Vente a Alemania, Pepe (Come to Germany, Pepe – 1971)
Directed by Pedro Lazaga
Written by Vicente Coello and Vicente Escrivá
Starring: Alfredo Landa, Tina Sáinz, José Sacristán
BY RAQUEL MARTÍNEZ
Economic crises and unemployment have caused Spanish natives to find work abroad in different periods of recent history. For Spaniards, top European economies (specially Germany) are often regarded as promised lands ̶ places where virtually anyone can get a fairly paid job. Recent films such as Perdiendo el norte (Off-course – Nacho García Velilla, 2014) and Un franco, 14 pesetas (Crossing Borders – Carlos Iglesias, 2006) have provided diverse perspectives on Spanish emigration to Europe. Within this context, the 1970s comedy Vente a Alemania, Pepe (Come to Germany, Pepe – Pedro Lazaga, 1971) is considered the ‘protofilm’ in the popular Spanish imagery. Read More…
Volver (2006)
Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave
BY BEATRIZ CABALLERO RODRIGUEZ
From the outset, Pedro Almodóvar’s film Volver (2006) tackles the topics of memory and trauma across three generations of women. As the title Volver (meaning to return, to come back) indicates, this film is marked by a strong sense of disjointed time where the past refuses to stay in the past, ghosts refuse to stay buried, traumatic events refuse to be forgotten. Read More…
El día de la bestia (The Day of the Beast, 1995)
Written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Starring: Álex Angulo, Santiago Segura, Armando de Razza
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
Spanish cinema lost one of its most talented and at the same time humble actors very recently. Álex Angulo, who passed away in a car accident at 61 years of age, received hundreds of condolences from fellow actors and artists right after the tragic news reached the net. He was really loved and respected in the profession, and also by the public. At this point, some non-Spanish readers might be wondering who this actor was and which films did he star in. He appeared in various Spanish TV series – Periodistas, for example – and several films. His international breakthrough came with Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth, in which he played the merciful and Republican supporter Dr Ferreiro. In Spain though, Angulo was remembered – and will always be – as Father Berriatúa, Álex de la Iglesia’s El Día de la Bestia’s popular anti-hero. Read More…
Belle Époque (1992)
Directed by Fernando Trueba
Written by Rafael Azcona, José Luis García Sánchez and Fernando Trueba
Starring: Jorge Sanz, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil, Penélope Cruz, Fernándo Fernán Gómez.
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
When Fernando Trueba picked up the Oscar for his 1992 film Belle Époque he stated that, as he didn’t believe in God, he wished to thank Billy Wilder instead for helping him win the award. Just a few hours later, Trueba received a phone call from Wilder himself, who famously greeted him saying “Hi Fernando, it’s God here”. The truth is Read More…
Balada Triste de Trompeta (The Last Circus, 2010)
Written and directed by Alex de la Iglesia.
Starring: Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang, Manuel Tafallé
BY ANDRÉS ROMERO – JODAR
During the first half of the twentieth century, Europe was engaged in an atrocious fight against fascism. Fortunately, the Second World War put an end to some of those terror regimes, but sadly enough, in the Iberian Peninsula the wrong guys won the war. For more than forty years, both Portugal under Salazar and Spain under Franco Read More…
Los Jueves, Milagro (Miracles of Thursday, 1957)
Directed by Luis García Berlanga
Written by Luis García Berlanga and José Luis Colina
Starring: Richard Basehart, Pepe Isbert, José Luis López Vázquez, Manuel Alexandre.
There wasn’t much room for artistic freedom during the almost four decades (1939 – 1975) when General Francisco Franco exerted his power in Spain. Due to the Catholic Church’s censorship practices, Spanish audiences were deprived from enjoying Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara’s passionate kiss in “Gone with the Wind”. Hundreds of Read More…
El Cochecito (The Little Coach, 1960)
Directed by Marco Ferreri
Written by Marco Ferreri and Rafael Azcona
Starring: José Isbert, José Luis López Vázquez, Chus Lampreave, María Isbert
“El Cochecito” is often referred to as a “Spanish classic”. It was scripted by the talented Rafael Azcona, author of many other emblematic stories such as “El Verdugo”, “El Pisito” or the Oscar-winning “Belle Epoque”. Azcona’s scripts were powerful and often hid strong criticism behind their sharp comic tone. “El Cochecito” Read More…
Spanish Film Review Club 