The Jaguar (1963)

Col. Saltierra is determined to take over the Mendoza hacienda during the Venzuelan civil war.

He and his men succeed in their attack, killing the Mendozas and their eldest son.

But a younger son escapes with the help of a man named Juano, who goes on to raise the boy as his own.

Flash forward several years, and the Mendoza hacienda has become the Saltierra hacienda.

But the federal troops in the area are being harassed by a Robin Hood-type bandit and his followers.

The man is named Jose, but known as the Jaquar. He helps the peasants, and he’s a friend of the church.

He also gets inside information about Saltierra’s plans for gold shipments from a pretty saloon entertainer named Lolita who’s in love with him.

Complications arise when The Jaguar falls for another pretty woman named Ines without realizing she’s Saltierra’s daughter.

Review:

Interesting mostly as an early Euro Western made before the Spaghetti craze and as an early film from prolific exploitation director Jesus Franco.

Shot in black and white, it’s mostly predictable and turns overly melodramatic when it comes time for romance.

Jose is determined to love Ines in spite of her family ties, not realizing those feelings will be used to try to lure him into a trap.

If the film stands out in any way, it’s in the feisty female roles. Lolita, in particular, is ready to put her life on the line for her man.

And Ines isn’t about to let him ride into a trap without doing the same in an effort to warn him of impending danger.

Most of the cast will be unfamiliar to Spaghetti fans. But not Roberto Camardiel, who went on to appear in dozens of Euro Westerns.

Directed by:
Jesus Franco

Cast:
Jose Suarez … Jose “The Jaguar” Mendoza
Sylvia Sorrente … Lolita
Roberto Camardiel … Gen. Juano
Manuel Zarzo … Carlos
Todd Martin … Lt. Alberto Kalman
Roberto Font … Padre Francisco
Marta Reves … Ines Saltierra
Felix Dafauce … Col. Mendoza
Xan das Bolas … Gold train officer
Maria Vico … Marina
Deni Beus … Saltierra officer
George Rollins … Col. Fernando Saltierra

Runtime: 91 min.

Also with: Alicia Altabella, Elsa Cabada, Mike Brendel, Guillermo Vera, Sandalio Hernandez, Tito García, Guillermo Mendez, Jesus Franco, Antonio G. Cara, Albertina Escobar, Emilio Gutierrez Caba, Francisco Serrano

aka
El Lianero

Music: Daniel J. White

Memorable lines:

Jaguar: “No one knows you’re the real heroince.”
Lolita: “Heroine? If only they knew why I do it.”
Jaguar: “Because you love your country.”
Lolita: “For most women, loving their country means loving the right man.”

Inez: “Listen, Jose. I have to tell you something. I’m Colonel Saltierra’s daughter. And sadly, I can’t do anything about it. ”
Jaguar: “Don’t take it like that.”
Inez: “Destiny has been cruel to us.”
Jaguar: “What destiny? You are you. I am me. And your father is your father.”

Inez, crying about destiny: “Can I borrrow a tissue from you?”
Jaguar: “A tissue from me? Who do you take me for?”
Inez: “You really don’t use tissues?”
Jaguar: “They’re for women and strange folk.”
Inez: “You’re marvelous!”

Trivia:

Jesus Franco directed more than 200 films, mostly low-budget exploitation movies, mostly as Jess Franco. Check out these titles: “Kiss Me Monster” (1969), “A Virgin Among the Living Dead” (1973), “White Cannibal Queen” (1980), “Vampire Killer Barbys” (1996), “Killer Barbys vs. Dracula” (2002). His last film was “Revenge of the Alligator Ladies,” released in 2013, the year of his death in Spain at age 82.

Jose Suarez was the first Spanish actor to portray Zorro when he starred in 1953’s “Lawless Mountain.” In his mid-40s when he starred in this film, he had smaller roles as older characters in other Spaghettis, including “The Price of Power” (1969) and “A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die” (1972).

Wondering about the pretty ladies here? Sylvia Sorrente has 16 film or TV credits on IMDb, her last film being 1967’s “Bikini Paradise.” Marta Reves has 15 credits; her last film was the aforementioned “Kiss Me Monster.”