"The most celebrated of all Spanish silent films, The Cursed Village takes a familiar melodramatic theme-the ruinous effects on a family of forced separation-and imbues it with a political meaning that made the film a rallying cry for progressive forces of the period. The film begins with an almost too-idyllic portrait of country life: Juan tilling the fields, his wife Acacia singing to their baby, while grandpa sits contentedly nearby. Suddenly, nature intervenes; a hailstorm ruins the crops, Juan is thrown in jail, and Acacia emigrates to a nearby town. The rest of The Cursed Village becomes an attempt to return to the original pastoral scene of peace and stability, yet even when that is finally achieved, the falseness of the image serves as a powerful critique of romantic notions of the peasantry. Crisply directed and acted, The Cursed Village was also largely shot on location, with non-professionals filling several roles." -Richard Peña