El verdugo (1963)

Director:

Luis García Berlanga

Writers:

Rafael Azcona (story)
Ennio Flaiano (writer)

Release Date:

17 February 1964 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

An undertaker gets married to an old executioner's daughter and, although he doesn't like it, must continue the profession of his father-in-law after his retirement.

Plot Keywords:

Executioner | Undertaker | Retirement | Death Penalty | Book Writer

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nino Manfredi	...	José Luis Rodríguez, el enterrador
Emma Penella	...	Carmen, la hija de Amadeo
José Isbert	...	Amadeo, el verdugo (as Jose Isbert)
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Antonio Rodríguez, el hermano mayor de José Luis (as Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez)
Ángel Álvarez	...	Álvarez, el enterrador (as Angel Alvarez)
Guido Alberti	...	Director de la prisión
Julia Caba Alba	...	Mujer visitante de la obra nº 2
María Luisa Ponte	...	Estefanía (as Maria Luisa Ponte)
María Isbert	...	Ignacia (as Maria Isbert)
Erasmo Pascual
Xan das Bolas	...	Guarda de la obra
José Orjas	...	Marqués testigo de la ejecución (as Jose Orjas)
José María Prada	...	Funcionario de prisiones (as Jose Maria Prada)
Félix Fernández	...	Monaguillo nº 2 (as Felix Fernandez)
Antonio Ferrandis

Also Known As:

La ballata del boia (Italy)
Not on Your Life
The Executioner (International: English title)

Runtime:

Italy:90 min | Spain:87 min | USA:90 min | UK:91 min | Argentina:91 min | West Germany:90 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

C.E.A., Ciudad Lineal, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Interlagar Films

Trivia:

Voted second best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary.

Movie Connections:

References Ben-Hur (1959)

Soundtrack:

El verdugo

This is both one of the funniest and one of the saddest movies I have ever seen

It is often true that the best comedies are those which hide (or should I say show) terrible pathos and anguish beneath their comic skin. Billy Wilder, for example, has often been praised for his mastery of this art, in films such as The Apartment and The Fortune Cookie.

So has Berlanga, who is undisputedly the gratest comedy writer/director in Spanish film history, and one of the best of Europe. And his masterpiece, El Verdugo, is such an awesome tour de force of his talents that it never ceases to amaze, even after repeated viewings.

El Verdugo is a comedy, yet it is probably the most moving and powerful anti-death penalty story ever written. It achieves this by showing the act of killing a person as what it is, such an unnatural and repulsive thing that for most of us it would be impossible to perform. And, as an executioner, that is exactly the role that Jose Luis (Nino Manfredi) sees himself thrown into. The situation is seen by Berlanga not only as dramatic, but also absurd, and all of Jose's antics and ploys to avoid ever having to do his job are also so absurd that they are comical, and very much so. But the viewer also simpathizes with him because we instantly understand the horror of his situation, the dreadful Damocles' sword that hangs over his head. Both the comedy and the drama go hand in hand right until the devastating ending of the film, one of the most memorable and tragic scenes ever comitted to celluloid.

Giving it a 10 out of 10 still seems short to me. PLEASE see this film if you can, you will never forget it.