---
product_id: 43138034
title: "Canoa: A Shameful Memory (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]"
price: "$72.11"
currency: USD
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reviews_count: 13
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---

# Canoa: A Shameful Memory (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

**Price:** $72.11
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- **What is this?** Canoa: A Shameful Memory (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
- **How much does it cost?** $72.11 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
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## Description

Product description Canoa: A Shameful Memory (Criterion) is a powerful Mexican docudrama—historic, unsettling, and essential for world cinema collectors. Review One of Mexico’s best-regarded works of political cinema, Canoa: A Shameful Memory reimagines a real-life incident that had occurred just eight years before its release, when a group of urban university employees on a hiking trip were viciously attacked by residents of the village of San Miguel de Canoa, who had been manipulated by a corrupt priest into believing the travelers were communist revolutionaries. Intercutting footage from a fictional documentary about the village with gruesome scenes of the crime itself, director Felipe Cazals produced a daring commentary on the climate of violence and repression in Mexico during that era, including the military’s infamous massacre of demonstrating students in Tlatelolco, Mexico City. With its gritty newsreel style, Canoa is a visceral expression of horror as well as an important historical document. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES-New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Felipe Cazals, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack -New introduction by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro-New conversation between filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón and Cazals-Trailer-New English subtitle translation-PLUS: An essay by critic Fernanda Solórzano

Review: Mob Psychology, Scapegoats, A Potent Statement! - "Canoa" (1976) is a powerful, very evocative Mexican film based upon a "reportedly real incident" that took place in 1968. Canoa was a town near the city of Puebla that was under the thrall of a venal and corrupt priest with his hand in every till. He stirred up the population about Communists and rebellious rabble rousers who he claimed would cause dire trouble for the town. It was a poor place with a largely Indian population that had hardscrabble farming conditions due to the effects of erosion. The land had been stripped of its forestation for wood and charcoal. A loudspeaker broadcast propaganda to the town and was used by the priest as a conduit (along with his sermons) for his hate-mongering. The priest, wearing sun glasses like a mobster boss, ran every aspect of the town, but his supporters said that he was the one who had brought the telephone, electricity, the highway and water to the town fountain. He charged for those who used the fountain as a water supply. The movie is told almost as a documentary with characters speaking before the camera. It has captions depicting the time and date. Five engaging, carefree young male employees of the University of Puebla were making a mountain climbing trip. Their bus lets them off in Canoa where their expedition is interrupted by a severe rain storm. They seek overnight shelter in the town. Word spread that these five are student agitators similar to the leftist university dissidents who caused trouble in some of Mexico's large cities. The mob scenes in which the large crowds are surging through the streets hunting down the "troublemakers" carrying pitchforks. torches and tool-weapons are not done as cleverly as they could have been because they are too reminiscent of the Transylvania mobs pursuing Frankenstein's monster. While the climbers took refuge in a peasant house, a mob forms with a lynching psychology. The way mob psychology is created and proliferated is handled very well in the film. Suspense builds as the crowd swells and grows more agitated. The rioters set upon and viciously attack the outsiders, and several of the innocents are killed The priest is shown in a sermon rationalizing what has happened and in a scene (in civies) in which he is talking to the camera. He does not tell how he has manipulated the townspeople and imposed his will upon them by creating scapegoats and imaginary "enemies." There is a beautiful, "life goes on" scene at the end where the townspeople are having a folkloric celebration and ritualistic dance in colorful costumes which recall their Indian past. It's a movie that deserves a wider following because of its significance and also because of the way the story is developed and filmed. A fine production.
Review: Not for the faint of heart... - An authentic Mexican film epic that's based on the true story of a corrupt Catholic priest who manipulates his flock to murder a group of students who he thinks are communist revolutionaries (The 1968 San Miguel Canoa Massacre). The film explores religious fanaticism, mob mentality, ideological manipulation, and the horrors of the virulent and grisly violence that has plagued Mexico since the country's founding. Yeah, def not for the kiddos...

