"A sociological study of the people, of a small pueblo in Santiago, in the remote mountains of Mexico, who have not caught up with modern civilization, as reflected in the life of a young boy, Juan Diego, and his family. A protest against the government and religion that keeps the peasants poor, uneducated and rooted to superstition and poverty."
Opening caption:
"None of the people in this film are actors. They are peasants, doctors, teachers, etc. in real life. Most of the peasants have never seen a movie, but they understand our story well. It was a part of their lives.
Among the tall mountains of Mexico the ancient life goes on sometimes little changing in a thousand years. Now from the cities of the valley, new thinking and new techniques reach out to the remote villages. The old and the new meet and sometimes clash, but from the meetings a gradual change is taking place in the villages.
This is a story of the little pueblo of Santiago in the mountains of Mexico. And this is the story of the boy Juan Diego, and of his people who live in the long moment when the past slips reluctantly into the future.
Cast
Burgess Meredith ... Narrator (voice)
Directed By Herbert Kline, Alexander Hammid
Screenplay & Story Written By John Steinbeck
Associate Producer Rosa Harvan Kline
Producers Alexander Hammid, Herbert Kline
Cinematography By Alexander Hammid
Film Editing By Herbert Kline
Original Music By Hanns Eisler
Assistant Director Carlos L. Cabello
Release Date: November 18 1941 (USA)
