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The Rumberas film (in Spanish, Cine de rumberas) was a film genre that flourished in Mexico's Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Its major stars were the so-called '' rumberas'', dancers of
Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...
musical rhythms. The genre is a film curiosity, one of the most fascinating hybrids of the international cinema. Today, thanks to their unique characteristics, they are considered
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
s. The Rumberas film is one of the contributions of Mexican cinema to international cinema. The Rumberas film represented a social view of the Mexico of the 1940s and 1950s, specifically of those women considered sinners and prostitutes, who confronted the moral and social conventions of their time. The genre was a more realistic approach to the Mexican society of that time. It was
melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
s about the lives of these women, who were redeemed through exotic dances.


Etymology

The ''rumberas'' were the dancers and actresses that swayed to Afro-Caribbean rhythms in Mexican cinema's
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
of the 1940s and 1950s. The term ''rumbera'' comes from the so-called
Cuban rumba Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, n ...
that was popular in Mexico and Latin America from the late 19th century to the early 1950s. Eventually new tropical rhythms such as the
mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...
and the cha-cha-chá displaced the Cuban rumba as the most popular Latin music genre; the rumberas adopted these new rhythms and used them in their films.


Origins

The rumberas films have their roots in various film genres. The
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
, very popular in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
and other film industries in the 1930s and 1940s, can be considered their cornerstone, given the urban environment of the genre. Film noir was characterized by having among its protagonists the
femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
s, the cabaret women who aroused the passions of men and were often the source of conflict in the plot. Gloria Grahame and
Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...
created film noir images of women who enjoy singing cabaret and simultaneously make men suffer. Their other base was the Hollywood musical of the 1930s, epitomized by
Busby Berkeley Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...
and his famous colorful and extravagant musical numbers endowed with a deep aesthetic expression. Although not in such stylized form (due to limited budgets), rumberas films tried to imitate in their musical numbers the guidelines of the genre. Finally, the film genre was enriched by the Urban social cinema or melodramatic films, whose principal artisan in Mexico was the filmmaker Alejandro Galindo. All this mix of elements and genres can be considered the basis of rumberas film. In the Rumberas films the main heroines are women, generally humble and naive, who, because of a bad move of fate, are forced to fall into the underworld of prostitution and get involved with gangsters and pimps. These women suffered through most of the time. The plot allowing them only a few moments of pleasure in the movie. Invariably the "sinner woman" had to find her punishment. The stars of this genre became objects of worship, but also of criticism and contempt of the hypocritical judgment of the hearings. In general, Mexican cinema was characterized by representing the prostitute as the main figure on numerous occasions, from the good-hearted prostitute represented in '' Santa'' (1932), to the tragic prostitute reflected in '' Woman of the Port'' (1934). In the Rumberas films, these tragic heroines also danced and radiated sensuality.


Origins in vaudeville

The rumberas first came to the theatrical stage in the late 19th century, at the time of
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
and
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
, accompanying the many comedians and buffs of Cuban origin who settled in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. From the early 20th century until the 1920s, in the age of the great Mexican vedettes of the frivolous theater (as María Conesa or Lupe Vélez), rumba dancers began to emerge. Lolita Téllez Wood is popularly considered the first dancer to popularize West Indian rhythms. During the course of the next decade, many rumberas and vedettes from Cuba came to Mexico.


