Nobleza gaucha (1915 film)

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Nobleza gaucha
Directed by Eduardo Martinez de la Pera
Humberto Cairo
Ernesto Gunche
Produced by Humberto Cairo
Written by José González Castillo
José Hernández
Rafael Obligado
Starring Arturo Mario
María Padín
Celestino Petray
Music by Francisco Canaro
Cinematography Eduardo Martinez de la Pera
Ernesto Gunche
Release date(s) 1915
Running time 30 minutes
Country Flag of Argentina Argentina
Language Spanish
Budget $20,000
IMDb profile

Nobleza gaucha ("Gaucho Nobility") is a 1915 Argentine silent film, loosely based on the Martín Fierro by José Hernández and Santos Vega by Rafael Obligado. It was directed by Eduardo Martinez de la Pera, who shared credit with Humberto Cairo, the producer, and Ernesto Gunche, the cinematographer.

[edit] Synopsis

Don José Gran, a rich businessman from Buenos Aires, travels to La Pampa in search for horses. He hires Juan, a noble gaucho that tames horses for a living, to aid him in his search. On that very day, Juan rescues a damsel in distress, María, from a crazed horse. Don José Gran then kidnaps María and goes back to Buenos Aires with her. Juan decides to go uptown and rescue her; a fellow ranchhand, Don Genaro, tags along.

Juan and Don Genaro try to go by cart to Buenos Aires, but the vehicle gets stuck, so they take the train instead. Once in Buenos Aires, they ask for directions and end up chasing a fleeing streetcar that takes them all the way to Gran's mansion. Don Genaro gets in trouble for smoking in the streetcar, and decides not to be involved in María's rescue, preferring instead to go shopping for supplies. Juan infiltrates the mansion and waits for Don Gran to arrive; he then fights him and overpowers him. María, who had been previously assaulted by Gran, is supposed dead by Juan and mourns her.

As María wakes up, Gran creeps up behind Juan, ready to kill him, but Juan blocks the stab and overcomes him once more. As he is about to kill him, María stops him, claiming that a gaucho would never kill a defenseless man. They escape the mansion and happily board the train home. The last shot shows Don Genaro on his way to the train, losing his step and scattering the supplies over the street. He picks them up, waving young boys away, and picks his way up. The film ends.

[edit] Reception

Nobleza gaucha was director de la Pera's debut in cinema. The film was made roughly with $20,000 in budget. The film earned about $1,000,000 upon its release, resulting in the highest-grossing Argentine film of its times. Using the money earned, de la Pera went on to make his second (and last) film in 1916, Hasta después de la muerte ("Until After Death"). The movie did poorly and caused de la Pera to retire. Since then, the movie has spanned a series of remakes, most notable of which is the 1937 remake, directed by Francisco Mugica.

[edit] External Links