“One of the best Mexican films since Like Water for Chocolate…
a vibrant portrait of millennial Mexico City.”
— Ed Morales, The Village Voice
“Ambitious, absorbing and expertly filmed.”
— Deborah Hornblow, Hartford Courant
FRUSTRATED DESIRES AND DASHED HOPES PLAGUE
A DIVERSE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS IN MEXICO CITY
IN THIS DIGITALLY RESTORED AWARD-WINNER STARRING
SALMA HAYEK IN HER BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
MIDAQ ALLEY
Street Date: November 6, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD SRP: $34.95/$29.95
Adapted from the Novel by Nobel Prize Laureate Naguib Mafouz,
This Drama from Director Jorge Fons (Los anbañiles, Caridad) —
Winner of Ten Prestigious Ariel Awards, and a Golden Bear Nominee at Berlin — Arrives in a Remastered Edition Featuring a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette and an Essay with Intros from Hayek and Fons
SYNOPSIS
Exploring the intersecting lives of a diverse group of individuals whose stories converge inside a vibrant Mexico City neighborhood, MIDAQ ALLEY, heralded as one of the classics of Mexican Cinema, arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this November. Featuring a new digital restoration, the release, exclusively available from Film Movement Classics, also includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and a newly-penned essay.
Adapted from the 1947 novel “The Alley of the Miracles” by Nobel Prize laureate Naguib Mahfouz and winner of numerous international awards, MIDAQ ALLEY, from celebrated Mexican director Jorge Fons, follows a group of overlapping characters through four distinct episodes. Among them is local cantina owner Rutilio (Ernesto Gómez Cruz), a family man who gives in to latent homosexual desires. His son, Chava (Juan Manuel Bernal), yearns to emigrate to America, while the desperate spinster Susanita (Margarita Sanz) dreams of finding a husband. Finally, there is Abel (Bruno Bichir), a poor barber whose romance with the innocent beauty Alma (Salma Hayek) tragically ends after she is coerced into a life of debauchery.
Winner of more awards than any other film in the history of Mexican Cinema, MIDAQ ALLEY may be best known as the breakout performance for telenovela star Salma Hayek, who would soon find international stardom with her role in Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado. But home audiences are certain to be captivated by this unique drama, called “constantly engaging[1], “riveting and well-acted[2]”.
BONUS FEATURES
Behind the Scenes Featurette
New essay by Carlos A. Gutiérrez, co-founder of Cinema Tropical, with intros by Salma Hayek and Jorge Fons
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: Blu-ray/DVD
Running Time: 140 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio: Stereo
Language: Spanish with English Subtitles