In the cinema

The concept of the "rumbera" has been embodied in Mexican cinema since the first
talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...
s in the early 1930s. The actress Maruja Griffel was the first to dance the rumba, in the film '' ¡Que viva México!'' (
Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...
, 1931). She was followed by others such as Consuelo Moreno in ''Mujeres sin alma, ¿Venganza suprema?'', Rita Montaner in ''La noche del pecado'' (1933), and Margarita Mora in ''Águila o Sol'' (1937). In addition, the Puerto Rican actress Mapy Cortés (called "The Rumbera Blanca") was famous for dancing the
conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...
in numerous films. Lolita Téllez Wood participated in three Mexican films: ''El rosal bendito'' (Juan Bustillo Oro, 1936), ''Mujeres de hoy'' (Ramón Peon, 1936) and ''Honrarás a tus padres'' (1936), the latter directed by
Juan Orol Juan Rogelio García García (August 4, 1897 – May 26, 1988), better known as Juan Orol, was a Spanish-born Mexican actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. Orol was a pioneer of the Mexican cinema's first talkies and one of the main pr ...
, considered the "spiritual father" of the rumberas film. Juan Orol was born in Spain but grew up in Cuba, where he lived in the "solares", as they are known in Cuba to the low-income neighborhoods. There he had much contact with people of African origin, who him taught all their dancing techniques. After establishing himself as a film director in Mexico, Orol became famous for the importation of numerous Cuban figures to the Mexican cinema. María Antonieta Pons was one of his discoveries. It is common to recognize her as the first cinematographic rumbera, following her debut in '' Siboney'' (1938), a film inspired by the music of Ernesto Lecuona and directed by Orol, who quickly realized he had a goldmine after ''Siboney'' became a blockbuster. Thus, the rumberas film gradually took shape. The dancer Estela invented the maracas at the waist, to do more flashy musical numbers. Another leading figure was the Cuban dancer Celina, who choreographed numerous films. In Cuba, the Mexican Luz Gil was considered the master of all the rumberas. Although the Rumba was the initial musical genre that was danced in these productions, soon other tropical rhythms were added to the repertoire, such as mambo, conga,
calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians during the early- to mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back ...
,
samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...
, cha-cha-chá and
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
. Artists such as
Pérez Prado Dámaso Pérez Prado (December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger who popularized the mambo in the 1950s.''On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture'' Louis A. Pérez Jr. - 2012 ...
,
Benny Moré Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (24 August 1919 – 19 February 1963), better known as Benny Moré (also spelled Beny Moré), was a Cuban singer, bandleader and songwriter. Due to his fluid tenor voice and his great expressivity, he was ...
,
Agustín Lara Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; ; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is rec ...
, Kiko Mendive, Toña la Negra, Rita Montaner, Maria Luisa Landín, Olga Guillot, Pedro Vargas, Amparo Montes and others deserve a special mention since their voices accompanied the rumberas in their musical numbers and contributed to their luster. Many popular
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
s of the time (mainly the songs of Agustín Lara, dedicated to prostitutes), served as inspiration for arguments or titles of the rumberas films (''The well paid'', ''Perverted Woman'', ''Adventurous'', ''Traicionera'', etc.)


Rise of the genre

During the administration of the Mexican President
Miguel Alemán Valdés Miguel Alemán Valdés (; 29 September 1900 – 14 May 1983) was a Mexican politician who served a full term as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952, the first civilian president after a string of revolutionary generals. His administ ...
(1946–1952), the growth of Mexico City as a great metropolis was reflected in the huge boom in cabarets and nightlife around the town. The Mexican Cinema was influenced by this phenomenon. The rural settings that set the tone in the first half of the 1940s began to lose ground against the new melodramas with urban and suburban settings. The famous film ''Salon Mexico'' (
Emilio Fernández Emilio "El Indio" Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 August 1986) was a Mexican film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best know ...
, 1950), marked the transition of the role of the heroine, from the campirano and naive women to the low class young sinners, "night women" dragged by urban revolution to the suburbs and perdition. In this sense, even with all its fancy and tropical extravagance, the rumberas film was a genre that showed a more authentic form of social life of Mexico at the time, without false stylized images that were shown in films from Emilio Fernández and other directors. However, there is also another type of heroine in the Rumberas films. They can not be called "sinners", since they belong to a primitive and amoral universes that does not know the concept of sin. They are the "jungle rumberas" (''Tania, Sandra, Yambaó, Zonga, Tahími''), inspired by characters from illustrated novels and taken to the movies mainly by Juan Orol.''YouTube: Las Rumberas (Historia de la salsa en el Cine Mexicano''
/ref> Although it is common to recognize María Antonieta Pons as the first film "rumbera", the film '' Humo en los ojos'' (1946), directed by the filmmaker Alberto Gout and starring by Meche Barba, was the film that began the mass production of rumberas films because the big Mexican film studios found large sales from them at the box office. The film ''
Aventurera ''Aventurera'' ("Adventuress" in English) is a 1950 Mexican drama film directed by Alberto Gout and starring Ninón Sevilla and Andrea Palma. It's considered a masterpiece of the '' Rumberas film''. The film features Pedro Vargas and Ana Marí ...
'' (1950), also directed by Alberto Gout and starring Ninón Sevilla, is considered the masterpiece of the genre. What is remarkable is that the most obvious characteristics of rumberas film (songs, dances, actors, scenery) are easily identifiable in ''Aventurera'' and do not differ much from any other films. However, there is also another type of heroine in the rumberas film. They can not receive the appellation of "sinners", since they belong to a primitive and amoral universe that does not know the concept of sin. They are the "jungle rumberas" (''Tania, Sandra, Zonga, Tahími''), inspired in personages of illustrated novels and carried to the cinema mainly by Juan Orol. The rumberas film, unique to Mexico, reached the attention of many specialized critics.
François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...
, still writing for '' Cahiers du cinéma'', wrote a dossier on this exotic subgenre. The critics of ''Cahiers du cinéma'' wrote some of the most ardent pages dedicated to Mexican actresses. It is also important to emphasize that some rumberas (as Rosa Carmina or Ninon Sevilla), managed to combine around them filming teams that gave them success as few actresses attained in Mexican cinema (perhaps a privilege only limited to
María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and ...
and Dolores del Río). It is also important to note that due to the success of rumberas film, many other films were created, which together, allowed the Mexican film industry to consolidate itself. Today, the industry is struggling, despite very specific successes.


