Grieving widow finds new purpose in life as director of an orphanage.
Acting
Libertad Lamarque's powerhouse matriarch performance.
Direction
Gavaldón's elegant balance of soap and soul.
Score
Melodramatic strings that know exactly when to swell.

Director
Roberto Gavaldón
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Mexico's 'Comedia Ranchera' evolution, where Lamarque — an Argentine superstar — became the definitive maternal icon across Latin America.
Gavaldón shot the orphanage scenes at a real Mexico City institution; several background children were actual residents, not actors.