Editing María Félix (section)

=== First years ===
[[File:María Félix 1951.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Félix in ''[[The Black Crown (film)|The Black Crown]]'' (1951)]]

One afternoon after work when walking down the street in Mexico City, director and filmmaker Fernando Palacios approached her asking if she wanted to make films. Her response was:{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

{{blockquote|''"When I want to, it will be through the big door."''}}

Palacios finally persuaded her to break into films. Becoming her "[[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]]", he began to train her and present her in film circles. She made her first appearance in the "White and Black Ballroom" of the Mexico City Country Club where some of the great Mexican film stars of the era ([[Esther Fernández]], [[Lupe Vélez]], [[Andrea Palma (actress)|Andrea Palma]]) gathered. Eventually she was taken to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], to the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] Studios, where she met [[Cecil B. DeMille]], who offered to launch her film career in Hollywood, but Félix was not interested. She preferred to begin her career in her own country. Finally, thanks to Palacios, she was offered the female lead role in a film by Grovas Productions: ''[[El Peñón de las Ánimas]]'', directed by [[Miguel Zacarías]].{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 1, pp. 80-2}}

In the film ''El Peñón de las Ánimas'', Félix starred opposite the popular Mexican actor and singer [[Jorge Negrete]]. María Félix and Jorge Negrete got off to a bad relationship during the filming because he had asked that his girlfriend, the actress [[Gloria Marín]], be given the lead role. For this reason, the shooting of the film was difficult and led to a direct confrontation between Félix and Negrete. That confrontation helped to cement the reputation of Félix as a tough and arrogant woman.

In her second film, ''María Eugenia'', Félix would be projected in a role out of her temperamental film personality. However, the film is remembered as the only film where Félix appeared in swimwear. The same happened with the film ''La china poblana'' (1943), where Félix claimed to have paid a debt of gratitude to her discoverer Fernando Palacios, who directed the film.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 2, pp. 21-2}} Nobody has heard from this film (the second color film of the Mexican cinema), so it is considered lost. She called both films "her beginner sins".

[[File:MariaFelix-sexy.png|thumb|left|200px|Felix]]

Félix was known as ''La Doña'' for her role in the film ''[[Doña Bárbara (1943 film)|Doña Bárbara]]'' (1943), based on [[Doña Bárbara|the novel]] by the Venezuelan writer [[Rómulo Gallegos]]. For the film, another actress ([[Isabela Corona]]) was already hired, but when Gallegos first saw Félix, he was charmed by her and said: "Here is my Doña Bárbara!" The film was filmed in Venezuela with Mexican and Venezuelan actors. ''Doña Bárbara'' was to be the start of her major collaborations with the Mexican film director [[Fernando de Fuentes]]. Félix and de Fuentes filmed together another two films: ''[[La Mujer sin Alma]]'' (1944) and ''La Devoradora'' (1946). As María Félix herself said, ''"With these films, I became the number one enemy of the Mexican family morals."''

{{blockquote|''Somehow, I seduced the public, even those who criticize the conduct of my characters in the films. My legend began to take shape without moving a finger. The public imagination did everything for me.''{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 2, p. 27}}}}

Without her stereotyped role of a "femme fatale", María Félix filmed two sophisticated films: ''El monje blanco'' (1945), directed by [[Julio Bracho]], and ''Vertigo'' (1946), directed by Antonio Momplet. Both characters required a great dramatic intensity.

Under the direction of [[Emilio Fernández]], María Félix made three successful films: ''[[Enamorada (film)|Enamorada]]'' (1946), ''[[Río Escondido (1948 film)|Río Escondido]]'' (1947), and ''[[Maclovia (1948 film)|Maclovia]]'' (1948). The relationship between Félix and Fernández was cordial and smooth, despite the strong and famous temperament of the film director. In ''Enamorada'', María Félix found her perfect film partner, the actor [[Pedro Armendáriz]]. The films of María Félix with Fernández and his team (writer Mauricio Magdaleno, photographer [[Gabriel Figueroa]], and Armendáriz) had strong presence in several international film festivals. In turn, they gave María Félix her first [[Ariel Award for Best Actress|Ariel Award]] for ''Enamorada'' and ''Río Escondido''.

Between the films with Fernández, María Félix also worked with [[Roberto Gavaldón]], another director who showcased some of her best performances. Their first collaboration was in ''La diosa arrodillada'' (1947) with [[Arturo de Córdova]]. Thanks to these films, María Félix's fame crossed the Atlantic.

In 1948 she was contracted by the Spanish film producer Cesáreo González. In this manner María Félix began her film adventure in Europe. She made only one more film in Mexico (''[[Doña Diabla]]'', 1949) until her return in 1952.