The Pearl

The Pearl is directed by Emilio Fernández and John Steinbeck co-adapts his own novella of the same name with Fernández and Jack Wagner. It stars Pedro Armendariz, María Elena Marqués, Fernando Wagner, Gilberto González, Juan García and Charles Rooner. Music is by Antonio Díaz Conde and cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa.

We are in La Paz, Mexico, and when Quino and Juana's son is stung by a scorpion the couple are anguished by not having the finances to pay for medical treatment. Hope springs eternal when Quino discovers a large pearl, something which is seemingly the answer to their prayers - is it?

What we basically have here is a morality play about the corruption of greed. Once the pearl of the title is discovered the ugliness of mankind rears its vile head. People around Quino and Juana - a homely honest but poor couple - suddenly have designs on the financial gains that the pearl can bring - with some of them willing to commit cardinal sins to achieve their aim. The pearl also begins to drive a wedge between the loving couple, and thus we are held enthral of the story to see exactly where this will all end up?

Though it's not very subtle in the telling, with Steinbeck's literary bent often as heavy as a sledgehammer, this is undeniably compelling stuff. That it's also a visual delight also considerably aids the viewing experience. Fernández and Figueroa bring truly atmospheric cinematography into play as a key character of the piece, with kinked frames and low level shots perfectly embracing the discord of the troubling human conditioning on view. Come 1947 what we would come to know as the film noir style of film making was in full effect, fans of such should for sure add The Pearl to their must seek out lists. 8/10

Apparently this piece is uncomfortable for people who simplify into moralism its complexity and forcefulness in what it has to say both explicitly and implicitly, aspirationism for wealth and the discord and greed it provokes, bourgeois class robbery of the working class, colonialist extractionism, whiteness as a jewel that gives privilege, all this as true then as it still is, set in a melodrama full of anguish, plus of course a beautiful montage in which the photography and the masterful underwater sequences stand out, marvellous at the time and which stand the test of time with great neatness.

By the advent of the pearl, everyone appears to be changed in character into a monster of greed, except the protagonists, the fisherman, his wife and their baby, who instead turn into refugees and victims. It's an anatomy of greed with a definite morality, that a great fortune must lead to greed, criminality, death and loneliness. It doesn't have to be like that, but in this story, that is definitely the case in hopeless despair with no illusions surviving, As the pearl enters their lives they start dreaming of all the possibilities it imports, and there is great festivity in the entire village, as all the poor people rejoice in the fisherman's good fortune, but there are always opportunists, and at the appearance of a chance of fortune they will go at any length and sacrifice all human values for their greed. A return to absolute poverty seems to be the only solution to the problem. John Steinbeck's story is a grim study in the weakness of common man, what is lacking here is any wisdom in any man, the fisherman doesn't even have any reliable friend whom he can trust for advice, and the one who helps him gets shot for it. It is impossible not to have objections against such a hopelessly dark and bleak assessment of man, since there must be alternatives. Nothing is completely black, and although the fisherman and his wife survive their via crucis, there must be a new life for them.

Adaptation of John Steinbeck's "The Pearl". I had to read the short novel in junior high. I found it bleak and depressing but powerful. I never even knew there was a film of this until TCM showed it tonight. I was very impressed.

It's a Mexican film and the story was changed to fit into that environment. I never even knew Mexico had a film industry back in the 1940s--films like this are never shown. That's a shame because this film was great. The acting was just OK but that's good--if it had been better acted this might have been unbearable. They didn't lighten up the book or change the ending like Hollywood would have done. And the direction and cinematography were just beautiful--this film should be seen just for the imagery alone. From the opening shot of the women in white robes standing silently by the sea the movie pulls you right in.

This is not for everyone. It's dark and depressing but just great. Despite the change of setting it retains all the power of the short novel. The only debit I could think of was the sometimes intrusive music score--some scenes would have worked much better silently. Still, well worth seeing. I give it an 8.

I am a Brit happily married to a Mexicana for many years and lived in Mexico for a number of years.

La Perla is a photographic masterpiece of significant beauty and well worth seeing for the magnificence of the incredible use of natural light to highlight the scenery.

In addition to the two main stars the cast contains a number of actors whose work I have enjoyed immensely and the scenes depicting the singing and dancing at the local fiesta bring back to me countless memories of pleasure during my life in that beautiful country.

This film really does reflect the Golden Years of the Mexican Fim Industry.