The Pearl main backdrop
The Pearl main poster

The Pearl

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7.1/10 • 43

1947-09-121h 26m

DramaAdventure

Steinbeck's most talked-about story!

Fisherman Quino and his wife Juana are very poor and desperate because the town's foreign doctor refuses to treat their son Coyotito, who has been bitten by a scorpion. When Quino unexpectedly finds a magnificent pearl in the sea, Juana senses that the discovery will only bring them misfortune and tries to convince her husband to return it to the sea.

Directors
Emilio Fernández
Editors
Gloria Schoemann

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Pedro Armendáriz

    Pedro Armendáriz

    Quino

  2. María Elena Marqués

    María Elena Marqués

    Juana

  3. Fernando Wagner

    Fernando Wagner

  4. Gilberto González

    Gilberto González

  5. Charles Rooner

    Charles Rooner

  6. Juan García

    Juan García

  7. Alfonso Bedoya

    Alfonso Bedoya

  8. Raúl Lechuga

    Raúl Lechuga

  9. Max Langler

    Max Langler

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Jul 27, 2019

8/10

This is a story that old men tell to children. They aren't sure where it happened or when. 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

Media

  • The Pearl poster
  • The Pearl poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Spanish
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
husband wife relationshipbased on novel or bookpearl