23 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :- A laugh at ourselves, 4 May 2003
Author:
Pi72 from Spain
This movie is probably one of the most interesting examples on surrealist
comedy in the modern spanish history. It's a critic, acid portrait of what
has been Spain under the dictatorship of General Franco, and specially
critic with how is Spain actually - which is the same as before, but with
other names. Being surrealist (or even totally unreal) it's hard to follow
all the metaphors, analogies, hyperboles present in this movie, and
besides
the language barrier, it will be very hard to understand by non-spanish
viewers in this context of being just a critic. Still, many of the critics
can be applied to any of the "modern, free" societies all
around.
But besides the "serious" part, this is also one of the best comedies, and
most underrated, obscure and hardly known spanish movies. Its very special
and unique sense of humor can only make you laugh again and again even
about
the saddest things. Continuous changes of points of view, jokes, absurd
situations, killing topics and killer topics too. One of the most funny
movies certainly, and worth it for a mindless laugh or for a insightful,
deep view of the spanish society, or any other society for what it seems.
If
you have the opportunity, please watch it.
15 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Hilarious!!!, 22 July 1999
Author:
Rammers from Oakton, VA, USA
This movie is one of the funniest movies I have seen. Of course, it is in
Spanish so if you do not speak Spanish it won't be as funny. But the
whole
premise behind it and the creativity of the writers is terrific.
Everything
from a policeman who is always drunk, to farmers who cultivate people. A
must see if you're in the mood for a good laugh.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- This movie is hilarious, 8 March 2006
Author:
finitodistampare from Spain
This is a big and great surrealist comedy , so be prepared and have
excellent gags .This movie just cannot be told or spoiled . Nobody can
tell you what this movie is about, you got to watch it !!. It portrays
and ridicule in a ironic way most of the topics associated with Spain
and laugh without mercy at some of the Spanish cultural clichés . There
are some flaws but they are minor cause some of the ideas are excellent
. This film deserves to be better known .The director José Luis Cuerda
followed in this vein in the movie "Así en el cielo como en la tierra
"(In earth like it is in heaven ).Cuerda have been the producer of many
movies directed by Alejandro Amenabar .
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Best Spanish surreal comedy since Calabuch, 29 May 2006
Author:
paco-lamadrid from Madrid, Spain
Well, this is certainly one of those movies that seize your attention
from minute one and keep you there all through the show. It's in the
best tradition of Spanish surreal humor (like Luis Garcia Berlanga's
"Calabuch") but, unlike that one, is far more caustic with 80's Spanish
reality and social elements. In fact, what is said about 80's Spain
could also be a good description of many other societies of those years
but, obviously, you would have to change the village priest or the
Civil Guard or the Mayor (which, in one of the most far-fetched, yet
brilliant utterances in the movie, is claimed to be "necessary, while
we villains are contingent" - take a look at a dictionary to get that
one) for equivalent figures in your own society. On the other hand,
some of the characters in the movie are definitely peculiar and
purposely surrealistic. For instance, the Argentinean guy who claim to
be a writer but, each time he starts writing a new book it turns out to
be a plagiarized copy of some Faulkner or Chekhov work. The Belgian
group of tourists that visit the village with the very curious but
determined purpose of hearing the Priest while celebrating mess because
the man is so very skillful and wonderful in elevating the holy host
towards the heavens. The public meeting ordered by the Mayor in front
of the city hall in order to remember "what everybody was doing on June
24, 1947" and have a little flashback experience (obviously, the
Belgian group disappears immediately since they weren't at the village
a that time). Some others are pretty down-to-earth and perfectly
recognizable, like the hackneyed bunch of American university
youngsters with their sans-souci attitude and naive approach to
everything that happens in the village. To cut a rather long story
short, this movie is a whole new cinematic experience and in the good
sense too. Highly recommendable.
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23 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-

A laugh at ourselves, 4 May 2003
Author: Pi72 from Spain
This movie is probably one of the most interesting examples on surrealist comedy in the modern spanish history. It's a critic, acid portrait of what has been Spain under the dictatorship of General Franco, and specially critic with how is Spain actually - which is the same as before, but with other names. Being surrealist (or even totally unreal) it's hard to follow all the metaphors, analogies, hyperboles present in this movie, and besides the language barrier, it will be very hard to understand by non-spanish viewers in this context of being just a critic. Still, many of the critics can be applied to any of the "modern, free" societies all around.
But besides the "serious" part, this is also one of the best comedies, and most underrated, obscure and hardly known spanish movies. Its very special and unique sense of humor can only make you laugh again and again even about the saddest things. Continuous changes of points of view, jokes, absurd situations, killing topics and killer topics too. One of the most funny movies certainly, and worth it for a mindless laugh or for a insightful, deep view of the spanish society, or any other society for what it seems. If you have the opportunity, please watch it.
15 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Hilarious!!!, 22 July 1999
Author: Rammers from Oakton, VA, USA
This movie is one of the funniest movies I have seen. Of course, it is in Spanish so if you do not speak Spanish it won't be as funny. But the whole premise behind it and the creativity of the writers is terrific. Everything from a policeman who is always drunk, to farmers who cultivate people. A must see if you're in the mood for a good laugh.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-

This movie is hilarious, 8 March 2006
Author: finitodistampare from Spain
This is a big and great surrealist comedy , so be prepared and have excellent gags .This movie just cannot be told or spoiled . Nobody can tell you what this movie is about, you got to watch it !!. It portrays and ridicule in a ironic way most of the topics associated with Spain and laugh without mercy at some of the Spanish cultural clichés . There are some flaws but they are minor cause some of the ideas are excellent . This film deserves to be better known .The director José Luis Cuerda followed in this vein in the movie "Así en el cielo como en la tierra "(In earth like it is in heaven ).Cuerda have been the producer of many movies directed by Alejandro Amenabar .
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-

Best Spanish surreal comedy since Calabuch, 29 May 2006
Author: paco-lamadrid from Madrid, Spain
Well, this is certainly one of those movies that seize your attention from minute one and keep you there all through the show. It's in the best tradition of Spanish surreal humor (like Luis Garcia Berlanga's "Calabuch") but, unlike that one, is far more caustic with 80's Spanish reality and social elements. In fact, what is said about 80's Spain could also be a good description of many other societies of those years but, obviously, you would have to change the village priest or the Civil Guard or the Mayor (which, in one of the most far-fetched, yet brilliant utterances in the movie, is claimed to be "necessary, while we villains are contingent" - take a look at a dictionary to get that one) for equivalent figures in your own society. On the other hand, some of the characters in the movie are definitely peculiar and purposely surrealistic. For instance, the Argentinean guy who claim to be a writer but, each time he starts writing a new book it turns out to be a plagiarized copy of some Faulkner or Chekhov work. The Belgian group of tourists that visit the village with the very curious but determined purpose of hearing the Priest while celebrating mess because the man is so very skillful and wonderful in elevating the holy host towards the heavens. The public meeting ordered by the Mayor in front of the city hall in order to remember "what everybody was doing on June 24, 1947" and have a little flashback experience (obviously, the Belgian group disappears immediately since they weren't at the village a that time). Some others are pretty down-to-earth and perfectly recognizable, like the hackneyed bunch of American university youngsters with their sans-souci attitude and naive approach to everything that happens in the village. To cut a rather long story short, this movie is a whole new cinematic experience and in the good sense too. Highly recommendable.
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