The Bitter Stems

Last updated
The Bitter Stems
The Bitter Stems poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Fernando Ayala
Written by Sergio Leonardo
Based onnovel by Adolfo Jasca
Starring Carlos Cores
Julia Sandoval
Gabriele Ferzetti
Vassili Lambrinos
Cinematography Ricardo Younis
Edited by Gerardo Rinaldi
Antonio Ripoll
Music by Astor Piazzolla
Production
company
Artistas Argentinos Asociados
Release date
  • 1956 (1956)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryArgentina
LanguageSpanish

The Bitter Stems (Spanish language: Los Tallos Amargos) is a 1956 Argentine film noir directed by Fernando Ayala. 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 that leads to crime and tragedy. Aída Luz, Julia Sandoval, and Pablo Moret also play major characters.

The film's cinematographer, Ricardo Younis, had not (as was widely rumored) studied under Gregg Toland, who shot Citizen Kane. American Cinematographer magazine named Los tallos amargos one of the “50 Best Photographed Films of All-Time”. [1] Of note is a surreal dream sequence that merges noir photography with elements of German expressionism. The film was scored by Astor Piazzolla.

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 in New York. [2] 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. [3]

In 2022, the film ranked 42nd in the list of The 100 Greatest Films of Argentine Cinema, 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. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Maltin</span> American film critic and film historian (born 1950)

Leonard Michael Maltin is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, published annually from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film critic on Entertainment Tonight from 1982 to 2010. He currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and hosts the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies. He served two terms as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and votes for films to be selected for the National Film Registry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turner Classic Movies</span> American classic movie-oriented television channel

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atlanta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vilmos Zsigmond</span> Hungarian-American cinematographer

Vilmos Zsigmond was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. His work in cinematography helped shape the look of American movies in the 1970s, making him one of the leading figures in the American New Wave movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Alton</span>

John Alton, born Johann Jacob Altmann, in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary, was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleen Gray</span> American actress (1922–2015)

Coleen Gray was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films Nightmare Alley (1947), Red River (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956).

<i>Too Late for Tears</i> 1949 film by Byron Haskin

Too Late for Tears is a 1949 American film noir starring Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, and Dan Duryea. Directed by Byron Haskin, its plot follows a ruthless woman who resorts to multiple murders in an attempt to retain a suitcase containing US$60,000 that does not belong to her. The screenplay was written by Roy Huggins, developed from a serial he wrote for The Saturday Evening Post. Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller, and Barry Kelley appear in support.

<i>T-Men</i> 1947 film by Anthony Mann

T-Men is a 1947 semidocumentary and police procedural style film noir about United States Treasury agents. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and shot by noted noir cameraman John Alton. The production features Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Meade, Alfred Ryder, Wallace Ford, June Lockhart and Charles McGraw. A year later, director Mann used the film's male lead, Dennis O'Keefe, in Raw Deal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Muller</span> American author and television host (born 1958)

Eddie Muller is an American author and the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation. He is known for his books about the film noir genre, and is the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. He is known by his moniker: the "Czar of Noir".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline White</span> American actress (born 1922)

Jacqueline Jane White is an American former actress, who had a brief career in Hollywood as a leading lady in motion pictures during the early and post-WW2 years from 1942 until 1952, with starring and playing smaller roles in around 25 feature films.

The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema is a boom period in the history of Mexican cinema, which began in 1936 with the premiere of the film Allá en el Rancho Grande, and Let's Go with Pancho Villa, culminated in 1956. Characterized by the production of high-quality films that contributed to shaping Mexican national identity and culture. Films such as Luis Buñuel's "Los Olvidados" illuminated the social realities of Mexico, leaving a profound impact on audiences both within the country and abroad.

<i>Hardly a Criminal</i> 1949 film

Hardly a Criminal is a 1949 Argentine crime drama directed by Hugo Fregonese. It was written by Raimundo Calcagno and Israel Chas de Cruz. The film started the director's Hollywood film directing career. It was re-released in theatres a few times during the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Ayala</span> Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer

Fernando Ayala 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 cinema of Argentina.

The American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Cores</span> Argentine actor and director

Carlos Cores was an Argentine film actor, and film director.

<i>Native Son</i> (1951 film) 1951 Argentine film

Native Son, also known as Sangre negra, is a 1951 Argentine black-and-white drama film directed by French filmmaker Pierre Chenal. It is based on the novel Native Son by American author Richard Wright, who also stars in the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Chenal. Actor Canada Lee, who was originally scheduled to play the film's protagonist Bigger Thomas, had difficulties with his visa while filming Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) in South Africa and had to decline the role; with the whole production in jeopardy due to the mishap, Wright decided to step in and replace Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analía Gadé</span> Argentine actress (1931–2019)

María Esther Gorostiza Rodríguez, better known as Analía Gadé, was an Argentine actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1948 and 2001. She appeared in the film Emergency Ward, which was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. She was born in Córdoba, Argentina, and was the sister of Carlos Gorostiza. Three years after being diagnosed with cancer, she died on 18 May 2019, at the age of 87.

Vic is a 2006 American short film drama. It is the directorial debut of Sage Stallone. The film stars Clu Gulager, Tom Gulager and Miriam Byrd-Nethery with cameos by Carol Lynley, John LaZar, and John Phillip Law. Stallone won the 2006 Boston Film Festival “Best New Filmmaker” award for the film. The film had its world premiere at the 2006 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, where the cast and filmmakers were in attendance.

<i>The Argyle Secrets</i> 1948 film by Cy Endfield

The Argyle Secrets is a 1948 American film noir mystery thriller written and directed by Cy Endfield and starring William Gargan and Marjorie Lord. It was based on a half-hour radio play by Endfield, originally heard on CBS's Suspense. The film was made for the micro-budget of $100,000 and shot in eight days.

Alan K. Rode is an American film scholar and preservationist, cinema host and producer. He is best known for his books, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy and Blood on the Moon.

References

  1. "Los tallos Amargos". TCM Classic Film Festival. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  2. "Los Tallos amargos (The Bitter Stems). 1956. Directed by Fernando Ayala". MoMA. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. "Los tallos Amargos". Flicker Alley. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. "Top 100" (in Spanish). Encuesta de cine argentino 2022. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.