La cabina (1972)

A man gets trapped inside a telephone box and nobody is able to free him.

Director:

Antonio Mercero

Writers:

Antonio Mercero (story), José Luis Garci (screenplay)

Stars:

José Luis López Vázquez, Agustín González, Goyo Lebrero

5 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Hombre de la cabina
Agustín González	...	Hombre segunda cabina
Goyo Lebrero	...	Jefe de bomberos
Tito García	...	Señor corpulento
Carmen Martínez Sierra	...	Señora 1ª
Carmen Luján	...	Señora 2º
María Vico
Felipe Martín Puertas	...	Trabajador 1 (as Felipe Martín Puerta)
José Montijano	...	Trabajador 2
Blaki	...	Guardia
Mariano Bardera	...	(as Mariano Barderas)
Antonio Moreno	...	Cristalero
José Miguel Aguado	...	Kid
José Manuel Hoyos	...	Kid

Storyline

A man gets trapped inside a telephone box. Onlookers unsuccessfully try to free him. Then the men from the telephone company arrive, but relief turns into puzzlement, then horror, as it transpires what they have in store for him.

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Plot Keywords:

trapped | telephone box | trapped in a phone booth | parable | twisted version of current world | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Horror

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (Spain)

Also Known As:

La cabina

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Televisión Española (TVE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

35 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Especial Antonio Mercero (2002)

User Reviews

Legendary Short Film

La Cabino is a film constructed on simplicity and brilliance. The story about a man trapped inside a public phone-booth starts off as a comedy and then gradually spirals into a surreal nightmare from which there seems no escape. This short film is rich in symbols and metaphors about loneliness and alienation in the urban landscape. How ironic that we have our main protagonist trapped, like a fly inside a glass jar, he wants to communicate his terror but the telephone is out-of-order and we bear witness to his growing unease and dread. Human dialogue is kept to a bare minimum and it feels like a silent film with a dream-like quality which becomes claustrophobic.

This stark film has an atmosphere that sears the mind and emotions of viewers and the residue it leaves behind remains long after the film has finished. The haunting and creepy cinematography is suffused with suspense and unseen menace. Terror prowls about as we watch with dried mouths. A complete masterpiece of the genre that would have Hitchcock turning livid with envy.

Sadly, there is no DVD, Laser-Disc or VHS tape available of this magnificent example of the art of the short film. Over the years there have only been a handful of broadcasts on television and even those rare outings have been at unearthly hours. Someone like Martin Scorsese, Mark Kermode or Criterion should hunt down a print and issue this amazing film for us all to enjoy.

The way it looks at present, however, is that eventually it will join the ranks of lost legendary films of the past. It will only remain in the memories of the lucky few who first experienced this bleak drama back in the 1970's.