Camino del infierno

Uninspired direction by Miguel Morayta, obviously low production values and artificial solutions to the dramatic situations proposed by novelist Luis Spota, heavily affect this film noir-musical-melodrama that tells the story of a mean chanteuse that falls for a macho thief who hides his ruthlessness behind a false mask of nobility. Unfortunately for the woman she turns from calculating bitch to angelic wife but then gets sick, listens to bad medical advice and goes into a rampage of self- destruction while her body rots. Good moments include the singer's musical numbers (dubbed by Toña la Negra), the duel between her suitors that ends with both men dead, the surgery that takes place in the warehouse where the thief hides with the singer after he is shot, and an ending worthy of a horror movie. Excessive histrionics by the complete cast do not help much, except for singer Alvarado and wrestler Wolf Ruvinskis who look and sound fresh compared to the professional actors. It is a pleasure though to watch beautiful and sensual Leticia Palma, an actress whose career was ended by scandal when she was accused of stealing papers from the Mexican actors' guild, which was later revealed as a case orchestrated by one of her producers after she declined his sexual propositions. Worth a look.