«Los hermanos Del Hierro» («My Son, the Hero», 1961), by Ismael Rodríguez and «Par de reyes» («Pair of Kings», 1983), by Ricardo Garibay. A comparative analysis

Abstract

Both Los hermanos Del Hierro (My Son, the Hero, 1961), by Ismael Rodríguez and Par de reyes (Pair of Kings, 1983), by Ricardo Garibay, were written by the latter, and, for the relevance of their propositions, which we analyze in this article, for their formal importance in Mexican cinema and, generally, in westerns and in literature, deserved to have a dedicated comparative analysis. It is the case that the critically acclaimed movies script was written first, and that, many years later, motivated the novel, of border genre, and of equal literary transcendence. An exemplary novel. In fact, Ricardo Garibay erects himself at the center of these two creations, and we cannot forget that from that original idea unfurls the famous film, realised by Ismael Rodriguez, an essential in the history of mexican cinematography. Alltogether, both masterpieces offer an unfathomable lesson on human values ex negativo, showing us what shouldn’t be: hate, revenge, resentment, etc.