The Right to Be Born (1952) User Reviews (3)

A little old fashioned and syrupy but still a very sweet and enjoyable film.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 12 April 2015]

"The Right to Be Born" is a lovely old Mexican film. However, I am sure it's not for everyone because the film is extremely sentimental and contrived. Now I didn't mind this at all...but it is an old fashioned melodrama.

When the film begins, a lady comes to her doctor and tells her she wants an illegal abortion*. He is incensed and yells at her--then tells her the strange story about his life...a life that never would have taken place had his nasty grandfather had his way. I'd say more but don't want to ruin the film.

The story has lots of coincidences and is tough to believe if you are the sort who has difficulty with accepting these coincidences. I enjoyed it and the story is very compelling-- and there are some lovely performances and the story quite engaging.

By the way, one person who reviewed this says it's long like "Gone With the Wind". Well, although the plot is complicated and it takes place over a long period, the film is less than two hours long and seemed NOTHING like this Hollywood film.

This was such a good movie, I'd like to see it again.

[erkmak00 · 31 October 2002]

This was a great movie, but I only saw it once, and I would very much like to see it again. To me, it is a classic; a very long movie (lengthy like "Gone With The Wind")and my sister and I would like to obtain a video copy to view it again. If anyone knows where we can obtain a video of this movie, I sure would appreciate it.

Classic Mexican Tearjerker

[Venus-25 · 15 July 2006]

Having seen the most recent novela version of this story, I was curious enough to buy this DVD sight unseen. I'm glad I did, although the manner in which the story is executed could easily have been the work of an anti-abortion propagandist.

The story is told in flashback by Dr. Limonta as he deals with a unwed patient seeking an abortion. The early part of the story plays out in a similar manner to the novela versions, with Mama Dolores rescuing him and raising him despite the difficulty of being a black woman raising a white child in Depression-era Cuba. A natural disaster brings him in contact with his genetic family years after his birth mother has become a nun and he has become a doctor and -- of course -- there are consequences.

Among the performances, the most noteworthy are those of Gloria Marin, Jorge Mistral, Jose Baviera, and Lupe Suarez. The confrontation between the two mothers of Alberto is particularly interesting. The stark black and white photography serves to emphasize the moral dichotomies of the situation, punctuated by closeups of the actors' most emotional moments. It is easy to see how this story could inspire three different novela series.