Doña Bárbara

Doña Bárbara is a 1943 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Fernando de Fuentes and starring María Félix and Julián Soler. The film is based on the 1929 novel Doña Bárbara by Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Bárbara is an attractive woman raised mostly on the rivers of Venezuela by her riverboat captain father. Her mother was an Indian woman who died while giving birth to her. She was madly in love with young Asdrúbal until tragedy smashed everything. Some of the men who worked for her father stole their boat and killed her father. The bandits then raped her and shot her boyfriend. This caused her to hate men, but at the same time sleeps with them to get what she wants. She becomes involved with Lorenzo Barquero, the owner of a cattle ranch, with whom she becomes pregnant and has a daughter named Marisela. Barbara later steals Lorenzo's home and fortune and kicks both him and their daughter out, leaving them to fend for themselves with absolutely nothing. Santos is the only remaining son of the Luzardo family, who had a feud with the Barqueros. He returns to his hacienda, Altamira, planning to sell it. Undeterred, Santos sets out to save his cousin Lorenzo and to educate young Marisela. After Barbara sees one of her old rapists and kills him she decides that in order to gain back the peace and happiness that was stolen from her that horrible night she must find and kill all five of her rapists.

Doña Bárbara has a teenage daughter with Lorenzo Barquero, a former land baron that Doña Bárbara left broken and penniless. He is now an alcoholic. The girl, Marisela, is left to fend for herself, and Doña Bárbara has no interest in her, though Juan Primito, a servant of Doña Bárbara's secretly looks after her. Eventually, Marisela is discovered by Santos, who takes her and her father in, and gives the girl education.

Meanwhile, Doña Bárbara has become attracted to Santos, but when she finds that her own daughter is a rival for his affections, Doña Bárbara still looks for ways to ruin Santos.

Doña Bárbara has also been adapted into a 1975 Venezuelan telenovela, Doña Bárbara, as well as a 1998 Argentine film directed by Betty Kaplan.