The Queens of the Tropic

According to experts and film critics, of all the rumberas who performed in the rumberas film in the Mexican cinema, only five of them have managed to go down in history as the leading exponents of the genre. They were María Antonieta Pons (1922–2000), Meche Barba (1922–2000), Ninón Sevilla (1929–2015), Amalia Aguilar (1924–2021) and Rosa Carmina (1929). In 1993, the journalist Fernando Muñoz Castillo, named them ''The Queens of the Tropic''. None resembles the other. All were different, not only in their styles of dance, but also in their films, which enjoyed a particular and unique style and label.


María Antonieta Pons (1922–2004)

Pons was Mexican cinema's first rumbera, and set the tone that distinguishes the genre. ''Maritoña'' (as she was also called) came to Mexico in 1938 with her then-husband, the Spanish filmmaker Juan Orol. Pons worked with varying success in suburban melodramas, kids' movies, and family comedies. Despite her voluptuous dance style, the actress has always maintained in a particular way in her films (especially those she made her second husband, filmmaker Ramón Pereda). Her most important films include '' Siboney'' (1938), '' Red Konga'' (1943), '' Caribbean Charm'' (1945), '' The Queen of the Tropic'' (1945), ''The Caribbean Cyclone'' (1950), '' The Queen of the Mambo'' (1950), and '' María Cristina'' (1951). After the decline of the rumberas she tried to enter, with little success, other film genres, such as comedy. After her last film, released in 1965, she remained isolated from public life until her death


Meche Barba (1922–2000)

Barba was the only Mexican among the five greatest exponents of the genre, and is also known as "The Mexican Rumbera". She began her career as a child in popular theater. She debuted in film in 1944. Her foray into rumberas film began with ''Rosalinda'' (1945). She starred in '' Smoke in the Eyes'' (1946), a film credited with starting the mass production of rumberas films. With her Mexican origin, Barba lacked the characteristic flavor and sensuality of the dances of the Cuban rumberas. She employed a more measured style, accented by excellent melodramatic technique. Her films include ''Courtesan'' (1947), ''Fire Venus'' (1948), '' Love of the Street'' (1950), '' If I Were Just Anyone'' (1950), '' When Children Sin'' (1952), '' The Naked Woman'' (1953), and '' Ambitious'' (1953), among others. She formed a famous film couple with the singer and actor Fernando Fernández. She retired from films early, but reappeared on television in the 1980s, where she remained active until her death.


Amalia Aguilar (1924–2021)

Also known as the "Atomic Bomb", Aguilar arrived in Mexico in 1945 with the Cuban dancer Julio Richard. Her enormous charisma and extraordinary dance technique opened the doors of the film industry and gave her the opportunity to break into
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. Unlike her colleagues, she broke with the stereotype of the femme fatale. Rarely was she a suffering or evil woman, preferring to lean toward light comedy. Aguilar appeared as the dumbbell of popular Mexican comedians such as Germán "Tin Tan" Valdés and Adalberto "Resortes" Martínez. Her films include '' Perverted Woman'' (1946), ''Tender Zucchinis'' (1948), '' Caribbean Rhythms'' (1950), '' The Rhythm of the Mambo'' (1950), '' Lost Love'' (1951), ''The Three Happy Girls'' (1952), ''Interested Women''(1952), '' Mis tres viudas alegres'' (1953), and ''The Loving Ones'' (1953 ), among others. Although she withdrew from acting for several decades, she makes frequent appearances at public events.


