''Una mujer sin amor'' (English: ''A Woman Without Love'') is a

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

film directed by Spanish-born filmmaker

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

. It is based on

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...

's novel ''

Pierre and Jean ''Pierre and Jean'' () is a naturalist or psycho-realist work written by Guy de Maupassant in Étretat in his native Normandy between June and September 1887. This was Maupassant's shortest novel. It appeared in three installments in the Nouvell ...

''. The film, like much of Buñuel's work, criticizes

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

values, especially those of the highly superficial Don Carlos Montero. Buñuel himself considered it his worst film.

Plot

The film opens in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, in the home of an upper-class antiques salesman named Don Carlos Montero and his wife Rosario, whose son, Carlos or ''Carlitos'', is accused of stealing by the principal of his school. Carlitos is scolded harshly by his father when he comes home, and is locked in his room. Carlitos runs away, but is found by an engineer named Julio Mistral who works in the forest. Julio returns the boy to his parents, and Don Carlos is very grateful. Julio becomes great friends with the Montero family, but in private asks Rosario why she really married such a harsh mannered and older man. One day, Rosario and Carlitos pay a visit to Julio in the forest, while Don Carlos spends the day in town on business. Carlitos enjoys himself immensely, fishing for trout. Rosario and Julio converse privately, and Julio notes how unhappy she is. Rosario reveals that she is unhappy because she married Don Carlos for his money when she was very young. Julio sympathizes her plight as a woman who has never truly loved, and they fall in love with each other. Rosario and Julio begin an

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

, and Julio tries to convince her to run away with him to Brazil. She eventually agrees, but decides to wait, after Don Carlos suffers a severe

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. Don Carlos ultimately lives, and Rosario refuses to go with Julio, unable to separate Carlitos from his father, who had grown close since his illness. The film skips about 20 years into the future, where Carlos, and his younger brother, Miguel (not introduced in the first part of the film), have graduated from medical school. One day, news arrives that Julio Mistral has died and decided to

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

all of his money to Miguel. Initially, everybody is perplexed at this action, as Julio had never met Miguel. Though it is not explicitly stated in the film, Carlos soon pieces together that Miguel was willed this money because he is the

illegitimate child Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

of Julio and his mother, Rosario. Carlos refuses Miguel's offer to share his inheritance, which he uses to build a new clinic, and begins acting bitter towards his mother and brother. Miguel becomes engaged to be married to a woman who Carlos is convinced wants to marry him for his money. At his wedding, Don Carlos collapses and dies from a heart attack. The film comes to a conclusion as Carlos finally discloses the truth about the inheritance to Miguel, who becomes very angry and fights Carlos. Rosario breaks up the fight, and confirms what Carlos has said. Miguel is distraught, and Rosario unapologetically tells them that Julio was the only man she ever loved. The brothers reconcile their differences at the sight of their emotional mother, wrought with sadness. Carlos leaves for the tropics to do research, and the film ends with Rosario placing a picture of Julio on her mantelpiece.

Cast

Rosario Granados Rosario Granados (12 March 1925 – 25 March 1997) was an Argentine-born Mexican film actress known for her roles in Mexican cinema. Granados starred in the 1949 comedy ''The Great Madcap'' (1949).Acevedo-Muñoz p.ix Selected filmography * '' The ...

as Rosario * Tito Junco as Julio Mistral *

Julio Villarreal Julio Villarreal (7 November 1885 – 4 August 1958) was a Spanish actor who later settled and worked in Mexico. He also directed two films in the early 1930s.Taibo p.155 Born as Julio Crochet i Martínez Villarreal in Madrid to a family of theat ...

as Don Carlos Montero *

Joaquín Cordero Joaquín Cordero (; August 16, 1922 – February 19, 2013) was a Mexican actor of the cinema, theatre and telenovelas. Biography Shortly after his birth, Cordero's family moved to Mexico City. In the following years he studied in a seminary and ...

as Carlos * as Miguel *

Elda Peralta Elda Peralta Ayala (28 July 1932 – May 2024) was a Mexican actress and writer. At the time of her death she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Her death at the age of 91 was confirmed by National Assoc ...

as Luisa *Jaime Calpe as Carlitos * Eva Calvo as Rita, enfermera

Release

''Susana'' was released on DVD on 25 September 2007.

References

External links

*
Una mujer sin amor
at the

cinema of Mexico The cinema of Mexico dates to the late nineteenth century during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Seeing a demonstration of short films in 1896, Díaz immediately saw the importance of documenting his presidency in order to present an ...

site of the

ITESM Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM; ), also known as Technological Institute of Monterrey () or just Tec, is aresearch university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses located across 25 cit ...

Una mujer sin amor (1952)
at ''Filmaffinity''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Woman Without Love, A 1952 drama films Films based on Pierre and Jean Films directed by Luis Buñuel 1950s Spanish-language films Mexican black-and-white films Mexican drama films 1950s Mexican films Spanish-language drama films