82% (1) Placido 85 min, [Comedy, Drama] [Luis García Berlanga] [27 Jun 1962]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 82%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Cassen, Elvira Quintillá, José Luis López Vázquez, Manuel Alexandre
Writer: Luis García Berlanga (story), Rafael Azcona (story), Luis García Berlanga (screenplay), Rafael Azcona (screenplay), José Luis Colina (screenplay), José Luis Font (screenplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish Country: Spain
Plot: In a small spanish town, a group of old ladies decide to celebrate Christmas Eve with a "Sit a poor man at your table" dinner: each wealthy household of the town will have a homeless person dining with them that night. The celebrations also include a parade, and in it we find Plácido, the humble owner of a three-wheeler, whose family is forced to live in a public lavatory because of the lack of money to pay the rent, and who has to pay the second bill of his vehicle before midnight or else he will lose it.
Rotten Tomatoes: This is an effective satire directed by Luis Berlanga that pans charity from the head -- the cold, calculated or unthinking kind -- as versus charity from the heart. The focus is on Placido (Casto Sendra-Cassen), a truckdriver who has little money and so making regular payments on his truck can be difficult, so much so that he gets behind and is in danger of having his vehicle repossessed. Meanwhile, he gets involved in a local, annual charity drive that opens up his eyes to the problems and foibles of other impoverished people. After those experiences, Placido has a different attitude toward his monthly payments. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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81% (1) The Executioner 90 min, Not Rated, [Drama, Comedy] [Luis García Berlanga] [13 Mar 1964]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 81%, External Reviews
Awards: 4 wins & 2 nominations.
Actors: Emma Penella, José Isbert, José Luis López Vázquez, Nino Manfredi
Writer: Luis García Berlanga (story), Rafael Azcona (story), Luis García Berlanga (screenplay), Rafael Azcona (screenplay), Ennio Flaiano (screenplay collaboration)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish Country: Spain, Italy
Plot: The history starts with the main character (an old executioner in the Spain of early 60's) approaching retirement age. As his profession is not exactly what you could call "popular", he (a very gentle and nice man, caring, and proud of traditions) begins to worry about who might take his place when he retires. He has a daughter, but, unfortunately, she seems doomed to perpetual "spinsterhood": as soon as any prospective groom learns about her dad and her dad's "trade", he runs away from her, scared. A sad life... However, a new character enters: the local undertaker, a handsome and young man who has exactly the same problem... No girl wants him given his profession. So, you have the woman whom almost nobody would marry and the man whom almost nobody would marry. Obviously, they are meant for each other. But here the old executioner has something to say: He does not object to her daughter marrying the young undertaker; he seems a decent man, and all that... But there is a condition: Only if the groom agrees to take the executioner's job when he will retire, will he agree to her daughter's marriage. And, anyway, as the old executioner says to the worried young man.... "Don't worry, they sentence people, but, in the last moment, they're going to pardon them!".
Rotten Tomatoes: In this black comedy, a mortician's assistant wants to marry an executioner's daughter. Her father wants to change professions but cannot, as he will lose his new government-sponsored apartment. The young man is persuaded to take over the job, but he swears he will quit before he must kill someone.
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76% (1) El cochecito 85 min, [Comedy, Drama] [Marco Ferreri] [07 Aug 1967]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 76%, External Reviews
Awards: 3 wins.
Actors: José Isbert, José Luis López Vázquez, María Luisa Ponte, Pedro Porcel
Writer: Rafael Azcona (novel), Rafael Azcona (screenplay), Marco Ferreri (screenplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish, French Country: Spain
Plot: Septuagenarian Don Anselmo Proharan, a retired government minister, finds himself sharing living space with his son, a penurious, bourgeoisie solicitor and his family. Don Anselmo, a widower, is restricted to one room of the house, and his social life has narrowed to attending wakes, funerals, and visiting the cemetery. When his paraplegic friend Don Lucas, gets a motorized wheelchair, Proharan accompanies him to his wife's grave to leave flowers. Don Anselmo soon becomes obsessed with getting his own "little coach" and joining the subculture of other "cochetito" owners. However, when his tight-fisted son refuses to buy a chair for him, the old man tries several gambits to get one.
Rotten Tomatoes: This was one of the first feature-length films for director Marco Ferreri, known for his interest in the grotesque, macabre, and darkly satirical side of life. In this black comedy, an elderly old man who lives with his mean-spirited, insensitive family, enjoys a happier side of life with an invalid friend of his who gets around on a special, adapted motorbike. After seeing that similarly impaired people are using the same conveyances, the man develops a yearning for one of the special bikes himself. But when he goes to his family with his wish, they all respond in the negative -- and none too kindly. His solution is murderous, though definitely lucrative. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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75% (1) Atraco a las tres 92 min, [Comedy] [José María Forqué] [01 Jan 1962]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 75%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Cassen, Gracita Morales, José Luis López Vázquez, Katia Loritz
Writer: Pedro Masó (story), Vicente Coello (story), Pedro Masó (screenplay), Vicente Coello (screenplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish Country: Spain
Plot: Galindo works in a bank. One day he convinces the other employees in the bank to plan a hold-up in the bank they are working. They prepare everything carefully. However, real robbers come just before the fake ones.
Rotten Tomatoes: Galindo works in a bank. One day he convinces the other employees in the bank to plan a hold-up in the bank they are working. They prepare everything carefully. However, real robbers come just before the fake ones.
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73% (1) National Heritage 112 min, [Comedy] [Luis García Berlanga] [26 Mar 1981]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 73%, External Reviews
Awards: 2 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Agustín González, José Luis López Vázquez, Luis Ciges, Luis Escobar
Writer: Luis García Berlanga, Rafael Azcona
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish Country: Spain
Plot: Second installment of the saga of the Leguineche's preceded by "The National Shotgun" and completed by "National III". After the death of Franco (1975) and the restoration of the monarchy, the Marquis of Leguineche returns to his palace in Madrid. After thirty years of voluntary exile in his farm in Los Tejadillos, he intends to approach the King to resume the court life of yesteryear. However, it is not so easy to access to the Royal Family.
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72% (1) Peppermint Frappé 94 min, [Drama, Thriller] [Carlos Saura] [07 Nov 1968]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 72%, External Reviews
Awards: 5 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Alfredo Mayo, Emiliano Redondo, Geraldine Chaplin, José Luis López Vázquez
Writer: Rafael Azcona, Angelino Fons, Carlos Saura, Carlos Saura (story)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Spanish Country: Spain
Plot: Julian, a middle-aged single doctor, meets his childhood friend Pablo again. The latter is back from Africa and has just married a beautiful young blonde, Elena. Julian falls in love with her and tries to seduce her, but she mockingly pushes him away from her. He then finds that Ana, his nurse, bears a troubling resemblance to Elena. He decides to gradually transform Ana into Elena...
Rotten Tomatoes: Geraldine Chaplin shines in a double role in this drama by celebrated Spanish director Carlos Saura. Julian (Jose Luis Lopez) is a middle-aged physician who is content to live out his retirement in the solitude of the country. His playboy brother Pablo (Alfred Mayo) brings his new bride Elena (Chaplin) for a visit, and in spite of Julian's strict upbringing and evident sexual repression, he falls in love with his new sister-in-law. Julian is floored at the striking resemblance between Elena and a nurse named Ana in the local village. The mild-mannered medico is tormented when he is rejected by Elena, and Paolo discovers his brother's obsession with his bride.
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