The film that established María Félix as the "diva" of Mexican cinema. So great was her screen power that she herself became known as "La Devoradora des Hombres"-The Man-Eater-as the protagonist of this Latin American Western is called. The story is an adaptation of Rómulo Gallegos' novel about the settlement of the Venezuelan savannas. Doña Bárbara is a tyrannical rancher whose despotism stems from a rape as a young woman; now, combining sheer will with witchcraft, "she's the natural law around here." A fellow landowner arrives from the capital city to tame the shrew (and civilize and schmooze her neglected, feral daughter), but not to win her. Fernando de Fuentes was one of the founders of the Mexican film industry with his Revolution trilogy and comedias rancheras; in Doña Bárbara we see his characteristic focus on the local pampas culture-gossip among ranch hands, the easy inclusion of folkloric music. But cinematographer Alex Phillips' deep blacks contrasting with vast long-shots accent the Manichaean theme of the plot and its several bizarre incidental characters.