by guest writer
The Great Madcap (El gran calavera) is the first movie of this month dedicated to the Spanish master Luis Buñuel. Sometime in the ’60s Alfred Hitchcock was asked who his favourite director was. His reply was simple: Luis Buñuel. Why? Simply because the films that he made were unique in every way. From starting out the surrealist movement in cinema at the end of the ’20s, to his comedies, melodramas and musicals, Buñuel did it all very well in his original manner, praised by movie lovers and critics alike.
Among his many Mexican-period films, El gran calavera was produced on a small budget and nowadays has become enjoyed and praised by connoisseurs. The plot is built up around a millionaire’s life. Sick of everybody cheating him (including and especially his family), Ramiro de la Mata (Fernando Soler) is drawn unwillingly into a conspiracy intended to teach him and his family a precious lesson in life. Buñuel uses an unromantic approach to mock both the Mexican lifestyle and the Hollywood structures. He succeeds in reaching his purpose with his creativity and non-conformist way. A comedy unlike any you’ve seen before, El gran calavera remains one of the rarest gems of its kind.
O this post speaks to me on so many levels. i have been thinking to spend more time with classic films as i miss their beauty and wonderful storytelling. and too, i feel like there is stuff that i want to learn and improve upon and i find that life is teaching me much needed lessons, i don’t always want what comes, but i must admit… the lessons are being learned. thanks for this darling post! and happy new year!
This seems really interesting. Lately I have been watching a lot of older movies, and this seems like one I would willingly watch.
Ada, I’ve been watching classic movies lately, I found myself searching on your blog to choose wich movie to watch. Sadly, they didn’t have one at netflix queue. {hehehe} but they are on my lists to watch them =)
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