Whatever the jury decides, the presence of Profundo carmesi (Deep Crimson) in competition at Venice is a considerable achievement in itself. Mexican director Arturo Ripstein's last feature, La reina de la noche (Queen of the Night), was in competition at Cannes in 1994, making him a name to watch in Latin American cinema. Since then Mexico's economic crisis has made financing a Mexican film as easy as Fitzcarraldo's attempt to haul a steamboat over the Andes.
Mexico may now be coming out of the wilderness, with a 33% increase in admissions in the capital between March and June 1996, but the words Mexican and film industry are still rarely seen together. According to Profundo carmesi's co-producer José Maria Morales, 'there is a lot of talent in Mexico; you just don't get to see it.'
For Morales, Ripstein is a major talent. The director of 1993's Principio y fin (Best Film, Nantes), 1991's La mujer del puerto and 1988's Mentiras piadosas (International Critics' Prize, Munich) has, says Morales, 'great skill as a storyteller, combining the social conditions that affect characters with their inner psychological processes. He is also very independent and has wonderful sequencing.' Morales, who produced Ripstein's La reina de la noche, also believes Profundo carmesi is 'more accessible' than the Cannes competitor. 'Basically,' he explains, 'it's a road movie.'
Based on Leonard Kastle's 1969 murder mystery The Honeymoon Killers, Profundo carmesi is set in 1949 along the highways and byways of Mexico's northern frontier. Regina Orozco (Mujeres insumisas, El amor de tu vida) plays Coral Fabre, a young nurse who divides her time between changing her children's nappies and venting her frustrations by bullying her patients in the terminally-ill ward. After being sacked she decides to answer a lonely-hearts advertisement placed by Nicolás Estrella: 'Spanish gentleman seeking loving relationship.'
Nicolás, played by Daniel Giménez Cacho (En medio de la nada, El callejon de los milagros), styles himself after French idol of the silver screen, Charles Boyer, for whom Coral has a distinct weakness. If not quite a dead ringer for the star of Gaslight, Nicolás has enough svelte charm and bedroom elegance to win Coral over immediately and, though he is less than certain, they quickly end up in bed together.
Coral becomes obsessed with Nicolás, abandoning her children in the nearest orphanage to be with her heartthrob. Even learning that he murdered his wife cannot spoil her devotion. The couple hit the road together in search of wealthy lonely-hearts for Nicolás to seduce. Guilt and jealousy ensure that this is no easy ride.
The road to financing this US$2 million production was a similarly long and winding one, with co-producers ranging from Mexico's Ivania Films, to Spain's Wanda Films, through to France's MK2 Productions. Ivania and IMCINE, the Mexican Institute of Cinematography, provided half of the budget, with Wanda and MK2 contributing the rest equally. The result marks the first co-production between Morales' Madrid-based Wanda Films and MK2 although the two have had a first-look sales and distribution deal since 1992. Morales, who brought the script for Profundo carmesi to the attention of MK2, says future co-productions are in the offing.
Profundo carmesi, which was shot between April and May in northern Mexico and only finished post-production this month, makes its world premiere at Venice. One of only two Latin American films showing at Venice this year, its presence at the Lido, says Morales, 'is particularly important as a way of bringing this director to world attention.'
Adam Minns
Prod cos: Ivania Films (Mexico), Wanda Films (Spain), MK2 Productions (France)
Prods: Pablo Barbachano, José María Morales, Miguel Necoechea
Dir: Arturo Ripstein
Scr: Paz Alicia Garciadiego
Ph: Guillermo Granillo
Prod des: Macarena Folache, Marisa Pecanins, Monica Chirinos
Costumes: Monica Neumaier
Music: David Mansfield
Ed: Rafael Castanedo
Cast: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Regina Orozco, Marisa Paredes
Running time: 114 mins
Int sales: MK2 Diffusion
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