| El ojo de vidrio | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | René Cardona Jr. |
| Produced by | Antonio Aguilar |
| Written by | Antonio Aguilar Alfredo Varela |
| Starring | Antonio Aguilar Flor Silvestre Alejandro Reyna Guillermo Rivas Arturo Castro Víctor Alcocer |
| Cinematography | Raúl Domínguez |
| Editing by | Federico Landeros |
| Studio | Estudios Ámerica S.A. Cinematografica Águila |
| Release date(s) | October 23, 1969 (Mexico) |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
El ojo de vidrio ("The Glass Eye") is a 1969 Mexican drama-epic film directed by René Cardona Jr., starring Antonio Aguilar, Flor Silvestre, Manuel Capetillo, Eleazar García, Alejandro Reyna, and Guillermo Rivas. With a backdrop of the Mexican revolution, the film recounts the story of horse wrangler-turned bandit Porfirio Alcalá y Buenavista who becomes the subject of a popularly known corrido along with his four cousins, after being notoriously heroic for raiding rich landlords and helping the poor. Being each notable for having one eye as the result of an injustice, the five heroes meet two townswomen and a theater actor who helps them disguise for their various raids. As their last raid attack, they take vengeance to the man who caused their tragedy, and evade a revolutionary troops who call for peace after Porfirio Díaz resigns and is exiled.
El ojo de vidrio, shot on location in Tayahua, was a box-office hit[1] in Mexican theaters and a particularly distinctive for its imaginative use of mixing drama with comic relief within the main characters. The film's story and screenplay were written by Antonio Aguilar and Alfredo Varela, who also portrays the theater actor. The film is also notable for being 110 minutes long, which is not the average runtime for normal low-budget Mexican films. It spawned the sequel Vuelve el ojo de vidrio released the next year.
Contents |
| Actor | Character | Description | Sequel appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Aguilar | Porfirio Alcalá y Buenavista | One-eyed revolutionary and former sharecropper who plans to stop the injustices, that include the death of his father, that run rampant during Porfirio Díaz's presidency. He is in love with Coralillo and plans to marry her and retreat to a peaceful farm life. | Yes |
| Flor Silvestre | María "La Coralillo" | Singer, daughter of a maderista, and a native of San José de Gracia she is the love interest of Porfirio and the cousin of Cocorito. She is feisty, outspoken, and brave hence her nickname coralillo in reference to her dangerous personality such as the snake. | Yes |
| Manuel Capetillo | Gumaro Buenavista | One-eyed General of Porfirio's army and his cousin, he is the bad-mouthed, impatient one of the four brothers. Whenever he wants to curse, Porfirio or his brothers whistle at him in order to prevent him from cursing. | Yes |
| Eleazar García | Chelelo Buenavista | One-eyed General of Porfirio's army and his cousin, he is the funny, dim-witted one of the four brothers. | Yes |
| Alejandro Reyna | Plácido Buenavista | One-eyed General of Porfirio's army and his cousin, he is the logical, and oldest one of the four brothers. | Yes |
| Guillermo Rivas | Jerónimo Buenavista | One-eyed General of Porfirio's army and his cousin, he is the slow-thinking, and shy one of the four brothers. He is in love with Cocorito, and plans to marry her. | Yes |
| Arturo Martínez | Melitón Barbosa | Brutal, rich hacendado whom Porfirio's father owes money, and then causes his death and leaves his son and nephews each without an eye. | Yes |
| Raúl Meraz | Capitán Mendiosabál | Federal army official whose regiment is located at San José de Gracia, and is infatuated with Coralillo and is friend to Don Ramíro and Señor de la Maza. | No |
| Luis Manuel Pelayo | Señor de la Maza | Fast-talking Spaniard horse rancher who is also raided by Porfirio. | No |
| Arturo Castro | Don Ramíro | Affluent cattle-rancher, raided by Porfirio. | No |
| Yuyú Varela | Socorro González "La Cocorito" | Hilarious cousin of Coralillo, in love with Jerónimo. | Yes |
| Alfredo Varela | Señor Fregoli "Fregolini" | Theatrical actor and makeup artist, he helps Porfirio with his and his cousins' disguises and also accompanies them to their various journeys. | Yes |
| Víctor Alcocer | Bernardo Iglesias del Toro | Last cattle-rancher raided by Porfirio, and also reports him and orders to arrest Coralillo and Cocorito. | No |
El ojo de vidrio was first released in VHS in 1991 by Million Dollar Video, and later in 2003 under the "Antonio Aguilar: Colleción Clásica". In 2006, Tekila Films digitally restored the film and released in the DVD format, with bonus features such as scene selections and biographies.