Natás es Satán [Natás is Satan] (Prods. Zay-Re/Golden King/Columbia, 1977*) Exec Prod: Joe Zayas, Anthony Reyes; Prod: Joe Zayas, Anthony Reyes, Miguel Ángel Alvarez; Dir-Scr: Miguel Ángel Alvarez; Story: Joe Zayas; Photo: Larry Revene; Music: Carlos Ramos; Dubbing Dir: Jaime Sánchez; Film Ed: Al Nieves; Makeup: Ricardo Reyes * copyright Joe Zayas

 

Cast: Miguel Ángel Alvarez "El Men" (Natás), Frank Moro (Víctor Ramos), Perla Faith (Jéssica Ramos), Ramón Peña "Cartucho" (El Grande, little person bar owner), Eddy Díaz (lieutenant), Anthony Reyes (bar owner), Rosa Ramos (Rosa), Marty Cruz (David), Raúl Marrero (lawyer), César Córdova (police superintendent), Jimmy del Río (desk man), Tomy Vargas (detective), Ramón Morales (dog trainer), Elizabeth Reyes (policewoman), Natividad Reyes (little girl), Geraldo Cruz (Chinese man), Rosa Sambrana (Margarita), Lloyd Steier (dog owner), César Núñez and Otis Aracena (bouncers), Héctor Luis Ortiz (detective), Mike Camacho (woman in red), Laura Santiago (woman in white), Pablo Cabaza (woman in maroon), Ramón Isquierdo (doorman), Ángel Valent-? (bomb squad man), Pedro Díaz (drunk), Pablo Mirabal and Hugo Marte-? (male nurses)

 

Notes: Natás es Satán received wider distribution than most other "pure" Nuyorican movies (i.e., not co-productions), probably due to the presence of two stars with significant international exposure, Miguel Ángel Alvarez and Frank Moro (although Moro's career in Mexican telenovelas and movies was really just beginning). Perla Faith was another semi-"name" performer--with roles in Tigresa, Adiós New York, Adiós, and Prestemela esta noche to her credit--but she never achieved the status of Alvarez or Moro. Columbia Pictures distributed the film theatrically, and it has been reasonably available on commercial video and DVD over the years. A "dubbing" credit, plus the fact that the end credits (and the coda "Stay Alert, Natás May Return") are in English, suggest an English-language version may have also been released or at least prepared.

 

A sort of precursor to The Bad Lieutenant and Unlawful Entry, Natás es Satán was written and directed by its star, Miguel Ángel Alvarez (who had directed at least three other PR features). Alvarez, nicknamed "El Men," was best-known in Puerto Rico as a comic actor, but in an ironic twist most of his film roles were dramatic and--ironically--villainous. As a director, he seems to have assimilated the "zero degree" style prevalent in Hollywood, since Natás es Satán is slick and professionally made, with few if any self-consciously "arty" touches or (conversely) the awkward long-take master shots prevalent in low-budget cinema. Cinematographer Larry Revene worked on numerous adult features shot in New York and the early sequence of Moro and Perla Faith making love is reminiscent (in a very soft-core way) of "classy" or "couples" porn, with soft lighting and romantic music. Various members of the cast and crew also worked on other Nuyorican features, including Larry Revene ( Yeyo), Al Nieves (Toño Bicicleta), Perla Faith (Tigresa), Anthony Reyes (Yeyo), Tomy (= Tommy) Vargas (Toño Bicicleta), Cartucho (Yeyo), Frank Moro (Adiós New York, Adiós), but this was actually made rather late in the cycle of 1960s-70s features.

 

One bonus pleasure of NY-PR cinema is the location shooting which serves as a time capsule of New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. In Natás es Satán, audiences can enjoy evocative shots of actual businesses such as "Dreamland Furniture," and "The House of Deadly Dogs" Dog Training Academy. The producers seem to have gotten the cooperation of the police department (at least the car they use looks real) but the office of the police superintendent was probably not the real thing (unless the actual superintendent has a collection of toy robots in his office!). The New York of Natás es Satán is--like Texas in many Mexican movies shot on location--a place where Hispanics predominate and Spanish is the lingua franca: there are a few snatches of English heard (the only significant scene being one in which Jéssica shops for a shirt), and the police hierarchy (for example) is entirely Latino.

