María is a Colombian silent film in black and white, directed by Máximo Calvo Olmedo and Alfredo del Diestro, released in 1922.
It was the first feature-length fiction film made in Colombia, and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jorge Isaacs. It tells the story of the love affair between Efraín, the son of a wealthy hacienda owner, and his first cousin María. While most sources claim that the initiative to produce María came from the Franciscan priest Antonio José Posada, others indicate that the idea came from Alfredo del Diestro. Shooting began in October 1921, and took place in some of the same locations as the novel, including the hacienda El Paraíso. The feature film premiered on October 20, 1922 in Buga and Cali.
The film was at the center of what is considered the first copyright controversy in the Colombian film industry, when the Isaacs family filed a lawsuit against Valley Film, the film's production company, which the latter won. The controversy led to the film being banned by local authorities from screening in several Colombian cities, but the legal case also served as additional publicity for the film, which broke box-office records in Colombia.
It was the only Colombian film at the time to be shown in national cinemas for several years. While the film was a success domestically, it was a failure abroad. The positive reception and commercial success of María gave a boost to Colombian film production, with other producers producing some twenty films during the silent era.
Despite its importance, no copies of the film have survived; only a 25-second fragment has been preserved, along with dozens of stills. A short documentary, En busca de María, was made in 1985 by Luis Ospina and Jorge Nieto, with the aim of retracing the history of the making of María.
Synopsis
The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jorge Isaacs, which tells the story of the love affair between Efraín and María. As only a 25-second fragment of the film remains, the adaptation cannot be sufficiently analyzed, but it is very likely that it is not very different from the literary work. Indeed, the fact that the novel is a bestseller, and therefore familiar to the public, is supposed to guarantee the film a certain success on its release.
María tells the story of the love affair between Efraín, the son of a wealthy hacienda owner in the Valle del Cauca, who is studying in Bogotá, and his first cousin María. During one of his visits to the hacienda, the young man meets María and the two fall in love. However, Efraín must leave for Europe to complete his education. During his absence, María, who is suffering from a serious illness, dies after a slow agony, still longing for Efraín. When Efraín returns to Colombia, all he is left with is his beloved's grave and a deep sorrow.
Technical data
Original title: María
Director: Máximo Calvo Olmedo, Alfredo del Diestro
Screenplay: Máximo Calvo Olmedo and Ricardo Nieto, based on the novel María by Jorge Isaacs Photography and editing: Máximo Calvo Olmedo Costumes: Emma Roldán Production: Francisco José Posada Line producer: Mario Fernández de Soto Production company: Valley Film Country of origin: Colombia Format: black & white – silent – 35 mm Running time: feature film (approx. 180 minutes), cut into two parts. Genre: fiction, drama, romance Release date: Colombia: October 20, 1922
Cast
Stella López Pomareda: María
Hernando Sinisterra: Efraín
Margarita López Pomareda: Emma, Efraín's sister
Juan del Diestro: Efraín's father
Emma Roldán: Efraín's mother
Ernesto Ruiz: Efraín, as a child
Jorge González: José
Alfredo del Diestro: Salomón and Don Chomo
Ernesto Salcedo: Braulio
Francisco Rodríguez: Guao Angel
Edy Salospi (pseudonym of Eduardo Salcedo Ospina): Carlos
According to Máximo Calvo, two other actresses, whose names he doesn't recall, also played in María: an Italian, Lucia, as José's wife, and Elvia, from Buga, as Tránsito.