Welcome, Mr. Marshall
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Welcome, Mr. Marshall. It all seems Spanish to us |
| Original title | Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall |
| Country of production | Spain |
| original language | Spanish |
| Publishing year | 1953 |
| length | 85 (German version) 78 (Spanish version) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Luis García Berlanga |
| script | Luís García Berlanga Juan Antonio Bardem Miguel Mihura |
| production | Vicente Sempere for UNINCI, Madrid |
| music |
Jesús García Lehoz José Antonio Ochoíta Xandro Valerio José Solano Perrero |
| camera | Manuel Berenguer |
| cut | Pepita Orduna |
| occupation | |
| |
Welcome, Mr. Marshall is a 1952 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga .
action
The whole of Villar del Río is in a state of excitement: a commission that travels all over Western Europe for the distribution of aid funds under the Marshall Plan is supposed to also visit this market town. At least that's what a rumor says. Thereupon the mayor Don Pablo hurriedly convenes the village council to make all the necessary preparations so that the chances of getting some of the big American money cake are increased. But none of the suggestions made can really convince Don Pablo. Manolo, the slightly windy impresario of the singer Carmen Vargas, who is currently staying in the only hotel in town, has the brilliant idea: Why not transform Villar del Río into a prime example of a typical Andalusian town, like a film set? Since Americans love their idea of good old Europe so much, this Potemkin village will possibly encourage donors to be generous financially.
Said and done. Dreams, wishes and hopes grow out of the imagination of the hoped-for rain of money. The place is being spruced up, and soon the Villarers hardly recognize their own village anymore. Every single citizen has his very specific wishes for that ominous Mr. Marshall, which are noted on pieces of paper and deposited with the mayor. On the night of the big day X, however, many of the villagers are plagued by a bad nightmare: the priest suddenly recognizes members of the Ku Klux Klan in the hooded wearers of a Semana Santa procession , the impoverished nobleman Don Luis sees himself surrounded by Indians, which were once fought down to the knife by his ancestors. In his dream, Don Pablo walks around as a power-conscious sheriff and thus ensures order, while Juan, the farmer, sees whole tractors raining down from the sky in the hope of the big windfall.
The great awakening the next day, however, sobered the whole village in just one second. All citizens have lined up to welcome the distinguished guests from distant (and above all rich) America perfectly. The motorcade approaches, reaches the village ... and speeds through. Then a heavy rain shower breaks loose, and the entire scenery more or less dissolves in favor. Nobody had considered that Spain should not benefit from the Marshall Plan at all. After all, the rain is at least a blessing for the sun-parched land: because it means a good harvest for the next year, and so, "with God's help", at least the debts that everyone has for the high-gloss finish of the Place has made, can settle again.
production
The shooting of Welcome, Mr. Marshall took place in 1952 in the central Spanish village of Guadalix de la Sierra , the Villar del Río in the story. The cost of production was about two and a half million pesetas . This contrasted with income of 6,546,720 pesetas. This made the film a huge box-office success.
Welcome, Mr. Marshall premiered in Madrid on April 4th, 1953. The German premiere took place on July 12, 1957. Initially, the film was distributed under the title “It all seems Spanish to us”.
Fernando Rey appears as the narrator in the Spanish original .
Welcome, Mr. Marshall is considered to be the first artistically ambitious film in Spain during the Franco era . Since this collaboration, Berlanga and his co-author Bardem have been considered (cautious) innovators of Spanish cinema under the fascist dictatorship.
Awards
- 1953: At the Cannes Film Festival in 1953 , the film was named Best Comedy, and the screenplay received an honorable mention. Director Berlanga was nominated for the Grand Prix.
- 1954: CEC award for the best original story.
- 1954: Premio del Sindicato Nacional del Espectáculo for the Best Film category.
Reviews
In the issue of August 21, 1957, Der Spiegel said: “The original title (“ Welcome, Mister Marshall! ”) Is more appropriate to this epistle, because it parodies the efforts of the underdeveloped Franco Empire to seek the help of the unexpected Marshall Plan To prove worthy by offering the announced American delegates the backdrop of a travel brochure-Spain. The film creates an ironic, loving portrait of a powerful village in a cozy, but idiosyncratic, precise chatting style and, as it were, describes under the hand how the character traits slumbering in the inhabitants come to life in the strangest possible way through the promised dollar rain. The parody won an award in Cannes - its author Juan Antonio Bardem, on the other hand, pocketed by the Spanish police for overly frankly expressed liberal views. "
Reclam's film guide reads: “Berlanga caricatures his compatriots who hope for miracles from outside help instead of changing the situation themselves. But it also shows how limited the possibilities poor farmers have for self-help. This is exactly what his gags are aimed at - and the stereotypes that one has of neighbors across borders. "
Kay Wenigers The film's great lexicon of people reminded us that Berlanga was celebrated as a new discovery at the beginning of the 1950s with the real satire “Welcome, Mr. Marshall”.
The Handbook V of the Catholic Film Critics found: “An ironic comedy, very funny staged. Worth seeing for the discerning. "
The lexicon of international films judged: "An ironic comedy staged during the Franco dictatorship, the wit of which at that time showed remarkable courage."
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Reclam's film guide, by Dieter Krusche, collaboration: Jürgen Labenski, p. 172. Stuttgart 1973.
- ↑ Welcome, Mr. Marshall to Der Spiegel
- ↑ Reclams Filmführer, p. 232.
- ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 1: A - C. Erik Aaes - Jack Carson. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 181.
- ↑ 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945/58, 4th edition. Düsseldorf 1980, p. 486.
- ↑ Welcome, Mr. Marshall in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed November 4, 2013.
Web links
- Welcome, Mr. Marshall in the Internet Movie Database (English)