ENTER SANTO: THE FIRST ADVENTURES OF THE SILVER-MASKED MAN On Blu-ray From Indicator

 

This two-disc set from Indicator includes the very first films featuring El Santo, the legendary masked Mexican professional wrestler. The two films are SANTO VS. EVIL BRAIN (SANTO CONTRA CEREBRO DEL MAL) and SANTO VS. INFERNAL MEN (SANTO CONTRA HOMBRES INFERNALES). 

The story behind the making of Santo's first big-screen adventures is far more adventurous and compelling than anything in the actual movies. A group of Mexican producers decided to make two films back-to-back in Cuba, and they convinced El Santo to take part. The films were shot mostly in and around Havana in late 1958, as the Cuban revolution was underway. The cast & crew managed to leave in January 1959, just in time to avoid Fidel Castro's entry into Havana. 

Due to the rushed circumstances, both films were not fully completed. The producers had to make do with what they had...so the result is that both pictures have a haphazard, lackluster quality to them. They're both around about 75 minutes, but even what that there's a lot of padding, such as numerous scenes of characters slowly driving to whatever destination they are going to. The two movies even share some of the same footage, and they both have multiple musical numbers that seem randomly inserted. Their storylines are confusing (obviously due to certain scenes not being filmed). The majority of cast & crew worked on both films. 

El Santo isn't even the main star of these features....he's more like a special guest who pops in and out from time to time. He's already in his expected bad guy busting mode, but he's not presented to the best of his advantage (the villains more than hold their own against him). 

SANTO VS. EVIL BRAIN serves as a blueprint for what the Silver-Masked Man's adventures would ultimately become. The "Evil Brain" is a scientist who is, from what I can figure out, experimenting with cell disintegration (it's never made clear in the story). For most of the movie, the scientist has Santo under his control, until another masked wrestler called El Incognito comes and saves the day. (While in this zombified state, Santo staggers about as if he was drunk.) 

SANTO VS. INFERNAL MEN has the wrestler and an undercover agent go up against some smugglers. It must be noted that there's very little action in both films, and there's very little that makes sense plot-wise either. The best comparison I can make to these first El Santo films would be the most mediocre product made by PRC and Monogram during the 1940s. 

Both movies do look good, though....Indicator states that they are original 4K restorations from the original 35mm camera negatives. One can tell, however, from the choppy editing and the inconsistent sound quality that these are half-realized productions. The two films are in black & white and have a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Each film comes on its own disc, and both discs are included in one case (the disc cover sleeve is reversible, with artwork for each film on different sides). 

Indicator has given this set a boatload of extras. Both discs have a number of extra features, such as actor Joaquin Cordero reminiscing about working on both films, and the Masked Critic discussing the background and history of El Santo and the film series that he starred in. 

The two major extras are the full-length documentary PERDIDA, a film by Viviana Garcia Besne, who is the granddaughter of Jorge Garcia Besne, who co-produced the first two Santo films. She is also the great-granddaughter of Jose Calderon, who, with his three sons and other family members, dominated the distribution, presentation, and production of Mexican films for most of the 20th Century. This is a expertly made film with all sorts of rare photos and footage, and an intriguing behind-the-scenes examination of a part of cinema history that most know nothing about (I certainly didn't). I would go as far to say that PERDIDA is the main highlight of this set. 

There's also a 30-minute program in which Vivian Garcia Besne travels to present-day Havana to search for locations used in the first two Santo films. It's a poignant journey, especially considering most of the shooting sites are now much the worse for wear (watching this doesn't give you much confidence in how Cuba has been run in the last 60 years). 

An 80-page booklet also comes with the set, filled with photos and various articles giving background detail on El Santo, the masked wrestler phenomenon, and more info on PERDIDA. A double-sided mini-poster (see below) is also included. This set is limited to 6,000 units. 

The first two Santo films are more of a novelty item than anything else. They are nowhere near as outlandish (or as entertaining) as the later features that would come to define the Silver-Masked Man's big-screen persona. Indicator should get a thumbs-up, though, for giving them such a stellar presentation--if nothing else, they have important historical value. Film buffs will really appreciate this set just for PERDIDA alone. 

There are rumors that Indicator is planning a whole line of future releases of El Santo movies. I certainly hope so--I'd love to see what they could do with a "proper" Santo outing.