El bosque animado (1987)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

José Luis Cuerda

Writers:

Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (novel)
Rafael Azcona (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 1990 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

In the fantastic world of the "bosque animado" meet some people who have been transported to this place by a magic force...

Plot Keywords:

Galicia | Forest | Train | Artificial Leg | Bandit

Awards:

7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Alfredo Landa	...	Malvís / Bandido Fendetestas
Alejandra Grepi	...	Hermelinda
Fernando Valverde	...	Geraldo
Paco Cambres	...	Cura (as Francisco Cambres)
Óscar Domínguez	...	Javier
Fernando Rey	...	Sr. D'Abondo
Silvia Lurueña	...	Rosina
Laura Cisneros	...	Pilara
Carmen Salmerón	...	Criada #1
Marina de la Peña	...	Criada #2
Encarna Paso	...	Juanita Arruallo
Antonio Fernández	...	Mozallón
Carmen Ferrán	...	Moza
José Esteban Alenda	...	Fuco (as José Estéban, Jr.)
Luma Gómez	...	Marica da Fame

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Sobrado dos Monxes, Ourense, Galicia, Spain

Company:

Classic Films

Movie Connections:

Version of Fendetestas (1975)

One of the best Spanish rural comedies ever...

Malvís (Alfredo Landa) is sick of working like crazy for nothing. He'd rather become a bandit, that's much better, he's gonna be the fearful Fendetestas! He'll spread panic in the woods of his region. But there's a little problem: there aren't much people living in his region, everyone knows everyone and everyone is so poor, so is gonna be difficult that someone takes Malvís/Fendetestas too seriously.

This is a magic history, so funny, and full of situations that will make you laugh. It's also full of characters that belong to the Spanish idiosyncrasy: the strict priest, the Guardia Civil, the old devout women, the village idiot... there's even a lost soul wandering around the woods.

The great Alfredo Landa heads a cast that gathered together the best two generations of Spanish scene: from Fernando Rey to Encarna Paso, from Manuel Alexandre to María Isbert... A cast like that would be just unthinkable nowadays. "El Bosque Animado" was the first movie of José Luis Cuerda's trilogy of rural comedies (after this one he made the surreal "Amanece Que No Es Poco", and "Así En El Cielo Como En La Tierra". Those are movies so personal that stress the Spanish culture. The young directors should take note of films like "El Bosque Animado", instead of trying to be the new "enfant terrible" and imitating US worst cinema.

*My rate: 9/10