
Benito Alazraki
Directing
Biography
Benito Alazraki (27 October 1921 – 6 June 2007) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter whose career spanned commercial features, documentary work, and genre cinema. He founded Panamerican Films, produced and co-wrote the script for Enamorada (directed by Emilio Fernández), and made a cycle of indigenist documentaries for Teleproducciones led by producer Manuel Barbachano Ponce. His feature debut, Raíces—an episodic adaptation of El diosero by Francisco Rojas González—received the International Critics’ Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and later a special honor from the Ariel Awards. He then moved into commercial filmmaking with titles such as Los amantes and later directed popular genre films including Santo Contra los Zombis and Espiritismo, the latter adapted from The Monkey's Paw. He also produced, wrote, and directed extensive television work in Spain, and on returning to Mexico held senior posts at Canal 13 and CONACINE.
Known For

Satan gives a woman three wishes in this version of the classic tale, "The Monkey's Paw."
Spiritism

In Mexican Revolution times, a guerrilla general and his troops take the conservative town of Cholula, near by Mexico City. As the revolutionaries mistreat the town's riches, General Reyes falls for beautiful and wild Beatriz Peñafiel, the daughter of one of the town's richest men.
Enamorada

Mexican feature film
Los amantes

In June 1808, Napoleon's troops invade Spain. A boy named Isidro will beat his drum in the mountains of El Bruc, making the French army believe that thousands of armed men are waiting to confront them.
La leyenda del tambor

Four independent stories based on writer Francisco Rojas Gonzáles's work, depicting the reality of Mexican indian people: Las Vacas (The Cow), Nuestra Señora (Our Lady), El Tuerto (One-Eyed) and La Potranca (The Filly). In El Tuerto, a one eyed boy is relentlessly bullied by his mates. His religious mother asks God to make the boy's eyes equal. The outcome is tragic.
Roots

Ambitious non-starter gets a job as a bill-collector at a beauty-products company and tries to bluff his way into a management position, then tries a couple of other business schemes with minimal success.
Tin Tan y las modelos

Four men are cursed by a voodoo priest for stealing a sacred idol from his temple. Soon a band of murderous "doll men" are after the men and their families.
The Curse of the Doll People

Masked luchador "Santo" fights against an evil doctor and his zombie army.
Santo vs. the Zombies

A prostitute enters a brothel and establishes a rivalry faking love with the old owner.
La Casa Que Arde de Noche

Three brothers meet three sisters from the nearest town.
Las hermanas Karambazo

The charitable Emilio is a jealous barber tries to prevent at all costs the rich toting Mario mess with his girlfriend Rosita. Although Emilio help with money from neighbors, gets entangled in a misunderstanding and ends up in jail but his friends are out of charge so much trouble.
La tijera de oro

A lazy slob agrees to a fixed boxing match in order to be accepted by his family and friends.
Yo hice a Roque III

Kidnapping band has a system set up to transport infants and older children to black-market adoptive parents in the USA.
Ladrones de niños
Mauricio flees from the police and takes refuge in the apartment of Ivonne, who gives him blood to save his life. Carlos the policeman who is in love with her, finds Mauricio's passport and has the inspector offer 10 thousand pesos to whoever turns him in. Mauricio confesses to Ivonne that he is innocent of the crime, and asks her to marry him.
Infierno de almas

Anthology movie that presents 3 stories about romance.
Mundo mágico

The Jiménez brothers and their allies lead an operation to combat a gang of criminals who have the region under a regime of terror. The bloody confrontations begin to produce the first fatalities.
The Gunslingers

Three monks raise the boy Antonio, who was abandoned at the convent door. The monks are criticized for the way they have educated Antonio, who ends up being a joker.
De hombre a hombre

Four stories: The encounter between a soldier and a widow in a cemetery. A woman arrives as a maid in an unknown city where she discovers love. Another woman is tasked with caring for her lecherous uncle on his deathbed. A young man gets into trouble with his girlfriend's family when she suggests opening up their relationship.
Love Love Love

A ghost falls in love with the daughter of the owner of an old mansion, but her fiancé will fight to make sure the ghost leaves them alone.
The Ghost of the Lake

Two screwballs get mixed up with monsters, mad scientists and vampires.