Movie Review: ****La Perla, The Pearl

This is a 1947 Mexican film of the John Steinbeck novella the Pearl.  I borrowed it from Manteca Library.  It was selected by US Film Registry for preservation.

This story follows very closely the book, but not exactly.  John Steinbeck wrote the screenplay.  This movie has lots of tension, starting with the scorpion stinging the baby.  Seeing the scorpion and the baby, and knowing what would happen was very tense.  They take the baby to the doctor who refuses to see them.  What I liked that was not in the book is the showing of the Mexican culture.  This includes singing, dancing and fireworks.  The story takes place in Baja California.  The doctor refuses to see the baby, but he is cured with help of a curandera.  Meanwhile, the father finds a big pearl.  The pearl changes the life of he and his family.  First locals try to steal the pear from him.  The do this by playing on his lack of knowledge.  The doctor insists he treat the baby, even though he is now better.   The doctor and his brother-in-law try to get him drunk so they can steal the pearl.  There is a big fight.  They accuse him of fighting his best friends.  The pearl buyers, try to buy the pearl for much less than it is worth.  They all work for the "patron."  He decides to take the pearl to a large city to sell.    His wife pleads with him, "por favor, tira la perla al mar." "please, throw the pearl into the sea."  He refuses, and when she tries to do it, he catches her and hits her.  They are confronted by robbers, and the father kills a man.  He and his family make their escape.  He is chased by the doctor and the patron, who has trackers.  The patron kills the doctor, and another bystander.  He then catches up to the family, and hears the baby crying.  He fires a shot at the baby, just before the father is able to overcome him.  The couple return home, where they throw the pearl back into the sea.
This story has meaning on a couple of different levels.  You can look at it from the perspective of seeing everything against those who are poor, trying to keep them in their station.  However you can also look at it from the attitude that we all have our lot in life, and should stay there, and not let big dreams get in the way.
It does help to know Spanish, but I didn't catch all the dialogue.  There is more action than dialogue however, and if you have read the book you can follow the story.