The Little Apartment (1959)
"El pisito" (original title)

Rodolfo and Petrita each live in separate quarters in dilapidated Madrid, while looking to have a little apartment (or "pisito", in Spanish dialect). Unfortunately their low salaries ... See full summary »

Directors:

Marco Ferreri, Isidoro M. Ferry

Writers:

Rafael Azcona (novel), Rafael Azcona (screenplay),

Stars:

Mary Carrillo, José Luis López Vázquez, Concha López Silva

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mary Carrillo	...	Petrita (as Mari Carrillo)
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Rodolfo
Concha López Silva	...	Doña Martina Rodríguez
Ángel Álvarez	...	Sáenz
María Luisa Ponte	...	Hermana de Petrita
Andrea Moro	...	Mari Cruz
Gregorio Saugar	...	Don Manuel
Celia Conde	...	Mery
José Cordero 'El Bombonero'	...	Dimas - el callista (as José Cordero)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Manuel de Agustina	...	Paco (as Manuel Agustina)

Storyline

Rodolfo and Petrita each live in separate quarters in dilapidated Madrid, while looking to have a little apartment (or "pisito", in Spanish dialect). Unfortunately their low salaries prevent them from acquiring one. Soon, Rodolfo's co-workers urge him to marry the old and frail Doña Martina, who is the main tenant in the apartment he boards in. According to Spanish rent-control law, he could inherit the lease from his spouse. Thus begin his misgivings and Petrita's.

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Plot Keywords:

housing crisis | black comedy | housing | based on novel

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

15 June 1959 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Little Apartment

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 236,008 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Documento Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Jazz theme Composed and Performed by the 'Blue Stars' group

User Reviews

The first title of the extraordinary Azcona's trilogy.

In 1959 "El Pisito" arrived to Spanish Cinema to join what was a prodigious decade strong film critic and corrosive content in reflecting the society of the time. It was with authors such as Luis García Berlanga, Jose Maria Forqué or Juan Antonio Bardem, but there was still another author that was decisive for the development of Spanish cinema, screenwriter Rafael Azcona.

The origin of "El Pisito" is in the original novel writer himself, in turn integrated into a literary trilogy is completed with "El Cochecito" (just below also adapted by Marco Ferreri) and "Los Muertos No Se Tocan, Nene" "(this last part has just been made into a film by José Luis García Sánchez, who worked with Azcona on titles like "Belle Epoque "," Suspiros de España (y Portugal) "or" ("Siempre hay un Camino a la Derecha ") .

In "El Pisito" Azcona was based on a real and dramatically situation, increasing demand for housing in Madrid during the 50s, motivated by the exodus to the capital of the inhabitants of rural areas in search of better conditions for living. The extreme poverty of the post-Civil War forced many families crowded into small apartments for rent, dreaming of being able to access their own homes.

The protagonists of the story are "Rodolfo" (José Luis López Vázquez) and "Petrita" (Mari Carrillo), a couple of eternal boyfriends have not been able to marry precisely because they have no home of their own. Their hope is to inherit the rented apartment where he lives "Rudolph" to sublet tenant whose legal tenant is "Doña Martina" (Concha López Silva), a sick old lady who puts the only condition to take care of her belongings and the other tenants "Meri" (Celia Conde), a woman of light life and good heart, and "Dimas" (José Cordero "El Bombonero"), a " Chiropodist " which has his consultation on the apartment and has an extraordinary resemblance to a great friend. "Rodolfo" marries "Doña Martina" who animated by her new state, refuses to die.

Despite the dramatic backdrop of history and the miseries that reflected, Azcona wore a grotesque tone, achieving with his trademark caustic humor and sharp dialogue, soften the harshness of its images.

Along with the extraordinary script and staging of Ferreri, the film is based on its cast of actors, capable of bringing their characters a humanity that goes beyond making Azcona grotesque portrait of each of them.

The adaptation of the novel was written by Azcona and the film's director, Marco Ferreri, who brought a legacy staging of Italian Neorealism. So with interior scenes, where the theatrical manners acquired greater prominence, found many scenes shot in streets and other places of Madrid, with the city in ruins.

Ferreri employed numerous extras and supporting actors non-professionals, who bring the film a documentary character and increases the likelihood of the main characters (we can see his own cameo as the owner of the apartment). At the same time, Ferreri showing incipient development of this society that began to raise its head from the 60s through the buildings under construction in the centre of Madrid but still inaccessible to humble workers as "Rodolfo" or the remarkable prosperity of the company where the protagonist works, for the greater benefit of the employer, "Don Manuel" (Gregorio Saugar).