El esqueleto de la señora Morales

Upon discovering the existence of "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" and being amazed at the high rating and exclusively positive reviews around here, I instantly put the film on top of my must-see list. Thank the heavens for the digital era because there's an impeccably restored version with subtitles freely available on YouTube.

I tried not to get carried away and set my expectations only medium-high, as ratings & reviews can be misleading, but it rapidly became clear that "The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales" truly deserves all the praising superlatives and love it receives. Especially for a low-budgeted movie from early sixties' Mexico, it's a uniquely original and extraordinarily intelligent combo of pitch-black comedy and atmospheric horror.

It's deeply admirable how writer Louis Alcoriza and director Rogelio A. González toy around with the common horror standards and turn the viewers' logical expectations upside down. When you read the rudimentary premise of a taxidermist who plots to murder his wife, you automatically complete the rest of the film in your mind. But you'll be wrong, I assure you, like everyone else. Protagonist Pablo Morales is not the evil animal-stuffer and wife-slayer that you picture him to be. He loves to have a drink, but he's not a violent drunk. His housemaid idolizes him, but he doesn't take advantage of her. He has a sinister profession, but he's a well-doer to all children in the community. His marriage has ended years ago already, but he keeps hoping to get lucky. In fact, Pablo Morales is one of the nicest and most likeable men to ever appear on screen.

His beautiful wife Gloria, on the other hand, is - hard as it may sound to believe - one of the meanest, most manipulative, and downright loathsome women to ever appear on screen! She's disgusted by her husband's taxidermist activities, she spreads vicious lies about him being an abusive alcoholic and adulterer, and eventually even frames him for domestic violence he didn't commit. To make it all worse and more revolving, Gloria Morales behaves like a martyr and a saint towards the outside world, and obviously the myopic Catholic community in town supports her. When Pablo finally reached his personal limit and develops a plan to murder Gloria, it comes across as a giant relief to the viewer. This might even be one of those rare films where you hope the killer will get away with it.

The performances of Arturo de Córdova and Amparo Rivelles are exquisite, and the entire supportive cast contributes a great deal as well. The script is full of clever, ingenious, and incredibly funny little details, like the lady with a severe bladder issue and the confession moment. The ending is also fabulous. You know in the back of your head that in cinema crime never goes unpunished, but this excellent film nevertheless surprises us once more with a brilliant twist.

Master of the macabre Arthur Machen loosely based his novel 'The Islington Mystery' on Dr. Crippen's murder of his wife Cora. Although he retained some of the circumstances he changed the characters to Mr. & Mrs. Boale. In this adaptation by screenwriter Luis Alcoriza, they have become Dr. Pablo Morales and his wife Gloria.

There seems to be an unwritten law which exists to this day that when a wife is murdered or missing, presumed dead, the prime suspect is invariably the husband. Taxidermist Morales has more cause for murder than most as his wife subjects him to relentless mental and emotional torture whilst presenting herself as the victim to her hideous relations, his brutal brother and an over-zealous Catholic priest. Morales confides to a friend early on in the film that to commit a murder, be tried for it and acquitted is the ultimate achievement. Our hero almost makes it but of course there is always the unexpected............

This is definitely for those who like their comedies 'black'(apologies to the 'woke' patrol) The camera angles, lighting effects and Raúl Lavista's score add immeasurably to the film's gruesome nature.

It is the performance of Artúro de Cordova as Morales that carries the day. He has always excelled at characters with an 'edge' and his casting here is a masterstroke. This film was made as Mexico's Golden Age, of which he was one of the brightest stars, was rapidly coming to a close and he himself in his early fifties. Sadly incapacitated by a stroke in 1967, this is, to my knowledge, the last of his great roles. The part of his insufferable spouse Gloria is a difficult one to play and Amparo Rivelles convinces as a woman who must at some stage have been an engaging partner before disease and excessive piety took their toll.

Luis Alcoriza had a fruitful working relationship with Luis Bunuel which included 'Exterminating Angel' and 'El', the latter gifting de Córdova another marvellous role. Although Rogelio A. Gonzalez does a pretty good job here one cannot help but wonder how Bunuel would have handled this material.

Both this film and the works of Arthur Machen have had a strong influence on director Guillermo del Toro. One is hardly surprised.

Laced with morbid humour and effortlessly sustaining its macabre wit throughout, The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is a pitch black comedy horror that's competently crafted, intelligently narrated & brilliantly acted as it takes its time to acquaint us with the taxidermist's charm & persona and also compels us to root for him after he takes his marital woes borne out of his overbearing wife to the extreme. As demented as it is amusing, the story is further enriched by crisp photography & steady pace while it captures the longstanding effects of a toxic marriage and despite turning dark, it never loses its funny side. One of the better examples of its genre(s) and surely amongst the finest works of Mexican cinema. Highly recommended.

This film is charmingly macabre, about a taxidermist with a sincere love and lust for life, and his terrible antithesis of a wife. The performances are absolutely convincing, and the pompous catholic padre is unforgettable during the confession at the end, as is the lead character. The attention to detail makes it a pleasure to watch this film again and again.

Few times has the Mexican movies industry explored this type of comedy. This particular film is surprisingly very well made, specially since its 2 main characters are played by an Actor, Arturo de Cordova, and an Actress, Amparo Rivelles, whose background is in tragic and/or very formal performances. It is a story of a married couple whose life has come to the point of a disaster, basically due to the jealousness of the wife. The Husband a taxidermist announces to their friends that she has gone to another City on vacations, but keeps in his shop an skeleton. This of course is the center plot of the movie and all black humor situations are derived from this. The movie is light and keeps the viewers entertained throughout its entire length.