Historias de la radio

Easy, easy... Señor Alberto Mallofres-Pantoja de España, the very first commentator of this movie. Actually no need to feel furious. Europeans or Americans may not have enough taste to appreciate Spanish goody movies but Hong Kong Chinese do. This movie was once on show in our city in mid-90s and it did sell well. Good movies do attract quality viewers, no worry, no worry. Big thank you the our local film professionals.

My very first Spanish movie was Almodovar's "Tacones lejanos", hunky Miguel Bosé plays a weird guy, just fantastico. And so I started to see more of the Spanish films. The release date of "Historias de la radio" surprised me because it was produced during Franco's reign, a time where freedom of press or expression was repressed.

It's a warm comedy of how radio connected people when TV was not yet largely introduced in Spain. Three stories about two inventors, a theif and people from a village. I especially remember the quiz-show with live audience. When the presenter asks the audience who knows the name of the footballer who made a goal in a certain match some 20 years ago, an old man raises his hand and gives a very detail answer. The presenter feels strange and asks how come he knows that, the old man replies that he was that footballer.

I don't want to compare this one with Woody Allen's because this one was produced far too many years advance, a pioneer of the genre. The pretty face of Carmen (by Margarita Andrey) is very impressive. What a pity that she had a very short acting life. Her father was a Swiss official who job was related to film industry. After she got married in 1955, (the release date of this movie), she retired from the camera. In 1953, her movie "Aeropuerto" was awarded National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain (Premio del SNE).

A definite for viewing of the entire family. DVD is available now, check the websites in Spanish, yet no idea whether subtitles of other languages are available. Caveat emptor.