Top 100 Mexican films, according to "Somos"

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"Somos" was a Mexican magazine published by Editorial Televisa during the 90s, which began to focus on Mexican cinema, particularly the films of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (not surprisingly, as Televisa had the rights for most of the films of that period). Through its pages, special editions dedicated to icons of Mexican cinema saw the light, with interesting information and superb still photographs of the likes of Pedro Armendariz, Dolores del R�o, Pedro Infante, and even wrestler Santo. On July of 1994, "Somos" celebrated its 100th edition with a special edition called "The 100 best films of Mexican cinema". The list was compiled by 25 experts, including critics such as Jorge Ayala Blanco, historians like Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro, and members of the Mexican film industry (such as legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa himself). The magazine was canceled in the early 2000s, but their list remains an interesting compilation of great films, and a great way to start to discover the richness of Mexican cinema.

To compile the list, the only rule was that the production had to be either completely Mexicanm, or at least mainly Mexican, which explains the exclusion of certain critically acclaimed co-productions (such as "Viridiana", which was mainly a Spaniard production). Also, the list tends to forget independent films, and it is centered mainly on the bigger films of the Mexican Golden Age. Of course, not everyone will be entirely happy at the sight of the exclusion of a film, but in the end, this is an attempt worthy of recognition, and as written above, a primer guide to get into Mexican cinema. Finally, it must be remembered that the list was compiled in 1994, which poses the question: what would appear in a new list of similar characteristics?

So now, the top 100 best films of Mexican cinema, according to "Somos" magazine (the year next to the film, is the year of production, not of release):

