Macario is a simple peasant, struggling to make ends meet. He gathers firewood in the nearby woods, to sell at market to help feed his large family. However no matter how hard he works, he still finds his children are starving and this hits him hard. With the Day of the Dead festival approaching, he finds it difficult to take that wealthy families are able to make such large offerings of food to their deceased relatives, while he and his family can barely get the bones of a good meal together. He goes on a hunger strike so that his children can have his share, this naturally worries his wife. His wife presents him with a large Turkey for him to eat all by himself, a craving he had confided in her some days previous, he gladly takes it and sets off into the forest to eat it before he starts his working day. Suddenly a man appears all dressed in black, the man beckons him to share the turkey, but despite the man offering him immense wealth in return, Macario refuses. Macario is then confronted by a bearded man dressed in white, again he is asked to share his feast, but Macario refuses yet again. Hungry and more frustrated Macario goes deeper into the forest, where once more he is asked for a share or the turkey, this time by a starving peasant, this time Macario agrees, the man is delighted and offers Macario a rare and special gift in return, he fills his flask with water from a spring and tells him that but one drop from the flask will cure any illness, with one proviso, that the third man will appear at the foot of the bed of the ailing if they are to be cured, but if he appears at the head of the bed, then they must die. Macario gets a reputation as a healer after saving his own sons life and after helping a local richman to save his dying wife, they go into business together and Macario is soon just as wealthy, as people from all walks of life arriving in his town looking for a cure make donations in thanks. Not everyone is happy however, the towns doctor and coffin maker find business hard to come by and its not long before Macario is reported to the Inquisition, they have him arrested and against the odds he must prove he is not a heretic or a sorcerer, his life depends on it. After two years of gathering dust on a shelf, i decided it was finally time to watch this highly rated Mexican film. A tale of poor peasants struggling to get by is not the most attractive of premises to me, so i was quite surprised at how the film immediately struck a chord. From the opening credits where peasants carry skulls in a Day of the Dead procession, i was hooked, as visually the film is a real treat. Gavaldon is a multi award winning director and it shows, the film is beautifully structured, the story is unfolded with impeccable pace as both visuals and characters are given equal importance, a striking dream sequence with skeletal marionettes and the grand hall of the Inquisition being particularly memorable. There's a wealth of characters that are all interesting to watch, their plights are intriguing to follow as they struggle with differing lessons in life. The film is full of symbolism and metaphor, some of which even Macario is aware of, in particular concerning the three strangers he meets. The First being a metaphor for Evil, Greed and represented by a Satan figure, The second representing Good, Generosity and represented by a God figure, the third one would seem to be an Angel of Death, The Grim Reaper, Starvation and represented by the lost soul of a peasant. Like in a Christmas Carol, All three come back to haunt Macario, giving him guidance or leading him astray and guiding him to his ultimate fate. Macario is a wonderfully captivating film, that has plenty of great horror imagery, it has a great fantasy element too and also delivers some good wholesome life lessons, both comic and tragic and is pretty much intriguing on every level, i loved it. It also has a fantastic twist at the end.

