Screen/Society--Archibald Motley Exhibition Film Series--"Victimas del Pecado" ("Victims of Sin")+short film: "The Fireman of the Folies Bergere"

Film Screening: "Victimas del Pecado" with "The Fireman of the Folies Bergère" (short film). // "Victimas del Pecado" ("Victims of Sin")(Emilio Fernandez, 1951, Mexico, 90 min, Spanish w/ English subtitles, B/W, DVD). Hailed by critics as one of the best Mexican films ever made, "Victimas del Pecado" explores the mysterious, exotic underworld of postwar Mexico City. Cuban Cabaret dancer Violeta (Ninón Sevilla) rescues an abandoned baby from a garbage can in Mexico City's red-light district. She decides to raise the child, a decision that puts her at odds with cabaret owner Rodolfo (Rodolfo Acosta). Santiago (Tito Junco), a rival club owner, falls in love with Violeta and offers to help. Powerfully told, the story unfolds amidst nocturnal ambiance with musical numbers by mambo king Dámaso Pérez Prado and Pedro Vargas, one of Mexico's most popular singers of the era. Featuring the impressive direction of Emilio "Indio" Fernández and the stunning cinematography of Academy Award nominee Gabriel Figueroa, "Victimas del Pecado" is an international classic, full of Rumberas, zoot suits and dizzying dance sequences. // "The Fireman of the Folies Bergère" (1929, France, 8 min, Silent, B/W; featuring Josephine Baker). After watching the dancers at the Folies Bergère, a fireman stops in for a drink. As he becomes intoxicated, his thoughts return to the dancers, and he begins to see images of nude dancers all around him, wherever he goes.