I shouldn't have had expectations towards "el verdugo". but "bienvenido mr marshall" and "placido" made me thought this would be again a very acute comedy, with a lot of ironic laughs. it's not exactly. there's a lot of humour right (mostly in how absurd situations for most people are treaten as normal business - because it was) but it's also a family drama. mostly about a man, Jose Luis.
You see his father in law is an executioner. which is not exactly the best seen position in society. Why? Because it deals ith what everyone else prefer to ignore. they're the "needed" people but also despised because they do their work - and can't get a better one. People make the laws but then they turn a blind eye where things happen. it's like is none of their business. The father in law Jose Isbert (i loved in "bienvenido mr marshall" as the mayor of the town) treats his job such as doing desk work, or a store clerk.
for him putting his working bag at the table was normal business. Jose Luis starts to try to ignore his profession, until it goes right into his face- but the government pays and they need subsidies to get a new house. This takes a turn and the movie is again about what people prefer to put under the carpet.
how it is to put a "normal joe" in the position of killing. yes, it's such a governmental order. that's how you try to rationalize it. Berlanga shown the hypocrisy but also how weirdly everything works: it's just another part of government. same bureaucracy. same problems. and how deep will you go for the need of your suburban low middle class in madrid. There are funny scenes, dramatic and one particularly brilliant and very dark.
this movie worked completely for me, but i found it a bit contrived. not in the humour parts, but i was expecting more confusion, more people in the scenes, more shouting by everyone. this is probably easier for the non spanish speaker (or very semi speaker like me), because the characters take longer breaks while talking. but it still lacks a bit of the magic for me - but probably my expectations.
putting that aside "el verdugo" is a dramatic comedy about the death penalty and how society at the time looked with indiference at everything.maybe they would defend it while drinking a coffee at the bar. but then, if they pass the corridor and the door is closed, they will probably faint. berlanga wants in a more dramatic way, to show us behind the curtain. didn't make the same for me as the others but it's still a very good film.
