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IMDbPro

Two Monks

Original title: Dos monjes
  • 19341934
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
583
YOUR RATING
Two Monks (1934)
DramaHorrorMystery
In a Gothic-styled monastery, a monk named Javier sees the face of another monk, Juan, and suddenly attempts to bludgeon him to death with a heavy crucifix. Both men then relate their own ve... Read allIn a Gothic-styled monastery, a monk named Javier sees the face of another monk, Juan, and suddenly attempts to bludgeon him to death with a heavy crucifix. Both men then relate their own versions of a story of romantic rivalry between them. Javier, a consumptive musician, fell i... Read allIn a Gothic-styled monastery, a monk named Javier sees the face of another monk, Juan, and suddenly attempts to bludgeon him to death with a heavy crucifix. Both men then relate their own versions of a story of romantic rivalry between them. Javier, a consumptive musician, fell in love with and was betrothed to Anita. When his old friend Juan appeared, he was ecstatic... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
583
YOUR RATING
    • Juan Bustillo Oro
    • Juan Bustillo Oro
    • José Manuel Cordero
  • Stars
    • Víctor Urruchúa
    • Carlos Villatoro
    • Magda Haller
    • Juan Bustillo Oro
    • Juan Bustillo Oro
    • José Manuel Cordero
  • Stars
    • Víctor Urruchúa
    • Carlos Villatoro
    • Magda Haller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)
    Two Monks (1934)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Víctor Urruchúa
    • Juan
    Carlos Villatoro
    • Javier
    Magda Haller
    Magda Haller
    • Ana
    Beltrán de Heredia
    • Prior
    Emma Roldán
    Emma Roldán
    • Gertrudis
    Alberto Miquel
    Manuel Noriega
    Manuel Bernaldez
    José Cortés
    Conchita Gentil Arcos
    Conchita Gentil Arcos
    Hugo Taboada
    Sofía Haller
      • Juan Bustillo Oro
      • Juan Bustillo Oro
      • José Manuel Cordero
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This is the second Horror Movie in Mexican Cinema
    • Goofs
      When a man visits Anita's home; Javier watches a silhouette of the man aggressively coming on to her and then Anita striking him once in the face. When the man leaves the building his face has visible bloody scratch marks. However, she slapped him and did not rake his face with her fingernails, therefore, there should be a red slap mark if anything but not any scratches.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Devil in the Detail: Abraham Castillo Flores on Fernando de Fuentes and the Phantom of the Monastery (2022)

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Two Rashomonks.
    Until now, my experience with early Mexican cinema hadn't been great, La llorona (1933) and El baúl macabro (1936) proving big disappointments. Dos Monjes (Two Monks) is a much more impressive effort, both visually and in terms of narrative.

    The film opens in a monastery - a wonderful piece of gothic set design, with vast stone features and atmospheric chiaroscuro lighting: Brother Javier (Carlos Villatoro) is supposedly possessed by the devil, suffering from fits of rage; he is visited by the new friar, Juan Servando (Víctor Urruchúa), who Javier clobbers over the head with a crucifix.

    Javier explains his act of violence to the padre: before he became a monk, he was a struggling musician who fell in love with a beautiful young woman called Ana (Magda Haller). But Javier's wealthy best friend Juan, who recently returned from his travels abroad, also took a fancy to Ana. He tells how, after recovering from a bout of illness, he agreed to spend an evening going through legal papers for his friend, but returned home early - to catch Juan pawing Ana. A fight broke out, Juan pulled a gun, and accidentally shot the woman dead. Juan promptly legged it, leaving Javier to join the monastery.

    The padre then goes to Juan to get his version of events. Juan says that Javier's account is partially true, revealing that he was in love with Ana before Javier ever met her. According to Juan, Ana had promised to wait for him while he was on his travels, so seeing her with Javier when he returned was a shock. Ana told him that she still loved him, but didn't want to upset Javier for fear that the news might kill him. Both have dark thoughts about Javier dying so that they can be together, and decide that they must punish themselves, Ana by going through with her wedding to Javier and Juan by traveling abroad again. Before leaving, Juan tried to get one last kiss from Ana, which is when Javier walked in. A fight broke out, Juan pulled a gun, and Ana got in the way of the bullet.

    Having heard from both men, the padre declares that he will only absolve them if they forgive each other, but it is too late for Javier: madness grips him and, after playing wildly on the monastery organ, he falls down dead.

    The film's narrative structure - where the same events are told from different perspectives - had been done before (and would famously be repeated in Kurosawa's Rashomon), but it works extremely well in this instance, the ambiguity of the two accounts leaving the viewer mulling over the story well after the film has finished. The excellent performances also add to the effectiveness, as does the wonderful direction by Juan Bustillo Oro, who uses a variety of styles and techniques to make his film aesthetically interesting throughout, including a dash of German expressionism, canted angles, great use of light and shadow, and some surreality towards the end, as Javier loses what's left of his marbles.

    7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
    helpful•0
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    • BA_Harrison
    • Sep 15, 2022

    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 20, 1935 (United States)
      • Mexico
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Mexico
    • Production company
      • Proa Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 19 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

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