Los Cachorros (The Cubs) is a 1973 Mexican dramatic film. Based upon the novel The Cubs and Other Stories by the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, the film was directed by Jorge Fons and starring José Alonso, Helena Rojo, Carmen Montejo and Augusto Benedico.
Plot
It tells the story of a group of friends that stand by each other well into adulthood. The film starts innocently enough when young Cuellar (12-years-old) enters a new school. He immediately makes friends with 4-other youngsters. One day after soccer practice while taking a shower, a vicious dog is let loose and it severely mauls him devouring his genitals. He is as a result maimed for life and this novel uses his development into adolescence and later into adulthood to explore the problems he faces. These are both sexual, obviously, but also his lack of hormones very much changes his relationships with his group of close friends and he finds it very hard to come to terms with the fact that they start to get girlfriends, and later, married. Italian title: Eviration - Bramosia Dei Sensi.
Cast
José Alonso - Cuéllar
Alejandro Rojo de la Vega - Cuellar (Child) Helena Rojo - Teresa Carmen Montejo - Cuellar's mother Augusto Benedico - Cuellar's father Gabriel Retes - Gumuncio Arsenio Campos - Toto Dunia Zaldívar - La china Cecilia Pezet - Rosalinda Pedro Damián - Perico Silvia Mariscal - Chabela Eduardo Casab - Manolo Ivonne Govea - Rosalinda Luis Turner - Lalo Pancho Córdova - Teacher Ramón Menéndez - Photographer Ricardo Fuentes - Teacher Sofia Joskowicz - Nurse
Production
Los cachorros was filmed in the Churubusco Studios and on locations in Casa Requena, Xochimilco, Plaza de Toros México and others from October 4 and until November 13, 1971. Mario Llorca was assisted by the director, Leopoldo Silva and Marco Silva were in charge of the production and the production company was Marco Polo Cinematographic. The script was by Jorge Fons and Eduardo Luján based on a plot of the homonymous novel and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature of 2010 by Mario Vargas Llosa. Editing was by Carlos Savage, photography by Alex Phillips Jr., musical direction by Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras and Eduardo Luján, sound by Eduardo Arjona and Ramón Moreno, makeup by Elda Loza and the setting by Ernesto Carrasco.
It was released on May 10, 1973 at the Cine Latino.
Awards
Ariel Awards
The Ariel Awards are awarded annually by the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences in Mexico. Los Cachorros received two nominations.