“El Santo” films: fighting the forces of evil; Mexican Consulate presents movie series

They are outrageous, campy and wildly popular.

The iconic films featuring “El Santo,” a masked wrestler battling the forces of evil, are about much more than a superhero. They’re about a working man who uses his talent to make his community better.

“The film series ‘El Santo Superstar’ illustrates the cinematography of this undisputed hero who is faithful to its vocation as a fighter not only in the ring, but in the social sphere,” said Fabian Gayosso, Mexican Consulate spokesman.

El Pasoans have an opportunity to check out the genre Thursday at 6 p.m. at the La Fe Culture and Technology Center at 721 S. Ochoa in south El Paso.

The free screening is part of the “El Santo Superstar Film Series” sponsored by the Mexican Consulate in El Paso, La Fe, and the Binational Independent Film Festival.

“El Santo,” also known as “The man in the silver mask” captured the imagination of fans on and off the screen.

“Mexican cinematography was nourished through the years by emblematic figures that immortalized wrestling films that made them be remembered all around the world,” said Gayosso in a statement.

“One of those figures was Rodolfo Guzman, who played a unique role in the history of Mexican cinema due to his amazing popularity. He gave up his personal identity when he first put on a mask to portray ‘El Santo’ (The Saint), who became imbedded in Mexican popular culture and a national treasure for over four decades,” he said.

The films are popular to this day.

El Pasoans will be treated to 1972’s “Santo contra las lobas,” “Saint against the she-wolves,” where the famous wrestler will fight against the werewolves to keep Luba, the queen of the she-wolves, from destroying humanity and taking over the earth.

It’s all in a day’s work.