Bienvenido Mister Marshall (1953)

Director:

Luis García Berlanga

Writers:

Juan Antonio Bardem (story) and
Luis García Berlanga (story) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1953 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

After finding out that North American people are visiting the Spanish villages, the citizens of Villar del Río start preparing themselves to welcome them when they arrive.

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

José Isbert	...	Don Pablo, el alcalde
Lolita Sevilla	...	Carmen Vargas
Alberto Romea	...	Don Luis, el caballero
Manolo Morán	...	Manolo
Luis Pérez de León	...	Don Cosme, el cura
Elvira Quintillá	...	Señorita Eloísa, la maestra
Félix Fernández	...	Don Emiliano, el médico
Nicolás D. Perchicot	...	Boticario (as Nicolás Perchicot)
Joaquín Roa	...	Pregonero
Fernando Aguirre	...	Geronimo - el secretario
José Franco	...	Delegado general
Rafael Alonso	...	Enviado
José María Rodríguez	...	José
Elisa Méndez	...	Doña Raquel
Matilde López Roldán	...	Doña Matilde

Also Known As:

¡Bienvenido, Mister Marshall! (poster title)
Bienvenido Mr. Marshall (Spain) (alternative spelling)
Welcome Mr. Marshall

Runtime:

95 min | Spain:78 min (cut version)

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

C.E.A., Ciudad Lineal, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Unión Industrial Cinematográfica (UNINCI)

Trivia:

When the film was presented at the Cannes Film Festival, the production company had the idea of distributing $1 bills with the images of José Isbert and Lolita Sevilla in place of George Washington.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in ¡Que vienen los socialistas! (1982)

Soundtrack:

Tío páseme el río

Spanish classic movie

This movie is well considered all over the world and it is not difficult to see why. It was made in 1952 but it still remains as one of the truly classic movies of Spanish cinema.

Of course its cinematographic values are impressive. From the very beginning the techniques used in this film are different from those used in American cinema of the same time, a narrator introduces the small town and the characters to the audience, he seems to know everything about them, he is capable of stop the movement and take out the people of the screen. An audacious resource from one of the main directors in Spanish cinema history, Luis García Berlanga. This beginning is modern for the time and it can be linked to the European cinema of the era.

On one hand, we are about to see a description of Spanish traditions and characters depicted with lots of humor and irony. On the other hand, we see a critic of some of these statements and mentalities of Spanish people and institutions. This critics is plenty of melancholy in some cases and plenty of humor in other cases. Just about the end of the film, there are several dream scenes that satirizes some of the American cinema of the era and some American traditions and characters (as those of the Western movies).

The script is superb, the actors are very well chosen for their roles, the cinematography is excellent and so is the photography, direction is extraordinary taking into account that this is one of the first movies by Berlanga.

Finally, I have to say that this is a Spanish classic movie and one of my must sees.