Ninón Sevilla (1921–2015)

Sevilla began her training in nightclubs in Cuba and arrived in Mexico in 1946 at the behest of filmmaker and producer Fernando Cortés. She was an exclusive star of Calderon Films, and managed to create a solid film team around her that contributed to her brilliance (Alberto Gout, Alex Phillips, Alvaro Custodio). Endowed with exotic beauty and harmonious anatomy, Sevilla was the favorite of markets such as France and Brazil. She was a complete ''vedette''; she not only danced and acted, but also sang and choreographed her own musical numbers, which were always colorful, exotic and extravagant. Her films include ''Lost Woman'' (1949), '' Adventuress'' (1949), '' Victims of Sin'' (1950), '' Sensuality'' (1950), '' Adventure in Rio'' (1953), '' Mulatta'' (1954), and ''
Yambaó ''Yambaó'' (also known as ''Cry of the Bewitched'') is a 1957 Mexico, Mexican-Cuban drama film directed by Alfredo B. Crevenna and starring Ninón Sevilla. In other media On June 27, 2014, ''Yambaó'' was released as a Video on demand, VOD titl ...
'' (1956), among others. Of all the rumberas, Sevilla was the boldest and most daring in interpreting the archetype of the femme fatale, the sinful cabaret woman. After retiring from films for over a decade, she returned in the eighties, and remained active in television until her death


Rosa Carmina (born 1929)

Owner of a unique stature (unusual among the actresses of the time) and a stunning physical beauty, Rosa Carmina came to Mexico in 1946 after being discovered by Juan Orol in Cuba. In the same year she made her debut in the film ''A woman from the East''. Carmina was not only an exponent of the rumberas film, but also the Mexican
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
. For this reason she was called "The Queen of the Gangsters". Among her most important films are '' Tania, the Beautiful Wild Girl'' (1947), '' Gangsters Versus Cowboys'' (1947), '' Wild Love'' (1949), '' In the Flesh'' (1951), '' Voyager'' (1952), '' The Goddess of Tahiti'' (1953), and '' Sandra, the Woman of Fire'' (1954), among others. In her film career she displayed a versatility rarely seen in any actress, appearing in melodrama, horror, action, drama, and fantasy films. After sporadic appearances on television, she retired in 1992. She currently resides in Spain.


Other rumberas

There are other dancers who performed in rumberas films, but who, for various reasons, had only a fleeting step on the screen: * Marquita Rivera (1922–2002): Puerto Rican dancer. She arrived in Mexico due to Mexican actor and filmmaker Fernando Soler. She starred in only two films in Mexico, and was most popular in nightclubs and some
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
musical films. * Blanquita Amaro (1923–2007): Popular Cuban vedette. She filmed some Mexican movies in the 1940s, but won stardom in the
cinema of Argentina Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad. The Argentine film industry has histo ...
in the 1950s. * Olga Chaviano (1925–2003): A successful star of the cabarets of her time. She was called "The Queen of the Mambo". She filmed some Mexican films in the 1950s, but she is removed from the show to be involved with the gangster Norman Rothman. * Yadira Jiménez (1928–?): Costa Rican actress and singer. She appeared in some films in Cuba and arrived to Mexico in 1946. Juan Orol directed her in the film ''The Love of my Bohio'' (1946). In the late 1940s and the early 1950s she played numerous villain roles in Mexican films. * Lina Salomé (?-?): Another popular Cuban dancer. She worked in the Mexican cinema between 1952 and 1957. * The Dolly Sisters (Caridad and Mercedes Vazquez): Popular dance couple (inspired by the original Dolly Sisters of the early 20th century). They were part of Pérez Prado musical numbers in several movies. * (?-2007): She was the third cinematographic muse of Juan Orol (after María Antonieta Pons and Rosa Carmina), having been discovered by the director in Cuba in 1956. She formed a film team with Orol between 1956 and 1963, and was the star of ''Zonga, The Diabolic Angel'' (1957), a popular cult film directed by Orol. After her divorce from Orol, she left show business. * Dinorah Judith (1948–2005): Fourth muse and star of the Juan Orol films. She worked with the filmmaker between 1964 and 1972. She was a classic dancer. Among her most popular films with Orol was the counterculture film ''The Fantastic World of the Hippies'' (1972). Many actresses also danced tropical rhythms in some films. Among them are: Rosita Quintana, Elsa Aguirre, Lilia Prado, Leticia Palma, Lilia del Valle,
Silvia Pinal Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (12September 193128November 2024) was a Mexican actress. She began her career in theatre before venturing into cinema in 1949. She became one of the greatest female stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and, with her p ...
,
Ana Bertha Lepe Ana Bertha Lepe Jiménez (; 12 September 1934 – 24 October 2013) was a Mexican actress and beauty pageant titleholder. In 1953 she was crowned Miss México and the third runner-up at the Miss Universe 1953. Career She made her film debut ...
, Evangelina Elizondo and Ana Luisa Peluffo.


