Rosa blanca (1961)

In "Rosa Blanca," Jacinto Yanez(Ignacio Lopez Tarso) is proud of his life's work, his ranch, and the employees whose livelihoods he provides for. That and becoming a grandfather for the first time are more than enough for him. However, Condor Oil is never satisfied, with their eyes on his land and the oil they hope is just beneath its surface, even as Jacinto says he will never sell. So, Robert Kollenz(Reinhold Olszewski) figures he will just have to find to get his land, by hook or by crook, because he now has to buy his mistress Georgette(Christiane Martell) a garage to match the sports car he just got her. To be honest, "Rosa Blanca" is not exactly subtle.(Kollenz is a white cat away from being a fully fledged Bond villain. And Condor Oil?) But then it does not have to be, in order to be an effective tale of rapacious multinationals versus local landowners while also telling a personal story of resistance and pride. While Jacinto is not exactly perfect as he does farm tobacco, he is more than sympathetic. And that's not to mention the movie's being far ahead of the curve in examining the toxic effects of oil drilling.