The Mexican film Macario (1960) weaves a tale of magical realism - with special appearances by God, the Devil and Death. It all begins on the Day of the Dead, when a peasant named Macario goes on a hunger strike. Macario vows he won't eat again until he can dine like a rich man - with an entire turkey all for himself. Eventually, he gets his wish (thanks to some pilfering on the part of his wife). But Macario cannot eat his meal in peace. He is visited in turn by God, the Devil and Death, each of which asks for a portion of his feast. Macario wisely declines the Devil and asks mercy from God, but he tries to bargain with Death. In exchange for some of the turkey, Death grants Macario a powerful gift - a vial of water able to cure any illness.

The story of Macario is based on the novel The Third Guest by the writer known as B. Traven. It is said he drew the plot from a Mexican folk tale. Traven's own origin and life story, however, remain something of a mystery. The Encyclopedia Britannica lists B. Traven's (the B. was commonly thought to stand for Bruno) birthplace and date with a question mark "born March 5, 1890?, Chicago?, Ill., U.S." Several sources hold that Traven was German born. Other stories claim he was everyone from the illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm II to a pen name of Jack London or Ambrose Bierce. But most accounts agree that Traven spent his youth in Germany and took on the pseudonym Ret Marut - becoming a revolutionary/writer/actor during World War I. When he was forced to flee Germany, Traven settled in Mexico. His first novel Das Totenschiff (The Death Ship) was published in 1926. The story about an American sailor without a country was named by Albert Einstein as the book he would take with him to a desert island.

Traven's second novel Der Schatz der Sierra Madre published in 1927, would become very familiar to American audiences. It was made into the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston. Huston sent a copy of the script to Traven and arranged a meeting - but Traven never showed. Instead, a man named Hal Croves appeared, carrying a letter of apology from Traven that gave Croves full permission to help Huston with any questions. Huston would later get in on the mystery and speculate about the Traven-Croves connection in his autobiography. "Croves had a slight accent," recalled Huston. "It didn't sound German to me, but certainly European. I thought he might very well be Traven, but out of delicacy I didn't ask. On the other hand, Croves gave an impression quite unlike the one I had formed of Traven from reading his scripts and correspondence. Croves was very tight and guarded in his manner of speaking. He was nothing at all as I had imagined Traven, and after two meetings I decided that this surely was not he."

The Traven mystery unraveled a bit with his 1969 death. His will stated his name to be Traven Torsvan Croves, born in Chicago 1890 and naturalized a Mexican citizen in 1951. His widow also told The New York Times that Traven was Ret Marut. 'He told me that once he died, I could say that he had been Ret Marut, but not before," his wife admitted. "He was afraid he would be extradited."

Traven's story The Third Guest was adapted for the screen by writer-director Roberto Gavaldon. Gavaldon was one of Mexico's leading directors from the 1940s - 70s. Under Gavaldon's care, Macario received international recognition, earning Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Film.

Producer: Armando Orive Alba
Director: Roberto Gavaldon
Screenplay: B. Traven, Emilio Carballido, Roberto Gavaldon
Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa
Film Editing: Gloria Schoemann
Art Direction: Manuel Fontanals
Music: Raul Lavista
Cast: Ignacio Lopez Tarso (Macario), Pina Pellicer (Macario's Wife), Enrique Lucero (Death), Mario Alberto Rodriguez (Don Ramiro), Jose Galvez (The Devil), Jose Luis Jimenez (God).
BW-91m.

by Stephanie Thames