08 · 31 · 21

La sombra del caudillo and Censorship

Rafael Aviña

Con la llegada a la presidencia de Carlos Salinas de Gortari, cambiaron las reglas de la censura y se dio apertura a temas de carácter político casi nunca abordados por nuestro cine de manera abierta. Así, en su sexenio, se produjo la primera cinta industrial sobre la matanza de Tlatelolco en 1968: Rojo amanecer (1989), de Jorge Fons y, a su vez, se desenlataba y se mal estrenaba La sombra del caudillo (1960), dirigida por Julio Bracho, que acaparó y censuró el ejército mexicano por tres décadas. El filme maldito por excelencia de nuestro cine, al que el escritor José Revueltas calificó como "la primera gran película realizada por el cine mexicano", luego de verla en una exhibición privada en el cine Versalles en 1960, se exhibía por fin en la sala "Gabriel Figueroa", sin publicidad alguna, el 25 de octubre de 1990.

The Mexican Secretary of War and Navy, General Ignacio Aguirre (Tito Junco), a prostitutes and decent young lady enthusiast, is encouraged by the party leader Emilio Oliver (Carlos López Moctezuma) and by his “conscience”, the Axcana friend (Tomás Perrín), an intellectual with socialist ideas, to run for president. However, the Caudillo in power (Miguel Ángel Férriz), decides to support the Secretary of Interior, General Hilario Jiménez (Ignacio López Tarso). Aguirre makes his candidacy public as he also feels supported by the army, although he knows that this will annoy the Caudillo.

Here, the characters are not revolutionary archetypes, but incarnations of real figures in Mexican history. The Caudillo, for example, is a combination of Elías Calles and Obregon, the latter in particular. It's important to remember that he favored the candidacy of Plutarco Elías Calles over the aspirations of Adolfo de la Huerta, in 1923. Aguirre plays De la Huerta himself and Generals Arnulfo R. Gómez and Francisco R. Serrano, who showed up as candidates before the re-election de Obregón in 1927. Gómez was shot and Serrano murdered in Huitzilac, Morelos, as is Aguirre in the film. The film is a synthesis of management in the Mexican political system: the struggles for power, alliances between parties and leaders, betrayals, and revenge. The military is always accompanied by alcohol or arrogant assassins; governors made rich while the people starve; holes and pamphlet speeches in a violent Chamber of Deputies.

La sombra del caudillo contributes crushing phrases such as: “In politics nothing is appreciated because nothing is given”, “[Early] Rising is the only verb Mexican politics can conjugate." It also closes with that magnificent sequence of the murder of Aguirre and his friends. Axcana, the only survivor, represents the whole revolutionary spirit, hurt but incorruptible, brave, and supportive. In 1990, the screening of La sombra del caudillo and Rojo amanecer was a way to showcase modern Salinista politics and the exposure of untouchable legends of the national political system.