The Miracle of P. Tinto (1998)
"El milagro de P. Tinto" (original title)

Wafer factory-owner P. Tinto and his wife Olivia want a child of their own more than anything else in the world. Years of trying, however, have left them with nothing but a pair of ... See full summary »

Director:

Javier Fesser

Writers:

Guillermo Fesser, Javier Fesser

Stars:

Luis Ciges, Janusz Ziemniak, Pablo Pinedo

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luis Ciges	...	P. Tinto
Janusz Ziemniak	...	Apenao / Bartolo
Pablo Pinedo	...	Joselito
Pepe Viyuela	...	Manikomien Direktorr
Andrés Calamardo	...	P. Tinto niño
Tomás Sáez	...	Padre Marciano
Sonia Calamardo	...	Olivia niña
Manuel Román	...	Profesor cursillos
Montse G. Romeu	...	Profesora cursillos (as Montse García Romeu)
Carlos Lucas	...	Gasolinero
Bruto Pomeroy	...	Padre en gasolinera
Pietro Olivera	...	Cura suplente / Cocinero Bailarín
Goizalde Núñez	...	Olivia joven
Bermúdez	...	P. Tinto joven (as Carlos Soto)
Pedro Cuesta	...	Camionero La Zamorana

Storyline

Wafer factory-owner P. Tinto and his wife Olivia want a child of their own more than anything else in the world. Years of trying, however, have left them with nothing but a pair of extraterrestrial midgets living in the spare bedroom. When they decide to try adoption, a series of misroutings and chance encounters results in an escaped adult mental patient arriving at their door with adoption papers in hand. P. Tinto and Olivia accept this without question and welcome him in as their son. Can this family arrangement work?

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Plot Keywords:

extraterrestrial | surrealism | factory | spoof | time travel | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

18 December 1998 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Miracle of P. Tinto

Filming Locations:

La Revilla, Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Películas Pendelton, Sociedad General de Televisión (Sogetel)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

A Ana, Claudia y Piluca

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Connections

References Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

User Reviews

One of the most hilarious films I've ever seen

This film is wonderful. It opens with a superbly parodied Kafka parody in black and white set in an insane asylum, complete with Polish dialogue, subtitles, and bureaucratic "Fraktur-ized" Spanish signs and directives all about. It ends with a black and white newsreel from years earlier, and in between occurs some of the wildest comedy I've ever seen, including Martians, a time machine, an African child delivered in answer to an adoption prayer, a remodel contractor who goes bezerk, an express train that roars by every twenty-five years... I could go on and on, since that's just what the film does, with one wild idea after the next. Certain ideas which seemed in questionable taste or too corny at first encounter I grew to appreciate as time progressed, since the wild ideas of this film are cleverly developed, not simply dropped in search of new inspiration.

The central plot of the film is a man's longing for a suitable heir to the Pinto family enterprise, a "oblea" - communion wafer factory, and his struggle to conserve a centuries-long contract with the Vatican - that is, if he can't make more money by going into pizza or quick-order chicken. But this film has several parallel plots (as more of today's novels should) which I won't describe. I don't wish to spoil anyone's fun by over-divulging.

My DVD version came with a choice of English and French subtitles. Of course for the Polish scenes, Spanish ones are automatic. It is not necessary to know Spanish to love this film, but try to appreciate the tone and style of the Martians' speech. This film is a delight! Wonderful! It's rated, I believe, suitable for all audiences - at least all Spanish audiences. There is sexual humor, however, and some death (black humor) - indeed, there's about every sort of non-crude humor ever devised. Still, I would hesitate to show it to young children.