Matilde Landeta

Matilde Soto Landeta (September 20, 1910 – January 26, 1999) was a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter, the first female to serve in those roles during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Her films focused on the portrayal of strong, realistic female protagonists in a patriarchal world.

Early life

Landeta was born in Mexico City to a wealthy family, the daughter of Gregorio Soto Conde and Matilde Landeta Dávalos.[1] After the passing of her mother when she was three years of age, Landeta moved to San Luis, Potosí where she would be raised by her aunt and grandmother. She then moved back to Mexico City where she continued her studies in a monastery for Dominican mothers. Her love for film was born when she watched the film Old San Francisco during a trip to the United States.[2]

Career

In 1931, her brother, Eduardo Landeta, began his career as an actor when he got hired to play a secondary character on a film directed by Arcady Boytler. Matilde's love for film kept her coming back to visit her brother on set. During one of her visits, Miguel Zacarias offered her a job as a make-up artist. However, he saw that she was eager for more. In 1932, Miguel decided to give Matilde a chance as script supervisor.[2] Due to her gender, she had to prove that she was capable to do the job when applying for the position of assistant director.[3] She was forced to reach out to the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Produccion Cinematografica in order to get the job.[4] In 1945 she became assistant director and worked with many well known directors at the time. These included Emilio Fernández, Julio Bracho, and Roberto Gavaldón.[5]

From there, she went ahead and began the process of becoming a Director herself. However, despite having worked in the industry for many years, she received no support when it came to her career as a filmmaker. Production companies would refuse to help her finance her film and the labor union refused to back her up as well.

It was then that she decided to hold her house as collateral in order to acquire a loan from the bank and sell her car in order to create her own production company, TACMA S.A. De C.V., which would fund her first full feature, Lola Casanova, in 1948. However, distribution companies boycotted her film, once she was done shooting it. Landeta was not able to release her film to the public for over a year until she was allowed to premiere her film as a B-movie on a Tuesday during Semana Santa

Her second feature film, La Negra Angustias, was not only boycotted like her first film, but also received very harsh criticism from her colleagues in the industry. From here on out, her name and reputation as a Director began to decline exponentially within the industry. Landeta was to direct Tribunal de Menores. However, when she asked the Eduardo Garduaño, a member of the National Bank of Cinematography for help, he convinced Landeta to sell her screenplay She took his advice sold the film to director Alfonso Corona Blake who renamed the film El camino de la vida.[5] They tried to exclude her name from the credits but she ended proceeded to sue them and maintained recognition for her screenplay. However due to this incident, the National Bank of Cinematography stopped supporting her. Due to her current position, Landeta suffered from a shortage of talent crew and money, which made it nearly impossible for her to continue her work. This situation did not allow her to make films in Mexico for forty years.[6] therefore, she decided to work in the United States.[7]

She continued writing for many years where she wrote over 100 shorts and after several decades later she wrote and directed her last feature film Nocturno a Rosario (1991).

Personal life

Matilda grew up in a household that did not support her decision to become a filmmaker. This created a very strong conflict that damaged her family ties. During one of her interviews, however, she talks about how this was resolved one Christmas where she visited her family during the holidays.[2]

In 1933, Landeta married a colonel from Sonora who went by the name of Martín Toscano Rodríguez. When Martín proposed, she made it clear that she had a commitment to her career as a filmmaker to which the colonel claimed to have no issues with. They got divorced 10 years later because Landeta expressed no wish to have a family with her husband. In one of her interviews she talks about an unplanned pregnancy which resulted in a sick baby who died after three days of giving birth. She claims to have to desire to be a mother whatsoever.[8]

Awards and recognition

Landeta won an Ariel Award in 1957 for Best Original Story for the film El camino de la vida which she co-wrote with her brother Eduardo. The film also won the 1957 Golden Ariel, the Silver Ariel Film of Major National Interest and Best Direction and two other awards in 1956 in the Berlin International Film Festival under the name of Alfonso Corona Blake.[9]

In 1975, Landeta was recognized for her film La negra Angustias in the Women Directors category for the International Women's Year. This was the first recognition she received including many others such as: the Italian Festival de Cine Femenino that paid homage to Landeta and showed her films in 1987; the Ariel Awards that gave her an honorary award for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 and many more between those years. Landeta also taught at the Instituto Cinematográfico, the first film school in Mexico; and she presided the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of México twice.

