This film virtually leaps off the screen. The music, the characters, the confrontations, the emotions: they boil over the top in this uniquely Mexican version of noir dubbed rumbera, films depicting the hard luck life of nightclub entertainers. And no one is more troubled and volatile than sexy Cuban rumba dancer Ninón Sevilla. As Violeta, she dances up a storm in a club featuring some of Latin America’s top performers—Pérez Prado, Rita Montaner and Pedro Vargas appear. While dodging the abuse of a vicious pimp, our golden-hearted hussy rescues an abandoned baby from the trash, defies her boss, loses her job, and is forced into prostitution. Noir teaches that life is unfair, especially for Mexican nightclub entertainers. Rumberas attracted Mexico’s top cinema talent, including the nation’s most famous director, Emilio Fernández, as well as legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. As André Breton is reputed to have said, “In Europe we talk about surrealism, in Mexico they live it every day.” New 4K Restoration