La visita que no tocó el timbre (1965) Poster

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6/10
A gentle, stirring comedy, with amusement, entertainment and some really moving scenes
ma-cortes18 November 2023
Funny and warm hearted movie dealing with two brothers who are singles live together without any problems until the day when a person leaves a baby at their flat. As their lives changed forever when on one particular day a baby infant is appeared on their flat door. The bachelors (Alberto Closas, José Luis López Vazquez) are now forced unexpectedly to become fathers. They have to take care of a baby on their own after a woman leaves him alone . Now the two men find themselves in a completely new situation. Days go by and the shy bachelors gradually lose their shyness, and while she remains, the two fall in love with the baby.

A likeable and touching comedy about the typical issue about a single parents who have to take care of a baby, it's big fun, despite the root of the story, theatricality in. The unlikely single men must learn to juggle the demands of baby care with their jobs and social lives. It's really fun to watch in all the stereotypical hilarious circumstances of diapering and baby tending. The man's paternal instincts come into play and the bachelors grow quite attached to the little tyke. The film, which pairs two stunning actors such as Alberto Closas and José Luis López Vázquez in a comical fish-out-of-water situation, they formed an attractive acting couple on many occasions, giving very good chemistry, but it suffers from its staging despite the brief passages outdoors. Furthermore, the humor in this comedy with children is bland, slight and the narration is slow-moving. This film develops a premise that some years later would have a big succes with ¨ 3 hommes et un couffin¨(1985) by Coline Serrau and the American version ¨3 Men and a Baby¨ (1987) by Leonard Nimoy and 3 ¨Men and a Little Lady¨ (1990) by Emile Ardolino. The script was decent, the pacing was snappy, the story while predictable was entertaining and there were some funny sight gags and charming situations. The direction was neat, and the acting was acceptable . Stars Alberto Closas and José Luís López Vázquez giving a fine acting as two shy siblings who find themselves an extraordinary situation. And Laura Valenzuela is quite appealing as the beautiful nurse who helps them , providing the romantic aspect. But the presence of Laura Valenzuela is forced and no juice is taken from a possible confrontation of personalities or the neighborhood interaction despite the occasional appearance . They're well accompanied by a good cast with full of occasional popular and familiar faces , such as : Rafaela Aparicio as the neighbor in the window , the always sympathetic Gracita Morales, the indispensable Laly Soldevila, Luis Ciges, Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui, Luis Sánchez Polak, Manuel Arbo, Montserrat Julió,among others . There's another Mexican version of the novel written by Joaquín Calvo Sotelo ¨La visita que no tocó el timbre¨ 1954 by Julián Soler with Miroslava, Abel Salazar, Manolo Fábregas.

It contains jazzy musical score based on saxophone and piano by composer Antonio Pérez Olea. As well as evocative cinematography in black and white by Víctor Monreal. Professionally directed by Mario Camus, this is a generally light, entertaining and mindless at times, movie that shows how these bachelors are won over by little baby. Mario's direction adeptly keeps the entertainment and comedy afloat and it comes uneven, both, thick and fast, while the script has plenty of fun and engaging moments. Being amusingly made by this prolific and prestigious filmmaker. Camus was born in Santander, Cantabria, location in which often shoots his films. He worked with Carlos Saura in several screenplays during the early 60s as ¨Los Golfos¨ (1960), ¨Llanto Por Un Bandido¨ (1964), and also directed some shorts. His first feature films were Los ¨Farsantes¨ (1963) and ¨Young Sánchez¨ (1964), a movie about boxing which won the Best Film Award at the Buenos Aires Festival. Mario has an important career with film and television adaptations quite remarkable , as he efficiently directed yarns based on notorious writers such as Beníto Perez Galdos, García Lorca, Camilo José Cela, Miguel Delibes. During various decades he touched styles varying from romantic comedies and musicals to splendid adaptations from famous novels, as is the case of the prestigious TV series "Fortunata y Jacinta" (1979) . In 1983 he was given the 'Medalla Oro De las Bellas Artes' (Arts Gold Medal), and one year later he prepared his most successful work both with public and critic:¨Los Santos Inocentes¨ (1984), an adaptation from the novel by Miguel Delibes. Mario is an expert on interesting dramas as proved in ¨ The house of Bernarda Alba¨ , ¨La Colmena¨ which won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival , ¨The days of the past ¨ and many others . Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable ; it's a decent film though sometimes slow-moving.
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