In 2004, the Matilde Landeta Cultural Association was created to award screenwriters annual scholarships.

Filmography

Her first and second feature films were adaptations of Francisco Rojas González's novel Lola Casanova (1948) and La Negra Angustias (1949). She also co-wrote and directed Trotacalles (1951)[6]

Year Film Role
1933 El Compadre Mendoza Script Supervisor
1933 El Prisionero Trece Script Supervisor
1933 La Calandria Script Supervisor
1933 Su Ultima Canción Script Supervisor
1935 La Familia Dressel Script Supervisor
1935 Vamonos Con Pancho Villa Script Supervisor
1937 Aguila o Sol Script Supervisor
1938 El Cobarde Script Supervisor
1939 Con los Dorados de Villa Script Supervisor
1940 Amor de los Amores Script Supervisor
1942 Jesuita en Chihuahua Script Supervisor
1942 Maria Eugenia Script Supervisor
1943 Distinto Amanecer Script Supervisor
1943 El as Negro Script Supervisor and Assistant Director
1943 El Espectro de la Novia Script Supervisor and Assistant Director
1943 Flor Silvestre Script Supervisor
1943 La Corte del Faraón Script Supervisor
1943 La Guerra de los Pasteles Script Supervisor
1943 La Mujer sin Cabeza Script Supervisor and Assistant Director
1943 Maria Candelaria Script Supervisor
1944 Adan, Eva y el Diablo Assistant Director
1945 Cantaclaro Script Supervisor
1945 Espinas de una Flor Assistant Director
1945 Flor de un Dia Assistant Director
1945 Sinfonia de una Vida Script Supervisor
1945 Soltera y con Gemelos Script Supervisor
1946 Carita de Cielo Assistant Director
1946 Don Simon de Lira Assistant Director
1946 El Cocinero de mi Mujer Assistant Director
1946 Extraña Obsecion Assistant Director
1946 La Fuerza de la Sangre Assistant Director
1946 La Herencia de la Llorona Assistant Director
1946 Rocambole Assistant Director
1946 Se Acabaron Las Mujeres Assistant Director
1947 El Precio de la Gloria Assistant Director
1947 La Mala Gueña Assistant Director
1947 Pecadora Assistant Director
1948 Ahi Vienen los Mendoza Assistant Director
1948 Lola Casanova Writer, Producer, Director
1949 La negra Angustias Writer, Producer, Director
1951 Trotacalles Writer, Procuder, Director
1956 El camino de la vida Writer
1958 Siempre estaré contigo Writer
1976 Ronda Revolucionaria Writer
1986 Rescate de las islas Revillagigedo Writer, Producer, Director
1991 Nocturno a Rosario Writer, Producer, Director

References

  1. ↑ San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Civil Registration Marriages, 1860-1967
  2. 1 2 3 "Matilde Landeta o la desgracia de querer dirigir cine en México - Mamá Ejecutiva". Mamá Ejecutiva (in Spanish). 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
  3. ↑ DePaoli, Maria Teresa (2014). The Story of the Mexican Screenplay: A Study of the Invisible Art Form and Interviews with Women Screenwriters. Peter Lang Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-1433123818.
  4. ↑ Arredondo, Isabel (2013). Motherhood in Mexican Cinema, 1941-1991: The Transformation of Femininity on Screen. McFarland. p. 20. ISBN 978-0786468041.
  5. 1 2 De Paoli, Maria-Teresa, and Felipe Pruneda Senties. "Mexico." Women Screenwriters an International Guide. By Jill Nelmes and Jule Selbo. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. N. pag. Print
  6. 1 2 Commire, Anne (2007). Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Yorkin Publications. pp. 1080–1081.
  7. ↑ Huaco-Nuzum, Carmen (1987-09-21). "Matilde Landeta". Screen. 28 (4): 96–106. doi:10.1093/screen/28.4.96. ISSN 0036-9543.
  8. ↑ "Matilde Landeta: Pionera de la Cinematografia Mexicana". latinoweeklyreview.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  9. ↑ Blake, Alfonso Corona (2000-01-01), The Road of Life, retrieved 2016-03-09

Further reading

  • Platas, Alejandro Medrano (1999-01-01). "Matilde Landeta". Quince directores del cine mexicano: entrevistas (in Spanish). Plaza y Valdes. pp. 91–105. ISBN 9789688566480.
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