Depressing movie and tough seeing drama about life at a Castilian village in the fifties . It is set in 1956 , at a country cave lives El Ratero : Jose Caride and his child named El Nini : Alvaro Monje . They dedicate to chase water rats to survive for their hunger . While the Mayor pressed by the governor attempts to evict them from the cave where they live due to their bad image before the modern society . Things go wrong when some hunters : Joaquin Hinojosa , Jose Conde, try to kill the wáter rats.
This is a passable but downbeat film , but in difficult vision , and realized in ¨Mario Camus' Los santos Inocentes¨ style also written by Miguel Delibes . There is a sour critique to rural life during Francisco Franco time in the 50s . It is a thought-provoking and lyrical drama with interesting character studio of a few roles . It is an acceptable and touching film , but strong , including hard scenes as the pig slaughter and other disturbing as well as violent scenes . It results in a strange blending between fiction and documentary , regarding a hardship existence at a starking region and the difficulties to survival .The main and unknown cast gives a decent acting , in spite of no being professional actors , giving an excessively theatrical performance . Support cast is pretty well , such as : Susi Sanchez , Paco Algora , Jose Conde and Joaquin Hinojosa . It was written by Miguel Delibes , he was editor chief in Norte De Castilla newspapers , where he attempted to publicize news about rural life but it was prohibited by the Francoist censorship, then he wrote the novel Las Ratas , one of the strongest books .
Being well photographed by Teo Escamilla , producer too, he is considered to be one of the best Spanish cameramen . Shot on location in Carrion de los Condes , Valdecabañas de Cerrato , Palencia and other villages of Valladolid province from the Castilian Comunidad Autónoma. The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Antonio Giménez Rico . Antonio is good craftsman who has written and directed several films from the sixties. He is a fine filmmaker of great quality . He was born in Burgos , Castilla y Leon ,where he often shoots his pictures . His film debut was Mañana de domingo 1966 , following El hueso 1967 , El Crónicon 1970 , Al fin solos 1977 , Del amor y la muerte 1977 and a documentary about travestism titled Vestido de azul. This nice director being specially known for Jarrapellejos 1988, Tres palabras 1993 with Maribel Verdu , and Hotel Danubio 2oo3 a remake to classy Los Peces Rojos . His speciality results to be adaptations based on the prestigious novelist Miguel Delibes as Retrato de Familia 1976 based on Novel titled Mi idolatrado hijo Sisi , The vote of Míster Cayo based on the homonymous novel and The Rats . He also directed various episodes of notorious TV series as Plinio, Crónicas de un pueblo , La máscara negra and Página de sucesos . Rating 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . The picture will appeal to Spanish cinema aficionados .
