The shadow of the Caudillo (1960) as part of Mexico’sCultural Heritage: Critical Analysis of an Iconic Film
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26439/en.lineas.generales2025.n013.8250Keywords:
Mexican cinema, literature, cultural heritage, censorship, PRIAbstract
The article examines the reasons why the film La sombra del caudillo (1960), directed by the renowned filmmaker Julio Bracho and based on the homonymous novel by acclaimed writer Martín Luis Guzmán, became the “cursed” work of Mexican cinema after being censored by the government of President Adolfo López Mateos prior to its commercial release, as it unsettled the political and military elites of the PRI regime. This case illustrates how artistic expressions are interwoven with the historical realities of specific periods in Mexico’s history. The text draws on the category of cultural heritage —emphasized by international organizations such as UNESCO—to argue that a film of the aesthetic quality and historical significance of La sombra del caudillo should be reappraised not only for its artistic merits but also for its critical content, since, having been censored for three decades, it offers the possibility to reactivate memory, confront the present, and even envision possible futures.
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