THE CRITERION COLLECTION — SPINE #1222

Victims of Sin (1951)

Scene Setting

INT. MEXICO CITY NIGHTCLUB — 2:17 A.M.

Cigarette smoke hangs above the dance floor. The orchestra refuses to quit. In Victims of Sin, a nightclub dancer takes on a gangster, an abandoned child, and a rather unreasonable amount of trouble. Her evening has only just begun.

Product Description

A nightclub dancer with a heart of gold. A gangster with none to speak of. And a little boy caught between them.

Directed by Emilio Fernández, Victims of Sin (1951) is a feverish collision of Mexican film noir, maternal melodrama, and mambo-fuelled musical spectacle. Ninón Sevilla stars as Violeta, a rumbera who sacrifices her own security to raise an abandoned child, only to find herself confronting the boy's ruthless criminal father.

Photographed in striking black and white by legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, the film moves between smoky cabarets and shadowy criminal hideouts with extraordinary visual precision. The musical performances are no less impressive, featuring Latin American greats including Pérez Prado and His Orchestra.

Part of the Criterion Collection, this special edition presents a new 4K digital restoration of a remarkable film from the golden age of Mexican cinema. There is dancing, betrayal, considerable emotional distress, and very little opportunity for a quiet evening.

Product Highlights & Technical Notes

• Director: Emilio Fernández

• Starring: Ninón Sevilla, Tito Junco, Rodolfo Acosta, and Rita Montaner

• Country: Mexico

• Year: 1951

• Runtime: 84 minutes

• Language: Spanish, with new English subtitle translation

• Presentation: Black and white, 1.37:1 aspect ratio

• Restoration: New 4K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

• Special features: New interviews with filmmaker and archivist Viviana Garcia Besné and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto

• Archival documentary: A look at cine de rumberas, featuring interviews with Ninón Sevilla

• Additional content: Original trailer and an essay by scholar Jacqueline Avila

• Cover artwork: Lauren Tamaki

• Criterion Collection spine: #1222

• Available formats: DVD