The Forgotten Village, Part 2

"The Forgotten Village, Part 2" concludes the 1941 documentary narrative begun in Part 1, filmed entirely in Mexico with a cast of native Mexican peasants, doctors, and teachers, ensuring a genuine depiction of rural life. Authored by John Steinbeck, who wrote the story and screenplay, the film is narrated by Burgess Meredith, directed and produced by Herbert Kline, photographed by Alexander Hackensmid, assisted by Rosa Harvan Kline, and features a score by Hanns Eisler. Continuing from the opening line—"This is the story of the little pueblo of Santiago in the mountains of Mexico. And this is the story of the boy Juan Diego, and of his people who live in the moment when the past steps reluctantly into the future"—this segment likely deepens the exploration of Juan Diego’s journey in the village of Santiago. It focuses on the tension between traditional beliefs and the encroaching influence of modern medicine, culminating in a resolution that reflects the community’s reluctant embrace of change, driven by the boy’s experiences and Steinbeck’s empathetic storytelling.