Tenemos 18 años

This a bemusing and funny comedy by the most prolific Spanish cinema director . While arguing with her parents (Maria Luis Ponte , Antonio Jiménez Escribano) , María José (Isana Medel) decides to travel along with her fellow student Pili (Terele Pávez who was Alex De La Iglesia's regular until her recent death) . They are two very best cousins , almost sisters , and both 18 year old . Tired of their lessons at university , they buy a very old car to his classmate and botcher cousin Mariano (Antonio Ozores who married Elisa Montes , sister of Teréle Pávez and Emma Penella) trying to sell them anything , getting taken advantage of them . Then they head off on a road trip by their ancient as well as slow-moving car that never runs out of fuel , finding along the way strange characters and weird happenings . However , they believed to be a easy-going journey , but things go wrong and it results a be the worst vacation they could ever have expected . As they take a detour into an unknown path arriving in Doñana park and meet a mysterious delinquent (Luis Peña) .

This charming film about the fantastic vacation carried out by two attractive teenage Spanish girls contains genuine humor , clean jokes , amusement and fun . Adding some elements of Gothic Horror with comedy when a disguised Antonio Ozores terrorizes his two guests at a creepy castle , a frigthening theme that Jesús Franco would go on later on in his long career with the famous Doctor Orloff . There is also some amusing recreation of their surreal encounters they allegedly experience . This is mainly remembered for being Jess Franco's first feature debut about a pair of young adventurers who decide to get a car from a bungler friend and along the way they meet a motley assortment of roles and odd events happening . Some scenes drag a little , but there's a certain warmth and mirth flowing throughout the story that's why it actually works . Two protagonists are pretty well , as the beautiful but unknown Isana Medel and the today veteran and hard-working actress Teréle Pavez who passed away . Special mention for Antonio Ozores who plays various roles , giving likeable acting as usual , going on an expansive career along with his brother Mariano Ozores who directed him in a lot of films . Remaining support cast is frankly good , such as : María Luisa Ponte, Antonio Jiménez Escribano , Pablo Sanz , Mercedes Alonso, Aníbal Vela , Rufino Inglés and Rafael Bardem.

The picture produced by the prestious Luis Garcia Berlanga was professionaly directed , though packs some failures . Including colorful cinematography , delivering an agreeable jazz score and some Franco's initial trademarks while scattering the camera here and there as the sympathetic cousins are undertaking the high-road adventure . At his beginning Franco worked as an assistant director to Juan Antonio Bardem, Luis Garcia Berlanga , León Klimovsky, Luis Saslavsky, Julio Bracho, Fernando Soler and Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, among others. He also worked at Ágata Films S.A. as production manager and writer. His first works as a director were industrial and cultural short films. However, he soon applied all his knowledge and experience to his feature directorial debut, Tenemos 18 años (1959). From that moment on all his work was supported by co-production. Apart from his own production company, Manacoa Films, he also worked for companies like Auster Films S.L. (Paul Auster), Cinematográfica Fénix Films (Arturo Marcos), the French Comptoir Français du Film (Robert de Nesle), Eurociné (Daniel Lesoeur and Marius Lesoeur), Elite Films Productions (Erwin C. Dietrich), Spain's Fervi Films (Fernando Vidal Campos) or Golden Films Internacional S.A. and for British producer Harry Alan Towers . Directing several peculiar films as Necronomicón (1968) , La Reina del Tabarin , Vampiresas 1930, The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus, The Awful Dr. Orlof , 99 women , Miss Muerte , Residence for Spies , Death Whistles the Blues , Two Undercover Angels , Fumanchu and the kiss of death , Fumanchu's Castle , The sadist of Notre-Dame and many others .

We Are 18 Years Old (1959)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Eighteen-year-old friends Maria (Isana Medel) and Pili (Terele Pavez) decide to take a road trip, which leads them into all sorts of strange fantasies and adventures.

TENEMOS 18 ANOS is going to be best remembered for being Jess Franco's first feature and that alone must be worth celebrating if you're a fan of the Spanish filmmaker. While watching this film I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like watching this in a theater back when it was released and I'm going to guess that no one who actually saw it would have guessed that the director would go onto make over two hundred films.

This certainly isn't one of the director's best films but I think there are quite a few interesting things that make it worth watching. For starters, there's actually some pretty good comedy here, a genre that the director never did enough of but when he did he proved he could make you laugh. I thought the highlight of the film was a rather long sequence where the two girls are getting taken advantage of by a guy trying to sell them everything they don't really need. This scene really drags out but it's funny and there's a certain comic flow that really works. Another highlight comes during a classroom scene where the two girls discuss some of their peers.

It certainly doesn't hurt that both Medel and Pavez are so good in their roles. There's not a single frame where you don't feel as if you're watching friends going on this wild adventure full of gangsters, suicidal morons and other types. One of the "other" types is a pretty interesting take off on THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Franco fans will certainly enjoy watching this since he never really got to tackle the subject later in his career. TENEMOS 18 ANOS certainly isn't a masterpiece but there are enough quirky and interesting aspects that makes it worth viewing.

I think it would only be fair to say that with his feature film debut, Jess Franco did not start off like he was going to go on. In fact, if it wasn't for his name appearing in the opening credits I think there would be very few people who would have clocked this one as a Franco flick at all. It's essentially a light-hearted and breezy comedy about two Madrid girls who buy an old car and head off on a road trip. Afterwards, they re-imagine fantastical versions of the encounters they experienced along the way.

It's essentially a road movie and, therefore is quite episodic in nature. And the set-up allows for all manner of odd events occurring. One of which is a strange Gothic horror sequence, which points towards the general vicinity that Franco would inhabit later on in his career. For the most part though, this is very atypical stuff. Although it does have to be said that it is made with some care and attention and more budget than he would go on to be associated with. This is certainly a very curious debut and a true obscurity though. And when you consider that this is the first film directed by one of the most prolific film-makers of all-time it has to be considered worthy of a footnote in history at least. It won't necessarily appeal to most of his fans but will certainly be of curiosity value to the majority of them.