''Pura Vida '', sometimes known as ''¡Pura vida!'', is a

Mexican film 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 ...

released in 1956. The film is notable for popularizing the phrase ''pura vida'', particularly in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Plot

The film follows the story of Melquiades Ledezma, who is expelled from his home town after being labeled a source of bad luck. Misfortune finds him in his new home when he is accused of robbery and intentionally starting fires. His unlucky streak ends when he finds a winning lottery ticket of a million pesos.

Production

The film was directed by

Gilberto Martínez Solares Mario Gilberto Agustin Martinez Solares (January 19, 1906 – January 18, 1997) was a Mexican director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and actor who is considered one of the most prolific filmmakers in Mexican cinema having directed more tha ...

and filmed in 1955. The film runs for 90 minutes.

Partial cast

* Antonio Espino as Melquiades Ledezma * Carmelita González as Lucía * Maricruz Olivier as Esperanza *

Ramón Valdés Ramón Esteban Gómez-Valdés y Castillo (2 September 1924 – 9 August 1988) was a Mexican actor and comedian. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Don Ramón. He is also recognized as one of Mexico's best comedians. Born in Mexico City ...

as Caimán

Legacy

Despite his constant blunders, Melquiades Ledezma keeps a positive attitude. As an adjective synonymous with "good" or "nice", he uses ''pura vida'' (lit. pure life) a total of thirteen times to describe people (such as the town mayor), objects (food and earrings) and an action (being invited for a meal). This optimistic response began to be emulated by some Costa Ricans after the film's release in that country. Although used since the late 1950s in Costa Rica, wide adoption of the phrase seems to have been spurred by the comparison of quality of life in Costa Rica with the rest of Central America in the 1980s. In modern Costa Rica, the phrase has many meanings and can be used as a greeting, farewell, thank you, and to show admiration for an object, situation or person. The phrase has come to embody the character of Costa Rica.

References

External links