 

Businessman Víctor is leaving his store with his wife Jéssica when patrolman Natás spots a pistol on the man's belt. Despite Víctor's protests that he has a permit to carry the weapon, Natás arrests the couple. David, the young partner of Natás, tries to convince his friend to drop the case, but Natás falsifies a report claiming Víctor threatened him. When an investigation clears Víctor, Natás is suspended for a month without pay and loses his chance for promotion. In revenge, the corrupt cop (we see him taking a pay-off at a bar) covers Víctor's car with garbage and stalks him. Visiting police headquarters with a lawyer, Víctor and Jéssica lodge a complaint but cannot prove anything (Natás breaks down in tears in a meeting, claiming innocence).

 

Warned off again, Natás enlists the aid of Rosa, who telephones Jéssica and claims to be having an affair with Víctor. Jéssica is tricked into believing Víctor is unfaithful--Natás hires an actor to impersonate her husband and allow himself to be seen with Rosa, women's clothing is hidden in Víctor's car for Jéssica to find, etc.--and she moves out. Víctor, in turn, is lured to a park to meet his absent wife, but is instead stabbed and beaten by three "women" (transvestites).

 

The film's most bizarre sequence follows: in his apartment, Natás watches a porno film (holding the projector on his stomach), smokes dope, puts on a life preserver (!), then greets David and the three transvestite-assassins. The scene concludes with Natás embracing and kissing David as the "women" watch! [Earlier, Natás had remarked that David's good looks would make him a favorite of the ladies, "but you don't like women." The relationship between the two policemen is--aside from the kissing scene--not overtly homosexual, but there are certainly homoerotic overtones.]

 

Jéssica reconciles with Víctor as he recovers from the assault, and they decide to purchase a guard dog. Natás obtains a bomb from a contact in Chinatown and sends it special delivery to Víctor at work as if it were a present from Jéssica. However, a fortuitous phone call from Jéssica alerts Víctor to the ruse and the bomb squad takes the device away safely. Natás decides to simply enter the Ramos house and shoot the couple to death, but Víctor and Jéssica spend the evening on the town celebrating Víctor's birthday, and thus do not arrive home until late. Natás, meanwhile, has entered the house to wait, but is killed by the guard dog. David, tears in his eyes, drives away. The final shot of the film is a closeup of a little devil trinket Natás carried with him.

 

Natás es Satán is an interesting film which, surprisingly, is not quite as outrageous as it could have been. Natás, for example, almost never crosses over the line into caricature or super-villain and his schemes for vengeance are generally pretty believable. [The film does cheat a bit in the matter of Víctor's "double," by having Frank Moro play him until the "unmasking" shot; instead of just having someone who resembles Víctor, we are supposed to believe the actor Natás hired was such a master of makeup that he could become his subject's exact double.] And the reactions of Víctor and Jéssica are also realistic (hiring a lawyer, buying a dog) rather than fantastically complicated or melodramatic.

 

The film leaves some things unexplained, which is not the same as having loose ends. For instance, Natás visits "El Grande," a little person who warns him that the cop's desire for revenge could pose a threat to some (crooked) business they are involved in. The relationship between Natás and Rosa, and Natás and the transvestites is also left open (presumably a NYC cop has many acquaintances).

 

The performances are all fine. Miguel Ángel Alvarez, as noted above, resists the opportunity to overact (for the most part), and is convincing as a high-strung, angry, bitter man, while Moro and Faith are satisfactory as his victims. Faith was not an especially talented dramatic actress--although she was very good at times in Tigresa--but she's attractive and does an adequate job here. Marty Cruz is fine as David (although the actor probably should have removed his wedding ring if he was going to play a sexually-ambiguous character), and the supporting performers (although their roles are all minor) are adequate.

 

The "Miracle Pictures" DVD of Natás es Satán is marred by numerous jump cuts in the latter half, as well as tape rolls, "sparklies," and other technical flaws in the source print and transfer. This is not the worst example of the shoddy Miracle Pictures product, but these problems do hinder one's enjoyment of the movie somewhat.

 

Review posted 7 January 2008 by D. Wilt. HTML errors fixed 10 Feb 2022.


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