Angelitos negros (1970 film)


Angelitos negros is a 1970 Mexican drama film written and directed by Joselito Rodríguez and starring Manuel López Ochoa, Martha Rangel, Titina Romay, and American actress Juanita Moore. It is a remake of the 1948 film of the same name, also directed by Rodríguez.

Plot

Jose Carlos Ruiz is a singer who meets Ana Luisa de la Fuente, an assistant manager of a girls school. José Carlos begins to court Ana Luisa and they quickly become engaged. Ana Luis soon starts to demonstrate prejudice against black people, such as criticizing the fact that Jose Carlos performs alongside mulatto artists such as Isabel, despite the fact that Ana Luisa herself has a nanny called Merce that has cared for her all her life and is a black woman; Ana Luisa is accustomed to her but openly dislikes her.
Ana Luisa soon gives birth to a daughter, named Belen, who to Ana Luisa's surprise and horror turns out to be dark-skinned. Belen suffers a lot because her mother does not accept her because of her color. Because of that, Belen paints her face white at one point, trying to be accepted by her mother. Ana Luisa blames Jose Carlos's family, believing them to having African ancestry. However, José Carlos learns the truth from Father Francisco, who reveals to him that Ana Luisa's real mother is Nanny Merce, who in her youth had an affair with her boss, Mr. de la Fuente. In order for her daughter to receive the benefits of inheriting a rich position, Merce renounced her motherhood, but to be close to her daughter, she took a role as a servant in the household. Ana Luisa inherited her father's fair skin, and as a result can pass for white.
When Merce falls ill, Jose Carlos tries to bring Isabel to take care of Belen because her mother does not give her any attention. Tragedy occurs when Ana Luisa, mistakenly believing that Isabel is Jose Carlos's lover, reacts violently and throws Merce down the stairs by accident. On her deathbed, Merce tells Ana Luisa the truth about her parentage. After the reveal, Ana Luisa accepts her heritage and cries for her mother after she dies. Ana Luisa also decides to start loving her daughter and the two embrace.

Cast