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't find about "Macario" until 2000 when it gained some attention because "Amores Perros" was about to get nominated for Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards. "Macario" went to the spot light because it was Mèxico's first movie to get nominated for such an award. So I took away my prejudgments towards classic movies and I tracked down a "Macario" DVD.And I am extremely glad that this movie has worldwide recognition because it truly is one of Mexico's best movies of all time (if not the best)."Macario" is more than a fairy tale with macabre overtones such as displaying The Devil, or The Death. No, "Macario" has a social and humanitarian message PLUS it displays in a beautiful way Mexican culture towards the dead and how we (Mexicans) feel about Death. There's also a strong criticism against authorities and noble titles in the 18th century. This movie is rich in all the sense of the word.Meet Macario, a Mexican campesino or land worker who isn't completely happy with his life because he desires what rich people have; specifically, eating turkey. Macario works hard for his family but it isn't enough for establishing a life full of comfort.One good day, Macario's wife gets a turkey for him; a turkey that cost her a lot of effort and work. Macario is thrilled and delighted with it and decides to eat it all by himself, not sharing it. He walks too far until he gets tired and takes a rest in the woods. On his eating turkey journey Macario meets Satan, The Death, and God. The three iconic figures want a bite of that turkey but Macario won't share it. But Death makes a deal with him... a deal that will give Macario all the power, money, fame, respect and all the turkey goodies he always wished. But in exchange for what? True, he will be the savior for many souls but will also risk his own soul.I don't want to give much away from this wonderful piece of cinema. It is a tender tale with dark overtones and Horror references but to be honest, this is more of a fantasy story displaying interesting facts of Mexican culture.Ignacio Lòpez Tarso delivers an amazing performance as Macario. That's all I can say about him. He's the master. Also Pilar Pellicer delivers a great performance. Too bad that she committed suicide at such a young age.The direction is flawless and sometimes looks way ahead of it's time. The same with the fantastic art direction and cinematography. The final scene where Macario is in front of thousands of candles it's a visually stunning and rich piece of art direction and cinematography. A memorable movie designed to charm everybody.Please watch "Macario" if you haven't. You won't find a better Mexican movie than this. It has everything to become a favorite.To be honest, I haven't seen it in 3 or 4 years but some scenes just keep repeating in my memory. This is a memorable movie in all the sense of the word. This movie makes me proud of being Mexican.

I was grateful for the rare opportunity to see the 1960 Mexican film `Macario.' Without going over the plot again, suffice it to say that it is a spooky, black and white film reminiscent of Bunuel's `Los Olvidados' and Bergman's `The Seventh Seal.' If that sounds appealing, `Macario' is definitely for you. Films with this sort of elemental power, and which tell an enthralling story devoid of marketing strategy, focus-group tweaking, or commercial gloss are increasingly rare. When you find one, it's usually an old film that you stumble upon by accident (as I did with this one). It's always a delight to find an old gem like this one. Great film!

I know that Mexican cinema has suffered greatly from repulsive movie makers. Macario is probably "THE" Mexican film that will define the country's cinema at its best.Macario is a beautiful classic Mexican film about the tale of a poverty stricken woodcutter. Taking place when Mexico was still under Spanish rule (For the ignorant reader "a person from Spain!") and racism between Spaniards and Mexicans took place. The Spaniards are the holders of the moneymaking businesses, while the Mexicans do the work of the poor.A woodcutter by the name of Macario becomes frustrated of seeing rich people getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Macario becomes sick of being hungry all the time. He becomes determined to become rich to make himself and family happier. One day his wife steals a chicken for her husband Macario. He kindly accepts and takes it to the wilderness to eat by himself.On the way he encounters the devil dressed as a Mexican gunslinger. The devil asks Macario to share the chicken with him and in return, he will give all the land to Macario. Macario refuses and replies by saying "This is not your land, how can you give me something that is not yours". Macario continues deeper into the wilderness in hopes to eat his chicken in peace. He then comes across God disguised as a shepherd. God asks, "Could you please give me a small morsel of that chicken?" Macario replies "My lord, you do not need my chicken". Macario finally hides in a cave where he comes across another man who too asks for some chicken. Macario sees that the man has not eaten because he is so bony, so Macario kindly shares the chicken. As the two men finish the chicken, Macario notices that he has shared the wealth with "Death". Death is grateful and gives him a gift; a canteen filled with water that will cure any illness.This is one of the most symbolic movies I have ever witnessed. Not realizing that Mexicans could to great movies they have proved themselves greatly with this magnificent tale of religion, poverty, and wealth. One of the most memorable scenes is the valley of candles. Strong character development and the depressive themes makes this a tale that is not intended for the weak of heart. A true masterpiece for those who love tales of deals between good and the dark side of life. See this film in its Castilian tongue (for the ignorant reader "the official and literary language of Spain based on this dialect").