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | B01N2UGSWO |
| Actors  | Enrique Lucero |
| Audio Description:  | English, Spanish |
| Best Sellers Rank | #27,945 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #2,844 in Drama Blu-ray Discs #3,205 in Action & Adventure Blu-ray Discs |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (114) |
| Director  | Felipe Cazals |
| Dubbed:  | Spanish |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer  | No |
| Item model number  | BRCC2742 |
| MPAA rating  | NR (Not Rated) |
| Media Format  | Widescreen |
| Number of discs  | 1 |
| Product Dimensions  | 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces |
| Release date  | March 14, 2017 |
| Run time  | 1 hour and 55 minutes |
| Studio  | Criterion Collection |
| Subtitles:  | English |

## Product Details

- **Contributor:** Enrique Lucero, Felipe Cazals
- **Format:** Widescreen
- **Genre:** Drama
- **Language:** English
- **Runtime:** 1 hour and 55 minutes

## Images

![Canoa: A Shameful Memory (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71tw2fMcKjL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mob Psychology, Scapegoats, A Potent Statement!
*by J***Y on July 11, 2009*

"Canoa" (1976) is a powerful, very evocative Mexican film based upon a "reportedly real incident" that took place in 1968. Canoa was a town near the city of Puebla that was under the thrall of a venal and corrupt priest with his hand in every till. He stirred up the population about Communists and rebellious rabble rousers who he claimed would cause dire trouble for the town. It was a poor place with a largely Indian population that had hardscrabble farming conditions due to the effects of erosion. The land had been stripped of its forestation for wood and charcoal. A loudspeaker broadcast propaganda to the town and was used by the priest as a conduit (along with his sermons) for his hate-mongering. The priest, wearing sun glasses like a mobster boss, ran every aspect of the town, but his supporters said that he was the one who had brought the telephone, electricity, the highway and water to the town fountain. He charged for those who used the fountain as a water supply. The movie is told almost as a documentary with characters speaking before the camera. It has captions depicting the time and date. Five engaging, carefree young male employees of the University of Puebla were making a mountain climbing trip. Their bus lets them off in Canoa where their expedition is interrupted by a severe rain storm. They seek overnight shelter in the town. Word spread that these five are student agitators similar to the leftist university dissidents who caused trouble in some of Mexico's large cities. The mob scenes in which the large crowds are surging through the streets hunting down the "troublemakers" carrying pitchforks. torches and tool-weapons are not done as cleverly as they could have been because they are too reminiscent of the Transylvania mobs pursuing Frankenstein's monster. While the climbers took refuge in a peasant house, a mob forms with a lynching psychology. The way mob psychology is created and proliferated is handled very well in the film. Suspense builds as the crowd swells and grows more agitated. The rioters set upon and viciously attack the outsiders, and several of the innocents are killed The priest is shown in a sermon rationalizing what has happened and in a scene (in civies) in which he is talking to the camera. He does not tell how he has manipulated the townspeople and imposed his will upon them by creating scapegoats and imaginary "enemies." There is a beautiful, "life goes on" scene at the end where the townspeople are having a folkloric celebration and ritualistic dance in colorful costumes which recall their Indian past. It's a movie that deserves a wider following because of its significance and also because of the way the story is developed and filmed. A fine production.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not for the faint of heart...
*by D***Y on February 20, 2023*

An authentic Mexican film epic that's based on the true story of a corrupt Catholic priest who manipulates his flock to murder a group of students who he thinks are communist revolutionaries (The 1968 San Miguel Canoa Massacre). The film explores religious fanaticism, mob mentality, ideological manipulation, and the horrors of the virulent and grisly violence that has plagued Mexico since the country's founding. Yeah, def not for the kiddos...

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Socio-cultural history
*by F***Y on September 28, 2024*

I always find Creterion collection of films format focus on background information of all its subjects titles re-screening too be a hallmark of their entire library of films. Canoa, is no different as it describes how a religion has reshape the cultural fabric of an entire population or grouping of people the protagonist, a religious figures hold on the psyche of those he's supposedly to be administering charitable ideas of faith and good conscious to his flock. Turns, in his hands into means of only dark dangerous division and disingenuous derision.

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*Last updated: 2026-03-06*