davidcarbajales

"Cinema of the neighborhood" (Cine de barrio in Spanish) is a self produced TV program of the Spanish public broadcasting corporation. It consists of broadcasting movies of the typical Spanish cinema of the 50's, 60's and early 70's... that frequently means the worst Spanish movies. This one is a great example of the so called "Landism" (Landismo in Spanish) which was those movies with showed a peculiar idea of cinema and very characteristic for almost always the same actors and actresses (Alfredo Landa, who gives his name to the Landism, Paco Martínez Soria, Lina Morgan, Manolo Garisa, Manolo Escobar, Mónica Randal, Manolo Gómez Bur, ...), similar arguments, long women's legs, and a Spanish nerd or redneck man among others.

"Vente a Alemania, Pepe" (Come to Germany, Pepe) anyway could be seen as a sociological movie about the emigration to Germany during the 60's: the promised paradise (not so paradise at last), the difficulties to get accustomed to a new country, the melancholy of the emigrants about their country... and, of course, the hard censorship that flows all over the movie... don't forget we're in 1971, still the hard days of repression during the last years of the dictatorship of General Franco. The movie pretends to show us Antonio Ferrandis (the character of a medical doctor) , who is supposed to be an exiled for political reasons, maybe for being socialist or communist or just a defender of freedom during the war, and show him as a bitter and bitterer man who doesn't worth any opportunity for a new life, for a new hope of free thinking, free acting or free behavior beyond the "law" of the dictatorship.

Lorenzo is an student in the Spain of the 50's, that means during the dictatorship after the Civil War. He has been in England on holidays and he has knew another way of life, other people, another horizon and a girl, Berta: daughter of an exiled. When he comes back to Spain he got involved again in the routine and the traditional atmosphere of his family, his friends and his girlfriend. The boredom of his little town is killing him. The movie is divided in nine parts, each one corresponding to a letter sent to Berta. Most of it is based on the off-voice and it really captivates you with its weariness, its existentialism and its catharsis with the main character, played by the great Emilio Gutiérrez Caba.

Lorenzo eventually has thought: something is not ended yet, but everything is already beginning to change.

Since 1935 until the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, a production company called Filmófno worked with the motivation of shooting movies in the way of Hollywood studios: that means, with a contractual situation for technical staff and artists for several movies. Luis Buñuel was elected as executive producer just for training the staff but he actually took part in some scripts. This movie "La hija Dew Juan Simón" ("The Daughter of Juan Simón") is based on a well-known song of the Spanish 30's. The song told the story of an undertaker called Juan Simón who had buried his own daughter. Included in the movie is one of the legendary scenes of all times: the international famous flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya dancing over a wood table and flirting with the main male character. Carmen Amaya some years later, when she was forced to exile in America, took part in some Hollywood movies, such as "Panama Hattie" (1942), "Follow the Boys" (1944), "Knickerbocker Holiday" (1944) and "See My Lawyer" (1945).