Fulgar y muerte de Joaquin Murrieta - Spanish title
A 1975 Spanish production
Producer: ?
Director: Luis Calvo Teixeira
Story: based on the poem by Pablo Neruda
Screenplay: Luis Calvo Teixeira
Cinematography: Porfirio Enríquez [color]
Music: Manuel Picón
Running time: 55 minutes
Cast:
Joaquin Murrieta - Indio Juan (Carlos Alvarez)
Murrieta’s wife - Olga Manzano
with: Manuel Picón, Ricardo Steimberg (Ricardo Steinberg)
At seventeen Chilean peasant Joaquin Murrieta immigrates to California in 1850, in search of gold, and by the end of his life he has become a legendary rebel vigilante killed on July 23, 1853, and has been considered a symbol of people fighting for freedom and against injustice.
Although it has been said that Joaquin Murrieta was a legendary Mexican bandit who roamed around California from 1849 to 1853 and was killed later on, there is no actual proof of his existence and yet Mexican-Americans look upon him as a symbol of folklore. The story goes that on July 23, 1853, Joaquin Murrieta was camped near a creek when the captain of the California Rangers, Harry Love, discovered him along with his right hand man, "Three-Fingered Jack" Garcia, watering their horses. When Love approached the men he asked them which one was Joaquin Murrieta. A young man with a thick mustache and two Colt Dragoon pistols tucked into a red sash simply replied, "That would be me". When Captain Love ordered his men to arrest Joaquin, he pulled out his pistols and started firing. He then jumped on his horse and rode off while Three-Fingered Jack tried holding off the Rangers. Alas, he was unsuccessful. The Rangers killed Jack and cut off his hand as proof that they had killed him. They later caught up with Joaquin Murrieta and a brief gun battle ensued which ended in Joaquin having been shot nine times. Joaquin was later decapitated and his head was kept in a jar for many years until it was lost in the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Joaquin later became the inspiration for the fictional characters of Zorro and the Cisco Kid. He may have also inspired the character of El Coyote. So what do you think? Real or myth? Please let us know. Thank you.
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