A Brief Homage to a Golden-Age Mexican Cinema Actress — Senator Silvia Pinal Hidalgo

This is a guest post by Francisco Macías, head of the Iberia/Rio Office Section in the African, Latin American, and Western European Division (ALAWE) of the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate. Francisco was formerly a senior legal information analyst in the Law Library of Congress. 

Born on September 12, 1931, in the port city of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, the celebrated Mexican actress Silvia Pinal Hidalgo passed away on November 28, 2024, at a hospital in Mexico City—a day on which many Americans celebrated Thanksgiving. Many film and cultural aficionados worldwide know her name and work but for those who do not, I urge you to take a moment to explore and whet your intellectual curiosity. She may have left this life, but her legacy will endure for many generations.

As a Mexican-born American, I came to know Doña Silvia Pinal as a household name; one of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother acquainting me with her name. She was a central figure in many telenovelas, and films, the guest of numerous shows throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and the hostess of talk shows and programs, including those with the aim of promoting a civil society. To attempt to cover her vast cultural career would be quite a feat, suffice it to say that she was a cultural giant. Many in the industry have remarked that she was the last of the greats of Mexico’s Golden Age Cinema.

However, as a law blog, I would like to draw your attention to her life as a Mexican legislator—the life of the honorable Silvia Pinal Hidalgo, Senator of the Honorable Congress of the Union – in particular, her legislative work concerning Mexican cinematography.  When the news of her passing was known, a tribute was paid to the memory of Senator Silvia Pinal with a minute of silence on the Mexican Senate floor. Below is a brief timeline of her political positions:

• January 15, 1981 – January 14, 1987 — First lady of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.
• September 1, 1991 – August 31, 1994 — Deputy of the Chamber of Deputies of the Union (Lower Chamber).
• November 15, 1994 – September 16, 1997 — Representative of the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District (later the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District, and now the Congress of Mexico City).
• January 15, 1998 – August 31, 2000 — Senator of the Congress of the Union.

Nearly 75 years have passed since the original enactment of the Ley de la Industria Cinematográfica (Law on the Cinematographic Industry) of 1949, which entered into effect on January 1, 1950. As you might surmise, legislation that pertains to an ever-evolving industry requires review, revision, and re-envisioning to ensure that it is current and applicable to new ideas, interpretations, innovation, and technological advancements. It appears that this is exactly what Silvia Pinal set out to do during her tenure as a Deputy of the Chamber of Deputies. On December 20, 1992, she ushered in draft legislation for a new Ley Federal de Cinematografía, which was published on Tuesday, December 29, 1992, in the Diario Oficial; this is the law that is currently in effect. (Click here to see the law with amendments in place; this is the most recent iteration of the instrument, dated March 3, 2021.)

Because law is for the most part reactive to emerging issues and concerns, rather than a prediction of what will be, the following may just be a coincidence—or perhaps the attention that this new law drew stimulated a spring for Mexican cinema. Followers of Mexican film recognized a very marked shift from the cliché of lowbrow schtick films to a fresh vision of Mexican cinematography that sprang forth during the early 1990s. The movement came to be known as the “New Mexican Cinema.”

The aim of the new law being ushered by Silvia Pinal aimed to bring legislative endeavors with respect to cinematography into a new era. In fact, in a substantive speech delivered on December 20, 1992, as part of the legislative process, she noted the age of the law and highlighted the need for new legislation:

Aquella ley vino perdiendo vigencia. Se volvió obsolete e inoperable y, sobre todo, acabó siendo avasallada por vertiginoso desarrollo tecnológico de la comunicación. Este desarrollo nos ha llevado hoy en día a buscar nuevos planteamientos. Nuestro cine está en crisis. Hay asomos de que resurja, pero aún no es suficiente. Nuestro cine como arte, como industria, como un importante vehículo de entretenimiento, de educación y de comunicación social, requiere de normas dinámicas acordes con la realidad tecnológica que vivimos. Ya era enorme el reclamo de los cinematografistas sobre una nueva legislación cinematográfica, y hoy ese reclamo, ese anhelo, se cristaliza en este cuerpo normativo que se presenta a su consideración…. Sea bienvenido el buen cine extranjero. El cine que nos aporte, que nos enriquezca culturalmente, ese cine, nos estimulará a responder con un cada vez mejor cine mexicano. Señores diputados: con satisfacción hablo ante ustedes desde esta tribuna como actriz, como gente comprometida con la industria del cine, en la cual me he desempeñado durante casi toda mi vida. Y también hoy, como diputada, creo que la Ley puesta a su consideración abre una nueva dinámica para nuestro cine, con un marco de mayor libertad y con una gama de posibilidades que en su momento podrán ser desarrolladas con mayor amplitud, a través de un reglamento que atienda y busque resolver la gran problemática de nuestro cine nacional. Muchísimas gracias. (Pinal)

(Translation F. Macias) :

That law came to lose validity.  It became obsolete and inoperable, and, above all, it became overwhelmed by the rapid technological development of communication. This development has led us now to seek new approaches. Our cinema is in crisis.  There are hints of a resurgence, but even still it is not enough.  Our cinema as an art, as an industry, as an important vehicle for entertainment, education, and social communication, requires dynamic statutes that are aligned with the technological reality in which we live. The call for a new cinematographic legislation was already enormous, and today that call, that longing has crystalized in this normative body which is presented for your consideration…. May good foreign cinema be welcomed.  Cinema that contributes to us, that enriches us culturally, that cinema, will stimulate us to respond with an ever-better Mexican cinema. Honorable Members of the Congress:  with satisfaction I speak before you from this platform as an actress, as a person committed to the film industry, in which I have worked for almost all my life.  And also today, as a congresswoman, I believe that the Law brought forth for your considerations unlocks a new dynamic for our cinema, with a framework of greater freedom and with a range of possibilities that in due time may be developed more amply, by means of a regulation that addresses and seeks to resolve the great quandary of our national cinema. Thank you very much.

A search through the Library of Congress catalog led me to locate an interesting work:

Pinal, Silvia.  Teatro Diego Rivera.  Mexico [City]:  Foro de Expresión Cultural del Pueblo de México, 1991.

The book includes some curious anecdotes of her exchanges with Diego Rivera and various photographs of the painting, which is featured above. In addition to the introductory anecdotes, there is a timeline of the life of Diego Rivera against that of Silvia Pinal’s own career. What the reader should know is that the Teatro Diego Rivera was owned by Silvia Pinal. She gave it that name in honor of Diego Rivera when it was established in 1991. It was previously known as Cine Versailles. (Pinal, 28.). Its name would later be changed to El Nuevo Teatro Silvia Pinal.

The book includes a facsimile of a letter by Diego Rivera dated Wednesday, 14 November 1956, which notes: (translation F. Macias):

From this brief note, it is obvious that Diego Rivera was smitten with her. The portrait he painted of a very stunning Silvia Pinal came from a special spur of inspiration. Lamentably, this is one of the very few items we have of Silvia Pinal. I have asked that the bibliographic record be expanded to include a full-level catalog so that it is more findable. I have also called up other items to help guide researchers to other relevant materials on Silvia Pinal.

In a subsequent search, researchers may find a work by Luis Buñuel, the Spanish-born filmmaker, of interest — as it includes photographs of Silvia Pinal in various roles in his screenplays.

If her family or friends wish to donate materials on Ms. Pinal Hidalgo or are considering a place for them, please reach out to us. We would be happy to give these items a fitting home. May she rest in peace, and the precious memories and many achievements of Ms. Pinal Hidalgo bring her family and loved ones comfort in this difficult time.

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.