Un Distinto Amanecer (Julio Bracho 1943) para la nación mexicana

Abstract

The Mexican film Another Dawn (1943) contributed to strengthening the early prestige of its filmmaker, Julio Bracho. After its premiere, in November 1943, the important entertainment magazine Cinema Reporter stated: By many outstanding movie critics this is considered the best cinema picture screened thus far (Godoy 28). However, the press of the time refrained from mentioning that the film openly criticized the corrupt governors. Instead, it expressed its hope in the power of the guilds, the relevance of education and the implications of the expropriation of the railway network, which had been the cornerstones of President Lazaro Cardenas's (1936-40) policy. This article proposes that Another Dawn can be read as an adherence to the achievements of former president Cardenas and a warning about the actions of Manuel Avila Camacho (1940-46), who not only stopped supporting any revolutionary action of socialist nuances but prevented them directly. My analysis of the film starts by taking a look at the Mexican sociopolitical context in the late 30s and the early years of the next decade; after that, it links Max Aub's original text with Bracho's film adaptation. Finally, this article analyzes some union and social issues that were of Bracho's personal interest and are part of the main meaning of his film.