Carl Taylor, a travel writer living with the Los Hermanos Penitentes in a remote village in New Mexico, was murdered in 1936 in a case that became a national sensation. The Penitentes was a Catholic religious sect that survived in remote pockets of Mexico and New Mexico and practiced rites forbidden by the Catholic Church, notable repentance through flagellation and crucifixion (how much of those practices survived into the 20th century is a matter of debate).
The Penitente Murder Case was rushed out by exploitation producer Harry Revier and cinematographer Roland Price, billed as "The Vagabond Cameraman." The shorter The Lash of the Penitentes was prepared and released by independent distributor Mike J. Levinson, doubling down on the promise of forbidden content while removing the most salacious footage.
Kino Classics releases both versions of the film, which includes a mix of genuine documentary footage of the religious rituals practiced in a remote village in the mountains of New Mexico, recreations of the more sensationalistic practices, and a framing newspaper drama featuring intrepid reporter George Mack (José Rubio) on the trail of a sensational news story about the secretive sect.
Narration spoken by Billy Bletcher attempts to add documentary authority to the film but is condescending and patronizing in its description of the Mexican-American villagers and moralistic as it addresses the Penitente. What elevates this above many other low-budget exploitation movies of the time is the high quality of documentary footage that Roland Price shot a year before the murder. Handsomely composed and often visually dramatic, these scenes could have formed the basis of a serious documentary.
The longer cut is mastered from a print preserved by the Library of Congress and most of the footage is clean and clear with excellent detail, something you rarely see in such vintage exploitation films. The condensed cut shows wear and damage and is more variable, clearly mastered from poorly-preserved elements.
The longer version includes commentary by film historian Bret Wood, the curator of the "Forbidden Fruit" series for Kino Classics and an expert on vintage exploitation cinema, and it is essential for putting the film in context. Woods offers historical perspective, discusses the origins of both the documentary footage and the fictional material, and compares the two versions.
Without the commentary, the film could easily be dismissed as pure exploitation but the context helps the viewer sort through the authentic and the contrived elements. Both versions offer sadistic scenes of Penitentes being lashed and the longer version features (in a long shot) a young woman stripped bare and lashed.
Also includes the trailer, which contains footage (including nudity) not seen in either film but described in the synopsis on the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, suggesting that there was once another, even longer version. Optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)