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Saturday, August 6, 2022

TIEMPO DE MORIR / TIME TO DIE (1966)

Sober-sided debut for Mexican director Arturo Ripstein, a South-of-the-Border Western that leans self-consciously toward Greek Tragedy.  Taken from a Gabriel García Márquez story, it follows the heavy tread of Juan Sayago (Jorge Martínez de Hoyos), a middle-aged man back in town after 18 years in jail for a local murder his home town well remembers.  Especially the dead man’s two grown sons, patiently waiting to take revenge in spite of warnings from the local sheriff.  Turns out our prodigal murderer had his reasons, even convincing one of the sons to rethink his plans all while trying to restart a life put on hold with his one time fiancé (now a widow with a young son) and fixing up his long abandoned home.  Not a lot of surprises in how this all works out, though the film is at its considerable best zigging when you expect it to zag: Honor & honesty or thicker-than-blood vengeance?  That former fiancé foregoing love for pragmatism.  An unforgiving crippled old-friend.  (Ripstein hadn’t been Luis Buñuel’s assistant for nothing.)  But much feels as dusty and worn as the unpaved streets and town square.  And, like so many debuts, an unvaried pace takes its toll.  Still, a unique voice can be heard here.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/LINK: In Hollywood, a few A-list b&w Westerns with Greek Tragic aspirations in fashion during the ‘50s.  By 1966, when TIEMPO came out, THE GUNFIGHTER/’50, HIGH NOON/’52 and THE TIN STAR/’57 would all have been forced to use color.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/tin-star-1957.html

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