The Bitter Stems
| The Bitter Stems | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Fernando Ayala |
| Written by | Sergio Leonardo |
| Based on | Los Tallos Amargos by Adolfo Jasca |
| Starring | Carlos Cores Julia Sandoval Gilda Lousek Vassili Lambrinos Pablo Moret |
| Cinematography | Ricardo Younis |
| Edited by | Gerardo Rinaldi Antonio Ripoll |
| Music by | Astor Piazzolla |
Production company | Artistas Argentinos Asociados |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
The Bitter Stems (Spanish: Los Tallos Amargos) is a 1956 Argentine film noir directed by Fernando Ayala, one of the last films of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema. The screenplay, written by Sergio Leonardo, was based on the novel Los Tallos Amargos by Adolfo Jasca. The film was scored by Astor Piazzolla.
The film was considered lost until it turned up in a private collection in 2014. A 35mm version was subsequently restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation and Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust,[1] and premiered in January 2016 at the Noir City Film Festival,[2] before playing in February 2016 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[3] When the film played at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood later that year, the presenter noted that while the 35mm negative was rediscovered, the soundtrack remained lost, so the restoration used the track from the director's 16mm print.
Premise
A washed up reporter teams up with an immigrant from Hungary to start a fake journalism by correspondence school.
Cast
- Carlos Cores as Alfredo Gasper
- Julia Sandoval as Susana
- Gilda Lousek as Esther
- Vassili Lambrinos as Liudas
- Pablo Moret as Jarvis
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Argentine Film Critics Association | Best Film | The Bitter Stems | Won | [4] |
| Best Director | Fernando Ayala | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Sergio Leonardo | Won |
Legacy
The American Cinematographer named The Bitter Stems one of the “50 Best Photographed Films of All-Time”.[3]
In 2022, the film was ranked 42nd on the list of the 100 Greatest Films of Argentine Cinema, a poll organized by specialized magazines La vida útil, Taipei and La tierra quema, and presented at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival.[5]
Home media
The Bitter Stems was released in Blu-ray by Flicker Alley in 2021.[6]
In February 2025, the film was released on The Criterion Channel.[7]
References
- ^ "Los Tallos Amargos". TCM Classic Film Festival. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Program - NOIR CITY Film Festival - January 22-31, 2016". Noir City. Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
- ^ a b "Los Tallos Amargos (The Bitter Stems). 1956. Directed by Fernando Ayala". MoMA. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Argentine Film Critics Association Awards (1957)". MUBI. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Top 100" (in Spanish). Encuesta de cine argentino 2022. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "The Bitter Stems (Los Tallos Amargos)". Flicker Alley. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "The Criterion Channel's February 2025 Lineup". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
External links