Based on Arthur Machen's 1927 short story "The Islington Mystery," this Rogelio A. González-directed (Chanoc, Dr. Satán y La Magia Negra) film is considered by many to be a classic of Mexican film, not just Mexican horror.

It's the story of taxidermist Dr. Pablo Morales (Arturo de Córdova, For Whom the Bell Tolls) who is stuck in a dead marriage to the hypochondriacal and ultra-religious Gloria (Amparo Rivelles, The Nail). He's dreamed of having children or even a moment of affection from his wife, who tells him that he smells of the dead.

Pablo finds another dream. He saves for a camera, but he gives the money to the church, so he must save up again. Despite his wife convincing the community that he's an abuser and a drunk, he somehow finally gets his camera.

Mrs. Morales responds by breaking it.

That's when too much is too much, so the kindly man kills his wife, dissects her and displays her skeleton in his storefront.

The priest is convinced that our protagonist is guilty, as is nearly everyone else in town, after Mrs. Morales has painted him as a drunk, a wife-beater and a general ne'er do well. That's when this movie shifts into a courtroom film.

Well, Mr. Morales escapes the law. But he can't escape God.

Screenwriter Luis Alcoriza was very influenced by Bunuel, which comes through in this. I love that Mexican cinema of the 1950's - or at least my experience of it - is monsters and luchadors on one side and mind-bending art films on the other.

One of the truly great things about movies being released on disc is that it provides an opportunity for movie fans to see movies they might otherwise miss. The majority of theaters in this country fail to feature foreign films and finding classic films is near impossible there. At one time select theaters tried to accommodate those fans but those days dwindled when VHS arrived and have grown fewer with disc on hand at affordable prices. So when a good movie comes along that is considered both a classic and an older film that's reason to rejoice. One such film is SKELETON OF MRS. MORALES.

By many accounts the film is considered a classic ranking number 19 in the list of the 100 best films of Mexican cinema. So when I heard it was being released I was anxious to see if it was worth that ranking. I'm pleased to say that yes, it does.

The story involves the title characters, an unhappy woman prone to hypochondria, self-righteousness and spreading gossip about her husband. Gloria Morales (Amparo Rivelles) is a shrew of a woman who pleads her case before the local priest telling him about how poorly she is treated when her husband steps out for a drink. She accuses him of being an alcoholic, of ignoring her and of blasphemy, all of which enrages the priest.

Pablo Morales (Arturo de Córdova) is honestly a simple man, loved by the kids in the neighborhood. A taxidermist by trade he spends his days working to provide for his wife and dealing with her issues. He loves her and wants to spend time with her but she brushes off his romantic endeavors telling him to go wash with alcohol to take off the stink of his profession. When he sits down to enjoy a steak, she complains about the smell acting as if she's going to be sick, saying it reminds her of the work he does in his shop downstairs.

Pablo has one dream, of owning a new camera so he can take pictures of his friends and the children in the neighborhood. When he goes to get his money to buy it, he finds Gloria has taken his money and given it to the church. He insists on it being returned which once more infuriates the priest and embarrasses Gloria. She wants to donate the money so she can have her name in the church for all to praise her for.

At one point Gloria attempts to poison the hawk that Pablo has been caring for, helping it mend. When the maid catches her she fires the maid threatening to spread lies about her. Later on in a fit of rage she smashes Pablo's camera. After 15 years of dealing with her issues, he's had enough. What happens from there makes for an interesting and at times truly funny film.

The movie is being released by VCI as part of their Classicos Del Cine Mexicano series. They've done a fine job of cleaning up the film offering it on blu-ray for the first time with a restored 2k version. The image is sharp, clean and near perfect, a black and white film that uses the form of shadow and light to perfection.

The biggest gripe many will have is that the film isn't dubbed. For those who have an issue I say stop complaining and give it a shot. The subtitles here are clearly visible and nicely done and no one should have a problem reading them. Open up the world to your movie viewing experience.

As for this movie I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. There wasn't a moment in the film when I wanted to press the fast forward button of get on with things. Each moment was enjoyable and the story fantastic. Give this one a watch.

I love films from all over the world and I understand that this makes me kind of weird--particularly here in the United States where most folks have little tolerance for subtitles. Perhaps it's because I have seen and reviewed so many films that I often look for something different--and The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is certainly different-- and in some very good ways.

In the past, I've written some articles about cheesy Mexican films-- such as the Aztec mummy films and the luchador (masked wrestler) films of the 60s and 70s. These films are pretty bad, but also are wonderful for a good laugh. But this does NOT mean that all Mexican films of yesterday are bad or silly--there are plenty of wonderful older Mexican movies that I've seen and I hope to see many more. For examples, the comedies of Cantinflas are quite charming and Pedro Infante's musicals are quite enjoyable--plus I am always hopeful that readers will write to me to recommend their favorites (hint, hint--PLEASE send me the names of your favorites)!

The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is an interesting tale because it's one of the few older films I've seen that would seem to endorse murder! Like the wonderful Hollywood film The Suspect (with Charles Laughton),the story is about a nice man who is married to a truly horrible woman. However, Mrs. Morales is unusual in her awfulness because she is two-faced. To her many friends in the local church and her extended family, she is a virtual saint who is forced to live with a terrible husband who drinks too much, abuses her and is irreverent. However, this is all part of Mrs. Morales' sick personality disorder. He is actually a very good husband and tries to love her, but she is both frigid and very cruel towards him--and being married to her is impossible. She wants others to think she's a martyr for staying with such a monster and he just wants a wife who will love him and so he puts up with a lot during their long and very unhappy marriage. All the while, most audience members are hoping that Dr. Morales will either leave this woman or kill her. I was rooting for him to kill her--especially after she smashes the camera he saved up to buy for two years and then convinced her friends that HE beat her! What's next? Well, the word 'skeleton' is in the title...so you might be able to guess SOME of what will happen. However, like all wonderful dark comedies, guessing exactly what will happen is just about impossible! And it features a wonderful twist ending that made me smile.

The bottom line is that while most people are much more likely to watch a recent Hollywood movie, there are wonderful films waiting to be discovered from all over the world. And, in the case of The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales, you don't have to travel that far from Hollywood to find a classic.