Miracles of Thursday (1957) Los jueves, milagro (original title)

Director:

Luis García Berlanga

Writers:

Luis García Berlanga (story)
Luis García Berlanga (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 August 1957 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

In the village of Fuentecilla, there is a medicinal spa which was very popular in the past but that now has been forgotten by the public...

Plot Keywords:

Miracle | Religion

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Richard Basehart	...	Martino
José Isbert	...	Don José
Paolo Stoppa	...	Don Salvador
Juan Calvo	...	Don Antonio Guajardo Fontana
Alberto Romea	...	Don Ramón
Félix Fernández	...	Don Evaristo
Manuel de Juan	...	Don Manuel
Guadalupe Muñoz Sampedro	...	Doña Paquita (as Guadalupe M. Sampedro)
Manuel Alexandre	...	Mauro
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Don Fidel (as Jose Luis L. Vazquez)
Luigi Tosi	...	Hombre 1º
Nicolás D. Perchicot	...	Eugenio
Mariano Ozores	...	Don Arturo
María Gámez	...	Doña Rosaura
Julia Delgado Caro	...	Doña Eva
Félix Briones	...	Matías
Josefina Bejarano	...	Doña Margarita
Concha López Silva	...	Carmela
Paz Robles	...	Doña Concha
José Montero Ríos	...	Obispo
Pedro Beltrán	...	Sacristán
Francisco Amor	...	Muchacho con muletas (as Paquito Amor)
Luis Varela	...	Luis (as Luisito Varela)
Jesús Rodríguez	...	Niño de la escuela
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Francisco Arenzana	...	Martino (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Luis García Berlanga		(as Luis G. Berlanga)

Writing credits
Luis García Berlanga		(story)
Luis García Berlanga		(screenplay) &
José Luis Colina		(screenplay)
Sandro Continenza		(italian version)

Original Music by
Franco Ferrara

Cinematography by
Francisco Sempere

Film Editing by
Pepita Orduna

Production Design by
Bernardo Ballester

Set Decoration by
Enrique Alarcón

Makeup Department
Manolita G. Fraile	....	assistant makeup artist (as Manolita García)
Adolfo Ponte	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Enrique Balader	....	production manager
Paolo Moffa	....	production manager (uncredited in Spanish prints)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José Puyol	....	assistant director
Sandro Continenza	....	assistant director (uncredited in Spanish prints)

Art Department
Tomás Fernández	....	set builder

Sound Department
Fernando Bernáldez	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Miguel Agudo	....	second assistant camera
José Calvo	....	still photographer
Juan Jurado	....	focus puller (as Juanito Jurado)

Editorial Department
Alicia Castillo	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Jesús R. Folgar	....	production assistant (as Jesus Rodriguez Folgar)
Jesús García Gárgoles	....	production assistant
Fernando Lacruz	....	second production assistant
Vicente Llosa	....	direction secretary
Joaquín Palomares	....	second production assistant
Jorge Grau	....	director: re-takes (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Producciones Cinematográficas Ariel (as Ariel S.A.)
• Domiziana Internazionale Cinematografica (as Continental Produzione Domiziana Internazionale Cinematografica)

Distributors

• Filmayer (1959) (Spain) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Edizione Musicale Maxima  music released by
• Mateos  props (as Mateo)
• Luna  props
• Mengíbar  props (as Menjibar)
• Peris Hermanos  wardrobe
• Estudios Cinematográficos Chamartín S.A.  studio

Also Known As:

"Los jueves, milagro" - Spain (original title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Alhama de Aragón, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

Company:

Producciones Cinematográficas Ariel

A funny social satire of Spain in the mid 1950

The dramatic action takes place in Fuentecilla, small isolated people (the train ever for in the station), with a former spa thermal waters with curative properties recognized in the past, but now fallen into oblivion. Six friends, who make up the influential people in the town, decide represent a miracle for promotion of tourism, economic activity in the place and its own interests. The group the mayor (don Antonio), the maestro (don Salvador), the doctor (don Manuel), the pharmacist (don Evaristo), owner of the spa (Ramon) and an agricultural owner (don Jose).

It's the fifth long film of Berlanga and last of his first stage. Develops an argument original Berlanga. It is filmed in Alhama de Aragon (Zaragoza) and in the sets of Studies Chamartín (Madrid). It obtained an honorable mention in the International Festival of Valladolid.

The film sums comedy and cinema fantastic and presents a funny social satire of Spain in the mid 1950. It is a mockery of simplicity that abounds in the religious fervour of ordinary people, gullible and manipulated. It is a mockery of the omnipresence of religion in the world civil and its enormous influence. It is a mockery of the use of religion as an instrument of power. It is a mockery of the culture tricky, truth and opportunistic of the authorities.

This is one of the best comedies of Berlanga, despite the problems that had with the censorship and interference that suffered from religious organizations. The work is full of irony, tenderness, criticism and black humor. Its premiere constituted a failure of box office.

We can see magnificent performances as the Jose Isbert and always brilliant Manuel Alexandre, his character is short but always serving enjoyed his interpretation. And as anecdotes the emergence as a child actor Luis Varela that after he was great actor of comedy and the performance sober of Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez in the character of parish priest.