La ilusión viaja en tranvía (1954)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Alcoriza (adaptation)
Juan de la Cabada (adaptation)

Release Date:

1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Confronted with the unfortunate news that their favorite Streetcar, no. 133, is going to be decommissioned...

Plot Keywords:

Streetcar | Train | Drunk Scene

Cast

Lilia Prado	...	Lupita
Carlos Navarro	...	Juan Godinez (nick name Caireles)
Fernando Soto	...	Tarrajas (as Fernando Soto 'Mantequilla')
Agustín Isunza	...	Papa Pinillos
Miguel Manzano	...	Don Manuel
Guillermo Bravo Sosa	...	Braulio
José Pidal	...	The Professor (as Jose Pidal)
Felipe Montoya	...	Mechanician
Javier de la Parra	...	Traffic chief (as Javier De La Parra)
Paz Villegas	...	Dona Mechita
Conchita Gentil Arcos	...	Passenger
Diana Ochoa	...	Passenger
Víctor Alcocer	...	Carpenter
Leonor Gómez	...	Pasajera

Also Known As:

Illusion Travels by Streetcar (USA)

Runtime:

90 min | USA:82 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Clasa Films Mundiales

Great Mexican Bunuel; A must see comedy

Don't think this is a light film just because it's a comedy made with Mexican actors. There are many layers here and much clever satire not only on the Mexican society of that period but (as always with Bunuel) human behavior in general. The ironic detachment of the director is never so far as to render these characters unrealistic caricatures; far from it, they're as fully real as anything in 'Los Olvidados,' except here things are examined from a much less cynical angle. Comedy is, after all, the flipside of tragedy and if comedy sells better, you only run the risk of being misunderstood by most of the audience on a very superficial level; on a deeper level even the commonest comedy fan implicitly gets the message. This film is in many ways similar in its structure and tone (and on a deeper level even in subject matter) to Alexander Payne's 'Citizen Ruth' and 'Election' or Todd Solondz's 'Welcome to the Dollhouse.' Except here, Bunuel shows less 'cruelty' than in most of his other films; here he tries his hand at an homage to certain great American comedies of the '30s and '40s which managed to use comic misadventures to veil serious messages underneath. The difference is that Bunuel consciously planned and fully intended this result whereas the Americans may have just ended up there unexpectedly and unconsciously.