Modesta
About Modesta
In Barrio Sonadora, Guaynabo, Modesta is done taking orders from her husband. She and the other women of the barrio form a league and refuse the housework until the men bargain with them at home. The short is DIVEDCO's film about that strike.
Cast & crew
More about Modesta
Benjamin Doniger directed for the community-education division of the Puerto Rican government. Antonia Hidalgo plays Modesta. Juan Ortiz Jiménez is in the cast, with people from Barrio Sonadora.
Themes
Background
DIVEDCO made shorts for rural Puerto Rico in the 1950s. This one puts the argument inside the house, not in a factory.
Preservation
In 1998 the Library of Congress added Modesta to the National Film Registry.
Notes
- Wikidata times the film at 35 minutes.
- The women call their group the Liberated Women League.
- The picture is in the public domain.
- A Library of Congress record includes a digital viewing copy.
Scenes
- Modesta tells the women to stop the housework.
- The men of Sonadora find the house will not run without a deal.
Also available
- Library of Congress (digital viewing copy)
- Wikimedia Commons (Modesta.webm)