El fantasma del convento
| The Phantom of the Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Fernando de Fuentes |
| Produced by | Jorge Pezet |
| Written by | Fernando de Fuentes, Jorge Pezet, Juan Bustillo Oro |
| Starring | Marta Roel, Carlos Villatoro, Enrique del Campo, Paco Martinez, Jose Rocha, Victorio Blanco |
| Cinematography | Ross Fisher |
| Distributed by | Producciones Fesa |
Release dates | 1934 |
Running time | 85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes) |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
El fantasma del convento ("The Phantom of the Monastery") is a 1934 Mexican film. It was directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Fernando de Fuentes, the first master of the Mexican cinema, shot this oppressive movie on location in the Teotzotlan monastery. The macabre and lyrical story can be read in two ways.
Plot
Cristina (Marta Roel), the wife of Eduardo (Carlos Villatoro), tries to seduce their friend, Alfonso (Enrique del Campo). One night, they lose their way and are guided by a mysterious stranger to an eerie monastery. Over a meal, the old Father Superior (Paco Martinez) tells them the story of a monk who seduced a friend's wife: when he died, the monk could not find peace in death and returned to his cursed cell. Alfonso, about to give in to Cristina's advances, finds the fateful cell and enters it. The sinful monk's mummified corpse gestures towards a book dripping with blood and when the cadaver of Eduardo appears to him as well, Alfonso sinks into a delirium. When he wakes, the trio find out that the monastery has been a ruin for many years and the crypt with the mummified monk has become a tourist attraction. During a final meal in the spectral setting, Cristina accuses Alfonso of cowardice.
Interpretation
While the story can be understood as accusing women of being vessels of the devil, the visual aspects of the fantasy contrast the desiccated bodies of the monks and the monastery's acetic blankness to the vibrant sensuality of the dark-haired Roel whose sexuality neither marriage, religion nor superstition can repress. Desire and repression are shown as two sides of the same coin. Repression is signified through the story's literary content and the Father Superior's tale which is spoken rather than shown, while desire disturbs and positively animates the movie's imagery.
Reception
The entire picture, with its ghostly, self-flagellating monks, empty coffins and shadowy bats, bathes in an uncanny atmosphere, with the cell scene as the undoubted high point of the film.
Although excellently shot, however, the story is rather slow-paced.
Co-scenarist Juan Bustillo Oro went on to direct another classic monk story, Dos Monjes (1934).