Santa Claus (1959)
Directed by René Cardona / K. Gordon Murray / Felipe Palmino / René Cardona Sr.
Genres - Comedy, Fantasy, Children's/Family |
Sub-Genres - Holiday Film |
Release Date - Nov 26, 1959 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 75 min. |
Countries - Mexico, United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming
Yet another oddball Mexican fantasy brought to American audiences by cut-rate exploitation titan K. Gordon Murray, this seasonal tale concerns Santa Claus (Jose Elias Moreno), who we discover doesn't work out of the North Pole after all. Instead, Santa and his friend and associate Merlin the Magician have a base of operations in a castle orbiting the Earth on a small satellite, upon which they observe the activities of children both good and bad through an elaborate surveillance system. While kids all over the globe (most of whom apparently wear stereotypical native costumes at all times) are trying to be good, the Devil wants to increase youthful misbehavior. With this in mind, he sends his emissary Pitch (Cesareo Quezadas, aka Pulgarcito), a demon with a digestive problem, to Earth and Pitch starts his reign of terror by attempting to goad a little girl from a poor family into stealing the doll that she wants. Eventually, Santa and Merlin catch up with Pitch for a final battle of Good vs. Evil. Santa Claus also offers new insight into St. Nick's weight, eating habits, and mode of transportation; the film played the kiddie matinee circuit for years, and later was analyzed by Mike Nelson and his robot pals on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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Keywords
Christmas, Santa-Claus, Satan, castle, magician [performer], satellite, help, holiday, temptation, magic