By Jeffrey Sipe and Nina Rodriguez
Most famous for his tetralogy made up of “Hasta el viento tiene miedo” (1968), “El libro de piedra” (1969), “Más negro que la noche” (1975), and “Veneno para las hadas” (1984), Mexico´s “duke of horror” Carlos Enrique Taboada is one of the most renowned and beloved filmmakers in the history of Mexican cinema. Far beyond fans of the genre, pretty much everyone growing up over the past four decades couldn’t have missed the TV reruns of his movies.
Interest in Taboada’s work was further renewed after recent remakes of “Hasta el viento tiene miedo” in 2007, and “Más negro que la noche” in 2014, released to much success with contemporary audiences across the country.
In “Jirón,” journalist and horror film enthusiast Christian Cueva embarks on a thrilling quest to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of Taboada’s fifth feature, “El Jirón de Niebla.”
Intrigued by the production of a new film based on Taboada’s screenplay, Cueva was surprised to find diverging information on the project: while it was commonly assumed that Taboada had never filmed his script for this title, he heard rumors that the film had gone into production in the late 80s but was lost.
Curious about what had become of the project, Cueva first set out to work on a news report but later decided to debut as a filmmaker himself by turning his research into a documentary which resulted in a kind of a thriller. An exercise in memory and suspense, “Jirón” approaches the enigmas of a lost production while revealing both fascinating and shocking stories about those involved in the process of its making.
By the end of the 1980s, the film industry in Mexico was in decline—theaters were closing and production had reached an all-time low with barely a handful of films made in the country each year. Cinema was in a state of agony, soon to receive its final blow through the rise of video stores and television.
Taboada’s “Veneno para las hadas”—a renowned classic today—had failed terribly at the box office when first released, and it became obvious for the director that the traditional way of filmmaking was no longer profitable. Therefore, and despite much skepticism from critics of the new medium, Taboada decided to shoot his next feature “Jirón de Niebla” in video format.
Shot and set for release in April 1989, the film, however, fell victim to political intrigues around his producer Vicente Silva Lombardo whose hacienda, where “El Jirón de Niebla” had been shot, was seized and with it all the material for Taboada’s film. Lombardo had to flee the country and all attempts to recover the material failed.
Cueva’s documentary is a fascinating exploration of the lost production and the generation of filmmakers who worked tirelessly throughout the 80s to defend their commitment to creativity in the face of limited resources. “Jirón” is not only a must-see for fans of Taboada and horror films, but also it serves as a tribute to the worst period of Mexican cinema—which coincided with a era dominated by illegality, impunity, and abuses by the ruling regime in the country all of which remain at the base of current issues in Mexico and which Taboada’s cinema was a victim among many others.
On the occasion of the anniversary of Taboada’s death, “Jirón” will be re-released on April 15 and screen at Compartimento Cinematográfico in San Miguel de Allende. This documentary is not only a celebration of Taboada’s legacy but also a reminder of the struggles faced by Mexican filmmakers during a difficult period in the country’s history.
