Macario and Godfather Death Fairy

Macario and Godfather Death

Fairy tales offer rich imagery, symbolism, and archetypes on which longer, more complex works can be based. Roberto Galvadon's 1960 film Macario is one of those works, an enchanting black-and-white Mexican production that shares several structural elements in common with the Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm tale "Godfather Death." In the movie and the fairy tale, a destitute man with a large family encounters three apparitions: God, the Devil, and Death. He ignores the first two on principle: the Devil because he is a trickster and God because he permits the rich to feed off the poor; but the man embraces Death as a friend because the Grim Reaper takes the lives of the rich and the poor. In return, Death offers the man a magical healing potion that restores life to the dying. In order to use it properly, however, the man must follow specific instructions. Whenever he is at a patient's sick bed, Death will appear. If Death stands at the person's head then healing is possible; if he stands at his or her feet then the person must die. The potion transforms the man's life, earning him a reputation as a healer and consequently making him wealthy. Some minor details in the setting, plot, and characterization set apart the film from the fairy tale. For example, in the movie, Death's instructions are reversed: if he stands at the patient's feet then the person can be healed. Moreover, in the fairy tale, the protagonist is actually the thirteenth son of the man who originally encountered Death. However, the biggest difference between Macario and "Godfather Death" is in their ending and overall themes. Death eventually does claim the life of the healer, but under entirely different circumstances and with different meaning. Therefore, although Macario borrows its structure and symbolism from the Grimm's fairy tale "Godfather Death," the two stories differ in terms of theme, the central conflict, and minor details in the plot.

Structural elements that the fairy tale and film share include the three apparitions, the healing potion that proffers wealth on a poor family, and a tragic ending. However, these elements are executed differently in Macario. For example, Macario sees the Devil before he sees God, whereas in the fairy tale the old man sees God first. Moreover, in the fairy tale the old man has twelve children; when the thirteenth is born he encounters the three apparitions, who each offer to be the godfather of the newborn child. On the other hand, Macario has only five children, and he, rather than one of his children, forms a relationship with Death. Setting of course differs: the Grimm tale is set in Central Europe whereas Galvadon's is set in Mexico, and the Day of the Dead has no part in the world of the brothers Grimm. Macario's desire to consume an entire turkey on his own has no parallel in the fairy tale. Furthermore, in the fairy tale the boy becomes a respected physician, whereas in the film the man becomes known as a spiritual healer. This distinction in fact becomes central to the thematic differences that set apart Macario from "Godfather Death."

In the fairy tale, the central conflict turns out to be the physician's pride, his deliberate attempt to defy death so that he can win the beautiful daughter of a King. At the end of "Godfather Death," the King tells the doctor that if he can heal his daughter he can have her hand in marriage. When Death appears at her head and denies her healing, the doctor turns the bed around and angers death with his disobedience. In an act of revenge Death takes his life.

Galvadon makes a radical departure from the Grimm fairy tale and thereby transforms its theme and overall meaning. In the film, the central conflict is not Macario's pride but rather, Church politics. When word gets out that Macario is healing the sick through miraculous powers, the Church sends an inquisition after him and accuses him of sorcery. The council sentences him to death and torture. However, a wealthy Viceroy asks Macario to heal his wife in exchange for sparing his life. When Death appears at the wife's head, denying her healing, Macario tries to turn the bed around, just as the doctor in the fairy tale did. However, the intentions of the two protagonists differ significantly. Both act out of self-interest, but Macario is trying to spare his life whereas the doctor in the fairy tale simply wants to possess the beautiful princess.

Moreover, Death tries to teach Macario a metaphysical lesson about the sacred order of the universe. Death is a part of life, part of the natural order of things. Macario struggles against Death, refusing to understand the import of the godfather's words. Death also scolds Macario for never having truly understood or appreciated the power he had been given, the power over life and death. Such a lesson is not implicated in the Grimm's fairy tale, which in stead focuses on the concept of loyalty and friendship.