Sombrero is a 1953 American musical romance film directed by Norman Foster and starring Ricardo Montalbán, Pier Angeli, Vittorio Gassman and Cyd Charisse.
| Sombrero | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Norman Foster |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | A Mexican Village (novel) by Josefina Niggli |
| Produced by | Jack Cummings |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ray June |
| Edited by | Cotton Warburton |
| Music by |
|
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,821,000[1] |
| Box office | $2,460,000[1][2] |
Plot
Three couples involved in budding romances are caught in the middle of a feud between two Mexican villages.
Cast
- Ricardo Montalbán as Pepe Gonzales
- Pier Angeli as Eufemia Calderón
- Vittorio Gassman as Alejandro Castillo
- Yvonne De Carlo as María of the River Road
- Cyd Charisse as Lola de Torrano
- Rick Jason as Ruben
- Nina Foch as Elena Cantú
- Kurt Kasznar as Padre Zacaya
- Walter Hampden as Don Carlos Castillo
- Thomas Gomez as Don Homero Calderón
- José Greco as Gitanillo de Torrano
- John Abbott as Don Daniel
- Andrés Soler as Little Doctor
- Fanny Schiller as Doña Fela
- Luz Alba as Rosaura
- Rosaura Revueltas as Tia Magdalena
- Alfonso Bedoya as Don Inocente
- Florencio Castelló
Production
The film was based on the 1945 book Mexican Village by Josefina Niggli. It was a collection of 11 short stories set in the north Mexican town of Hidalgo.[3] The New York Times called it "remarkable...one of the finest books about Mexico."[4]
In June 1951, MGM announced they had bought the screen rights as a "possible vehicle for Ricardo Montalbán" and assigned Jack Cummings to produce.[5] In July, Norman Foster was signed to direct and co-write the script with Niggli; the cast was Montalbán, Cyd Charisse and Fernando Lamas, plus one American – Joseph Cotten, Wendell Corey and John Hodiak were the favorites for this.[6] (Both Cummings and Foster had made movies in Mexico.) Eventually the role of an American character was removed.[7] Niggli and Foster collaborated on the script over six months.[7]
In April 1952, Cornel Wilde was being sought for a lead role. By this stage the title of the film had changed from Mexican Village to Sombrero.[8] Vittorio Gassman, Pier Angeli and Ava Gardner joined the cast; it was Gassman's second American film after The Glass Wall.[9] Gardner dropped out in late April and was put on suspension by MGM (lifted when she agreed to make Mogambo).[10]
Then Lamas refused to make the film because it meant going on location in Mexico; MGM suspended him until he agreed to star in The Girl Who Had Everything.[11] By May, Yvonne De Carlo, Nina Foch and Kurt Kaznar joined the cast.[12] Rick Jason joined the cast (presumably replacing Lamas), making his film debut. Dore Schary said he expected Gassmann and Jason to become big stars.[13]
Filming started June 1952. The movie was shot on location in Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Tetecala and Tepoztln, Mexico.[7]
De Carlo did all her scenes with Gassman. "We got along wonderfully," she said. "He's a wonderful actor."[14]
Reception
Box office
According to MGM records, the film earned $1,071,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $1,389,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $592,000.[1]
Proposed follow-up movie
In September 1952, before the film was released, MGM announced Foster would write a follow-up movie based on three or four other stories in the collection Mexican Village that were not used in Sombrero, but no film was made.
References
External links
- Sombrero at IMDb
- Sombrero at the TCM Movie Database
