''The Bitter Stems'' (

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...

: Los Tallos Amargos) is a 1956 Argentine film noir directed by

Fernando Ayala Fernando Ayala (2 July 1920 – 11 September 1997) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer of the classic era. He is widely considered one of the most important Argentine film directors and producers in the history of ...

. The screenplay, written by Sergio Leonardo, was based on a novel by journalist Adolfo Jasca. The film stars Carlos Cores as a journalist with an inferiority complex who partners with a Hungarian immigrant, played by Vassili Lambrinos, in a fraudulent

get-rich-quick scheme A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that part ...

that leads to crime and tragedy. Aída Luz, Julia Sandoval, and

Pablo Moret Pablo Moret (born June 2, 1933) was an Argentine actor. He starred in the 1962 film ''Una Jaula no tiene secretos ''Una jaula no tiene secretos'' (''A Cage Has No Secrets'') is a 1962 Spanish-Argentine comedy film directed by Agustín Navarro ...

also play major characters. The film's cinematographer, Ricardo Younis, had not (as was widely rumored) studied under

Gregg Toland Gregg Wesley Toland, A.S.C. (May 29, 1904 – September 28, 1948) was an American cinematographer known for his innovative use of techniques such as deep focus, examples of which can be found in his work on Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane'' (19 ...

, who shot Citizen Kane. American Cinematographer magazine named ''Los tallos amargos'' one of the “50 Best Photographed Films of All-Time”. Of note is a surreal dream sequence that merges noir photography with elements of

German expressionism German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...

. The film was scored by

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fro ...

. ''Los tallos amargos'' won Silver Condor awards for Best Picture and Best Director in 1957 but was considered lost until it turned up in a private collection in 2014. A 35mm version was subsequently restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation and Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust, and premiered in February 2016 at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in New York. When the film played at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood later that year, the presenter noted that while the 35mm negative was rediscovered, the soundtrack remained lost, so the restoration used the track from the director's 16mm print. Flicker Alley released a blu-ray edition in 2021. In 2022, the film ranked 42nd in the list of

The 100 Greatest Films of Argentine Cinema The 100 Greatest Films of Argentine Cinema (Spanish: ''Las 100 mejores películas del cine argentino''), also known as the Survey of Argentine cinema (Spanish: ''Encuesta de cine argentino''), are a series of opinion polls carried out to establis ...

, a poll organized by the specialized magazines ''La vida útil'', ''Taipei'' and ''La tierra quema'', which was presented at the

Mar del Plata International Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fes ...

References

External links

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''The Bitter Stems''
at Letterboxd.com Argentine crime drama films 1956 films Films directed by Fernando Ayala 1950s Argentine films 1956 crime drama films Argentine black-and-white films {{1950s-Argentina-film-stub