Time to Die

Fresh from serving eighteen years in jail for shooting a man in self-defense, Juan Sayago (Jorge Martinez de Hoyos, The Magnificent Seven) comes back to his hometown to start life anew and reunite with old flame Mariana (Marga Lopez, Bunuel's Nazarin). But the two sons of the man he killed, consumed by an overwhelming thirst for revenge, have been anxiously awaiting his return. From an original story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude), and featuring dialogue by Mexican novelist/essayist Carlos Fuentes (The Death of Artemio Cruz, The Old Gringo), this stunning directorial debut by a then-21-year-old Arturo Ripstein provides insight into the genius who would go on to create Deep Crimson and Hell Without Limits.

"Arturo Ripstein is one of the great directors of Mexican cinema and his 1966 debut feature Time to Die here makes its American home video debut in a beautiful new 50th anniversary restoration. Written by legendary Latin American writers Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Fuentes, the film offers up a twist on the revenge Western... 'Time to Die' plays like an anti-spaghetti-Western set in a dusty village that time forgot—with no cars, no telephones, and not even a railroad connection to the rest of the world (it could be 1965 or 1865). The culture of machismo and the codes of honor and vengeance are heavily critiqued in this tragic melodrama, in which none of the players escape their fate as long as they continue to stubbornly hold on to outmoded values. Mature, sophisticated, and visually striking (without being flashy), this is a compelling classic of Mexican cinema and a memorable beginning of a major career... Recommended." - Video Librarian