La Fièvre monte à El Pao (1959)
Directed by Luis Buñuel

Film Review

A comparatively obscure entry in the Buñuel canon, La Fièvre monte à El Pao certainly does not show the director at his best.  Despite some memorable moments (most notably the film's final five minutes) and commendable acting (particularly from an exceptional María Félix), the film is ponderous and lacking in drama and tension.

Although the film has a promising opening, with some impressive panoramic location scenes, it quickly drifts into complacency.  Although a lot of action  is eluded to in the script, very little of this actually makes it to the screen.  Even the crucial rebellion towards the end of the film takes place well out of camera shot.  The mounting fever of the film's title just fails to appear, and watching this film is a bit like watching a firework which just fails to go off.  Having said that, the film has some saving graces and should not be written off as a failure, if only for the performances given by the three lead actors, María Félix, Gérard Philipe and Jean Servais.

La Fièvre monte à El Pao is probably most noted because it marks the final acting role for Gérard Philippe, a popular and highly regarded French actor.  Whilst making the film, Philippe was suffering from liver cancer, and this is noticeable throughout his performance, adding a very real tragic poignancy to his character.  Philippe died a short time after his appearances in this film had been recorded, at the age of 37.

Film Synopsis

In El Pao, the capital city of the prison island of Odeja, the governor Mariano Vargas resides in his luxurious palace, ruling his people with a steely ruthlessness that has made him unpopular with the masses.  Unbeknown to him, his seductive wife Inès has been pursuing a torrid affair with a military man, Colonel Olivares, who is soon forced to flee the country for political reasons.  After Vargas is assassinated by a hot-headed rebel, Garcia, it is not long before his successor is appointed - Gual, a man who is even more blood-thirsty and dictatorial than Vargas.  One of Gual's first acts as governor is to arrest Professor Gardenas, whose idealistic views are a threat to the new regime.

Gardenas's incarceration is deplored by Olivares's former secretary, Ramon Vasquez, who finds an unlikely ally in Inès Vargas.  As they succumb to a strong mutual attraction, Ramon and Inès imagine a more harmonious future for their country and make plans to bring this about.  In Gual, Ramon has a dangerous rival who has his own amorous designs on his predecessor's alluring wife.  When the assassin Garcia dies in police custody, Gual has Ramon blamed for his death.  In the course of a violent uprising, the governor is arrested and Vasquez takes his place.  With Gual out of the way, Vasquez finds he has no choice but to sacrifice his love so that he can achieve his noble ambitions for his country...