Tintorera
A 1977 shark horror film based on Ramón Bravo's novel.
Tintorera is a 1977 horror film, a co-production between Mexico and Britain, directed by René Cardona Jr. The cast includes Susan George, Hugo Stiglitz, Fiona Lewis, and Andrés García. It adapts the novel by oceanographer Ramón Bravo, who studied the 'tintorera'—a 19-foot shark—and discovered the sleeping sharks of Isla Mujeres. The movie is often compared to *Jaws* and other monster films from the 1970s and 1980s, and is also known as *Tintorera: Killer Shark*. At the eighth Morelia International Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino screened a print from his personal collection as a tribute.
The story begins when Steven, a U.S.-born Mexican businessman, arrives at a Mexican resort village on his yacht. A local fisherman and yacht caretaker named Colorado takes Steven to haul in caught sharks, and Steven is irritated to find another shark has taken a large bite out of one. Steven then pursues Patricia, an English vacationer. They have a brief romance, but it ends when Steven cannot decide if he loves her. He becomes intensely jealous when she starts seeing Miguel, a womanizing swimming instructor at the hotel. While Steven broods, Patricia and Miguel have sex; she then goes skinny-dipping and is eaten by a large tiger shark.
The next day, Steven confronts Miguel in the hotel bar. Miguel says Patricia loved Steven but must have returned to England; neither learns her true fate. Miguel introduces Steven to two American college sisters, Kelly and Cynthia Madison. They go on a double date and swim to the yacht for skinny-dipping. The shark is nearby but does not attack. The sisters move between Miguel's and Steven's beds, and they all swim back to shore the next morning, again unharmed. When Miguel and Steven start a shark hunting business, Miguel warns they must leave the water immediately if a tiger shark appears.
One night, the men meet Gabriella, a young English tourist. They take her shark hunting, and though she is horrified, she admits her feelings for them are strong. They agree to a triangular relationship: she will be sexually involved with both, but they will not fall in love with her or each other—though it is loosely implied Steven and Miguel might be falling in love. They visit Mayan ruins together, then return to the yacht for sex. On their next shark hunt, a shark appears and rips Miguel in half.
Gabriella is devastated and decides to return to E
- director
- René Cardona Jr.
- release_year
- 1977
- country
- Mexico, United Kingdom
- based_on
- Novel by Ramón Bravo
- alternative_title
- Tintorera: Killer Shark
- starring
- Susan George, Hugo Stiglitz, Fiona Lewis, Andrés García
Lore & Background
The film's plot centers on Steven, a U.S.-born Mexican businessman, who arrives at a Mexican resort village on his yacht. After a series of romantic entanglements, several characters are killed by a large tiger shark. Steven eventually hunts and kills the shark with a speargun, though his own fate is left unknown. The credited cast includes Susan George, Fiona Lewis, Hugo Stiglitz, and Andrés García; no characters named Kelly Madison or Cynthia Madison appear in the film, and Priscilla Barnes does not appear in this film.
Reader's Guide
Tintorera is significant as a Mexican-British co-production that capitalized on the post-Jaws shark film craze of the 1970s and 1980s. It was filmed on location at Isla Mujeres, with underwater scenes using live sharks under the supervision of oceanographer Ramón Bravo. Due to Mexican censorship, two versions were prepared: an uncut version with explicit nudity for foreign markets and a cut version for domestic exhibition. The original English dub, featuring the voices of Susan George and Fiona Lewis, was later lost and replaced with American voice actresses for DVD release. Quentin Tarantino paid tribute to the film at the eighth Morelia International Film Festival, screening a copy from his private collection.
Did You Know?
- The film is based on a novel by oceanographer Ramón Bravo, who studied the tintorera shark and discovered the sleeping sharks of Isla Mujeres.
- Due to Mexican censorship, two versions of the film were made: an uncut version with nudity for foreign markets and a cut version for Mexico.
- The original English dub with Susan George and Fiona Lewis was lost and replaced with American voice actresses on DVD.
- Quentin Tarantino screened a copy from his private collection at the eighth Morelia International Film Festival.
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