The ''Exóticas''

It is a common mistake to confuse the rumberas with the ''Exóticas''. Even though they also performed in the Mexican cinema, they danced to different rhythms (Polynesian, Eastern, African, Tahitian, Hawaiian, etc.). Due to censorship of films, the Exóticas lived their moment of glory at nightclubs, and only later came to film. Some used exotic names. Among the most famous are Su Muy Key, Kalantan, Trudi Bora, Bongala, Eda Lorna, Joyce Camerón, Friné, Francia, Turanda, Josefina del Mar, Brenda Conde, Joyce Cameron, and Gemma. The most striking of all was
Tongolele Yolanda Montes (January 3, 1932 – February 16, 2025), better known by her stage-name Tongolele, was a Mexican–American dancer, actress and vedette. At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of M ...
, probably the only Exotica to have a relatively distinguished career in film.


Principal filmmakers

Between 1946 and 1959 there were more than a hundred rumberas films. The principal directors are: *
Juan Orol Juan Rogelio García García (August 4, 1897 – May 26, 1988), better known as Juan Orol, was a Spanish-born Mexican actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. Orol was a pioneer of the Mexican cinema's first talkies and one of the main pr ...
* Alberto Gout * Ramón Pereda * Jaime Salvador * José Díaz Morales * Joaquín Pardavé *
Emilio Fernández Emilio "El Indio" Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 August 1986) was a Mexican film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best know ...
* Ernesto Cortazar * Gilberto Martínez Solares * Ramón Peón * Miguel Morayta * Alfredo B. Crevenna


Films

The notable films were: * '' Siboney'' (1938) * '' Red Konga'' (1943) * '' Perverted Woman'' (1945) * '' Caribbean Charm'' (1946) * '' Smoke in the Eyes'' (1946) * '' The Queen of the Tropic'' (1946) * '' The Well-paid'' (1948) * '' Tania, the Beautiful Wild Girl'' (1948) * '' Wild Love'' (1949) * '' Caribbean Rhythms'' (1950) * '' Adventuress'' (1950) * '' Cabaret Shangai'' (1950) * '' Victims of Sin'' (1950) * '' The Queen of the Mambo'' (1950) * '' Love of the Street'' (1950) * '' If I Were Just Anyone'' (1950) * '' María Cristina'' (1951) * '' Lost Love'' (1951) * '' Sensuality'' (1951) * '' In the Flesh'' (1951) * '' When Children Sin'' (1952) * '' Voyager'' (1952) * '' Adventure in Rio'' (1952) * '' The Naked Woman'' (1953) * '' Devil Money'' (1953) * '' Ambitious'' (1953) * '' The Goddess of Tahiti'' (1953) * '' Take Me in Your Arms'' (1954) * '' Mulatta'' (1954) * '' Sandra, the Woman of Fire'' (1954) * '' The Widows of the Cha cha cha'' (1955) * ''
Yambaó ''Yambaó'' (also known as ''Cry of the Bewitched'') is a 1957 Mexico, Mexican-Cuban drama film directed by Alfredo B. Crevenna and starring Ninón Sevilla. In other media On June 27, 2014, ''Yambaó'' was released as a Video on demand, VOD titl ...
'' (1956)


