Directed by Luis García Berlanga • 1956 • Spain
Starring Edmund Gwenn, Valentina Cortese, Juan Calvo
In one of Luis García Berlanga’s gentlest comedies, an aging American scientist (Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn) goes incognito, trading in his career as a prominent atomic-bomb expert for a tranquil retirement on the Mediterranean coast. While in hiding, he cultivates the persona of a friendly wanderer, finding companions among his neighbors and using his pyrotechnical expertise to create a dazzling fireworks display for the local fiesta. Where Berlanga’s most acclaimed films skewer the blinkered provincialism of village life, this heartfelt valentine to small-town Spain celebrates the friendships that hold such tight-knit communities together.
Up Next in Comedies
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Rita, Sue and Bob Too
Directed by Alan Clarke • 1987 • United Kingdom
Starring Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran, George CostiganAndrea Dunbar adapted her own slice-of-life stage play for this rare foray into comedy from social-realist director Alan Clarke. Life in their drab Yorkshire city holds no surprises for wo...
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Movie Crazy
Directed by Clyde Bruckman • 1932 • United States
Starring Harold Lloyd, Constance Cummings, Kenneth ThomsonClumsy Harold Hall (Harold Lloyd) is a young movie fan with a burning desire to be in pictures—but no real acting experience or ability. A mix-up in the casting office, however, brings hi...
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Never Weaken
Directed by Fred Newmeyer • 1921 • United States
Harold Lloyd plays a young man who is in love with a young woman, but he mistakenly believes she loves another. Despondent, he decides to commit suicide, but each attempt is unsuccessful.