1. "V�monos con Pancho Villa" (1935, Fernando de Fuentes)
2. "Los olvidados" (1950, Luis Bu�uel)
3. "El compadre Mendoza" (1933, Fernando de Fuentes and Juan Bustillo Oro)
4. "Aventurera" (1949, Alberto Gout)
5. "Una familia de tantas" (1948, Alejandro Galindo)
6. "Nazar�n" (1958, Luis Bu�uel)
7. "�l" (1952, Luis Bu�uel)
8. "La mujer del puerto" (1933, Arcady Boytler)
9. "El lugar sin l�mites" (1977, Arturo Ripstein)
10. "Ah� est� el detalle" (1940, Juan Bustillo Oro)
11. "Campe�n sin corona" (1945, Alejandro Galindo)
12. "Enamorada" (1946, Emilio Fern�ndez)
13. "Pueblerina" (1948, Emilio Fern�ndez)
14. "Canoa" (1975, Felipe Cazals)
15. "Los hermanos Del Hierro" (1961, Ismael Rodr�guez)
16. "El �ngel exterminador" (1962, Luis Bu�uel)
17. "Cadena perpetua" (1978, Arturo Ripstein)
18. "El rey del barrio" (1949, Gilberto Mart�nez Solares)
19. "El esqueleto de la se�ora Morales" (1959, Rogelio A. Gonz�lez)
20. "V�ctimas del pecado" (1950, Emilio Fern�ndez)
21. "Tiburoneros" (1962, Luis Alcoriza)
22. "Distinto amanecer" (1943, Julio Bracho)
23. "R�o Escondido" (1947, Emilio Fern�ndez)
24. "La oveja negra" (1949, Ismael Rodr�guez)
25. "La otra" (1946, Roberto Gavald�n)
26. "Reed, M�xico insurgente" (1970, Paul Leduc)
27. "Nosotros los pobres" (1947, Ismael Rodr�guez)
28. "Sal�n M�xico" (1948, Emilio Fern�ndez)
29. "Do�a Perfecta" (1950, Alejandro Galindo)
30. "Flor silvestre" (1943, Emilio Fern�ndez)
31. "La pasi�n seg�n Berenice" (1975, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)
32. "La sombra del caudillo" (1960, Julio Bracho)
33. "Calabacitas tiernas (�Ay qu� bonitas piernas!)" (1948, Gilberto Mart�nez Solares)
34. "Dos tipos de cuidado" (1952, Ismael Rodr�guez)
35. "El vampiro" (1957, Fernando M�ndez)
36. "La barraca" (1944, Roberto Gavald�n)
37. "Mar�a Candelaria (Xochimilco)" (1943, Emilio Fern�ndez)
38. "El suavecito" (1950, Fernando M�ndez)
39. "La diosa arrodillada" (1947, Roberto Gavald�n)
40. "Los confines" (1987, Mitl Valdez)
41. "El gallo de oro" (1964, Roberto Gavald�n)
42. "El Topo" (1969, Alexandro Jodorowsky)
43. "Sensualidad" (1950, Alberto Gout)
44. "El grito" (1968, Leobardo L�pez Aretche)
45. "Danz�n" (1991, Mar�a Novaro)
46. "Susana (Carne y demonio)" (1950, Luis Bu�uel)
47. "Ensayo de un crimen" (1955, Luis Bu�uel)
48. "Tlayucan" (1961, Luis Alcoriza)
49. "Ladr�n de cad�veres" (1956, Fernando M�ndez)
50. "Frida, naturaleza viva" (1983, Paul Leduc)
51. "Los tres huastecos" (1948, Ismael Rodr�guez)
52. "El bulto" (1991, Gabriel Retes)
53. "Mar�a de mi coraz�n" (1979, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)
54. "La noche avanza" (1951, Roberto Gavald�n)
55. "A. T. M. A toda m�quina!" (1951, Ismael Rodr�guez)
56. "Como agua para chocolate" (1992, Alfonso Arau)
57. "M�xico de mis recuerdos" (1943, Juan Bustillo Oro)
58. "Los caifanes" (1966, Juan Ib��ez)
59. "Macario" (1959, Roberto Gavald�n)
60. "El apando" (1975, Felipe Cazals)
61. "Cabeza de Vaca" (1990, Nicol�s Echevarr�a)
62. "Juego de mentiras" (1967, Archibaldo Burns)
63. "Rosauro Castro" (1950, Roberto Gavald�n)
64. "Esquina bajan...!" (1948, Alejandro Galindo)
65. "Do�a Herlinda y su hijo" (1984, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)
66. "Torero" (1956, Carlos Velo)
67. "Santa" (1931, Antonio Moreno)
68. "G�ngsters contra charros" (1947, Juan Orol)
69. "La mujer de Benjam�n" (1991, Carlos Carrera)
70. "En la palma de tu mano" (1950, Roberto Gavald�n)
71. "Matin�e" (1976, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)
72. "Amor a la vuelta de la esquina" (1985, Alberto Cort�s)
73. "Do�a Diabla" (1949, Tito Davison)
74. "Mec�nica nacional" (1971, Luis Alcoriza)
75. "Do�a B�rbara" (1943, Fernando de Fuentes)
76. "Los motivos de Luz" (1985, Felipe Cazals)
77. "Cronos" (1992, Guillermo del Toro)
78. "�ngel de fuego" (1991, Dana Rotberg)
79. "Luponini (El terror de Chicago)" (1935, Jos� Bohr)
80. "La perla" (1945, Emilio Fern�ndez)
81. "Nocaut" (1983, Jos� Luis Garc�a Agraz)
82. "Santa" (1943, Norman Foster y Alfredo G�mez de la Vega)
83. "Los tres Garc�a" (1946, Ismael Rodr�guez)
84. "�guila o sol" (1937, Arcady Boytler)
85. "El baisano Jalil" (1942, Joaqu�n Pardav�)
86. "Janitzio" (1934, Carlos Navarro)
87. "S�lo con tu pareja" (1991, Alfonso Cuar�n)
88. "Viento negro" (1964, Servando Gonz�lez)
89. "All� en el Rancho Grande" (1936, Fernando de Fuentes)
90. "Historia de un gran amor" (1942, Julio Bracho)
91. "Escuela de vagabundos" (1954, Rogelio A. Gonz�lez)
92. "La malquerida" (1949, Emilio Fern�ndez)
93. "Las abandonadas" (1944, Emilio Fern�ndez)
94. "Dos monjes" (1934, Juan Bustillo Oro)
95. "La ilusi�n viaja en tranv�a" (1953, Luis Bu�uel)
96. "La Cucaracha" (1958, Ismael Rodr�guez)
97. "Espaldas mojadas" (1953, Alejandro Galindo)
98. "El autom�vil gris" (1919, Enrique Rosas, Joaqu�n Coss and Juan Canals de Homs)
99. "Una carta de amor" (1943, Miguel Zacar�as)
100. "Naufragio" (1977, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)

For further comments on the list (in Spanish) by people from the ITESM college, go here.