Decline of the genre

By the mid-fifties, the rumberas film had lost originality. All actresses appeared in similar roles and the genre gradually ceased to be attractive to the public. The end of the rumberas film also marks the end of the administration of President Miguel Alemán. The new administration was much less tolerant of the nightlife that had flourished in Mexico City, and it soon lost the splendor it had enjoyed years back. The Mexican cinema in general was about to begin its precipitous decline. The strong sexual load of these films (in its time), also presages the arrival of a new type of erotic cinema. While on the screens of Mexican cinema began the opening, in real life the "defenders of morality" gain ground. The genre was further attacked by radical groups such as the "Legion of Decency" which had the support of the authorities, and considered the genre a breach of morality and decency because it depicted the image of the prostitute, the "sinful woman". The prevailing double standards in Mexican society led to the marginalization of the rumberas in the film industry. The decline of rumberas films coincides with the ending the nightlife of Mexico City. A rain of decrees and regulations caused massive closure of nightclubs, variety theaters and dance halls that had served as a springboard and showcase to the most famous rumberas. Even the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for many years prevented rumberas actresses from receiving the
Silver Ariel The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excellence in the Mexic ...
Award. In addition, in the second half of the 1950s, as a consequence of a series of changes in popular culture, Mexican cinema definitively diverted its focus towards new rhythms and problems. The rumberas began to move towards other film genres, took refuge in their personal shows in theaters and nightclubs, or opted for retirement. The film ''Caña Brava'' (1965), starring María Antonieta Pons, is considered to be the last rumberas film production, and can even be considered a kind of memorial to the genre. The end of the genre is abrupt, without decadence, after almost two decades of resounding success. Figures like Ninón Sevilla, Meche Barba, and Rosa Carmina chose to migrate to television. However, the prevailing censorship of Mexican television marginalized the rumberas once again, limiting them to guest appearances on Mexican
telenovelas A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
, usually as characters with no relation to their cinematic history and legend.


Genre reevaluation

In the 1970s, Mexico City experienced a new golden age of nightlife and cabarets. This was made possible, in large part, by the demise of the "League of Decency". Mexican cinema, which had success early in the decade, again fell into decline with the rise of low-quality sexploitation films. The clearest example was the rise of the so-called '' cine de ficheras'' in the late seventies and early eighties. Like the rumberas film, the Cine de ficheras is based on the nightlife of women of the cabaret, but from a very different context, since by that time, film censorship had been relaxed and international cinema was at the epicenter of the
sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the late 1950s to the early 1 ...
. The cine de ficheras used explicit nudity to attract audiences to the box office, in contrast to the work of the rumberas, who had never needed to display their bodies in an explicit way to achieve success. However, the rise of cabaret scenes in Mexican cinema began to provoke nostalgia among audiences, who slowly began demanding the presence of the authentic "Queens of the Night" on the screen. Some rumberas began to reappear, first in films and later in television. The Mexican Academy of Film first recognized the careers of Ninon Sevilla in 1984 and Meche Barba in 1992. The telenovelas writer Carlos Romero became a vital figure for the revaluation of the genre by rescuing several rumberas from obscurity and honoring them in telenovelas like ''La pasión de Isabela'' in 1984, and '' Salomé'' in 2001. The telenovelas of the Mexican pop singer
Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most ...
were vital meeting points of the great rumberas, who found a new way to stay current in the public memory and to approach new generations as popular legends. To the public taste, a soap opera network is not complete without the presence of Barba, Sevilla and Rosa Carmina. Many film festivals around the world began to pay homage to the rumberas film. Its unique condition as a curiosity of Mexico, together with its other unique features, has made it a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
niche. Between 1997 and 2011, Mexican actress Carmen Salinas revived the classic ''Aventurera'' through a musical stage play (the longest in history in Mexico) in which she pays homage to the heyday of the rumberas film. The stage play made it to Broadway and has been led by various actresses like
Edith González Edith González Fuentes (; 10 December 1964 – 13 June 2019) was a Mexican actress, regarded as a blonde bombshell and one of the most beautiful actresses in Mexican cinema. She is best remembered for working on multiple telenovelas produced by ...
, Itatí Cantoral, Niurka Marcos and Maribel Guardia, among others. In the same vein, other musical plays (as ''Perfume de Gardenia''), are inspired by the old rumberas film. In 2012, the biographical film ''El fantástico mundo de Juan Orol'', directed by Sebastian del Amo, and inspired by the life and work of filmmaker Juan Orol, was released. The film shows a summary of the origins and rise of the rumberas film from the 1940s and 1950s.Apantallan con historia de Orol
/ref>


References


Bibliography

* * ''Las Rumberas del Cine Mexicano'' (''The Rumberas of the Mexican Cinema'') (1999). In SOMOS. México: Editorial
Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...
, S. A. de C. V. *


External links


Rumberas y Arrabal
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 ...

''Rumberas of the Mexican Cinema''

RUMBERAS, PRECURSORAS DE LA REVOLUCIÓN SEXUAL EN MÉXICORumberas y Vedettes: A Genre Lost
(English and Spanish, 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rumberas Film Cabaret Cinema of Mexico Exploitation films Film genres Vedettes (cabaret)