El bolero de Raquel

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El bolero de Raquel (Raquel's Shoe Shine Man) is a 1956 Mexican film starring the comedian Cantinflas. Child actor Paquito Fernandez was nominated for a 1958 Silver Ariel for Best Performance by a Child Actor for the role of Chavita.^[1]

As Maurice Ravel's Bolero plays, the sultry, but virtually unknown dancer (actress?) Elaine Bruce provocatively takes the stage in this 1956 Mexican comedy. She soon loses center stage when actor-comedian Mario Moreno Reyes "Cantinflas" joins and turns the dance into a total disaster. Cantinflas was a huge success in his native Mexico and the Latin world but virtually unknown to American audiences until his supporting role in the 1956 film "Around the World in Eighty Days". In that film he proves to be a scene stealer with his portrayal of Passepartout and receives top-billing in all non-English speaking nations. His comedy skill is so dynamic that he receives a Golden Globe for Best Actor. As a result, Cantinflas became the world's most highly paid actor and was referred to by Charlie Chaplin as "the greatest comedian in the world." He is often referred to as the "Charlie Chaplin of Mexico." His career was so full of success that his achievements are vast. He pioneered Mexican cinema and helped establish Mexico as the entertainment capital of Latin America. Also, he was known as a kind philanthropist, a venture capitalist, a pious Catholic, a verbal innovator, and a picaresque underdog. In effect, he encompassed the identity of an entire nation!

El Bolero was a natural role for Cantinflas since his career began as a dancer. Unfortunately there is very little information about Elaine Bruce but as is evident from her dancing in this film, her dance rendition to Ravel's Bolero has been much imitated... even to the point of being copied by a famous ballet dancer who did receive praise for his Bruce-imitated steps.