 'Nosotros Los Pobres', 'Ustedes Los Ricos', and 'Pepe el Toro'. Another notable filmmaker working in the Golden Age was the avant garde artist Luis Bunuel, who arrived in Mexico in 1946. This creative and prosperous era lasted until the end of the 1950s.
Despite being Mexico's first fiction filmmaker, Barragan considered himself a documentarian more than anything, and filmed many of the events of the Mexican Revolution. Most of his career was focused on those years. His recordings were gathered into a 100-minute film in 1950 by his daughter Carmen, by which point some of the footage was already over half a century old.
By 1906, there were sixteen movie salons in Mexico City, as well as tent shows which catered to the lower-class citizens of the area. However, film production ground to a virtual halt during the next few years due to political tension and slashing of government budgets. The 1930s saw stability return to the region, and filmmaking once again took off, with directors experimenting with the medium to create new ways of telling a story. The first Mexican 'talkie' was released in 1931.
The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema started in the 1940s; actors and directors became household names, and the industry was full of promise. With Hollywood and Europe focused on World War II, Mexico was able to dominate Latin America in terms of movie production. The most popular performer during this time was Mario Moreno, AKA Cantinflas; upon the release of the film 'Ahi Esta El Detalle', he was compared favorably to Charlie Chaplin.
In 1943, the industry produced 43 films, the most for a Spanish-speaking country at the time. Several of these starred Dolores del Rio, an immensely popular and beautiful actress who had been a silent star in Hollywood before moving to the Mexican industry; she was often called the "Princess of Mexico". Her two 1943 productions, 'Flor Silvestre' and 'Maria Candelaria', are still beloved and well-known to this day. They were directed by Emilio Fernandez, one of the country's most prolific filmmakers.
In 1948 the first Mexican film trilogy was released, consisting of 'Nosotros Los Pobres', 'Ustedes Los Ricos', and 'Pepe el Toro'. Another notable filmmaker working in the Golden Age was the avant garde artist Luis Bunuel, who arrived in Mexico in 1946. This creative and prosperous era lasted until the end of the 1950s.
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