Prolific Argentine actor Pepe Soriano dies at 93

[peppertree]

2. Absolutely. He was one of the consular names in Argentine cinema - and often, with a message.

My favorite role of his - of the ones I'm familiar with - has to be that of Senator Lisandro de la Torre (1868-1939) in the 1984 historical drama, Assassination in the Senate.

It deals with his probe into the cartelization and massive tax evasion among British-owned slaughterhouses, which were given a virtual monopoly over beef exports (a top export at the time) - while using their position to strangle locally-owned firms out of business, and evading close to $10 million a year in taxes (in 1935 dollars).

The Ag. Minister at the time, who was collecting bribes from the British, ultimately plotted to have de la Torre assassinated - an attempt that failed because an ally of de la Torre's threw himself in front of the senator, sacrificing his own life. The minister (of the powerful Duhau family) was never prosecuted.

If you like, here's a good copy of the film - with good English close-captioning. If nothing else, watch the first six minutes - which sum up the controversy, with the white-bearded Soriano in the title role.

It also includes some very nice footage and stills of the Argentine Congress. Enjoy!