Retrospective of Classic Spanish Realism Cinema at Instituto Cervantes de Manila

Spanish Cultural Center Instituto Cervantes de Manila features the best Spanish films of the 1950s as it presents “Realism in Spanish Cinema" – a film cycle that offers an understanding of how Spanish films use realist forms to address social and political issues such as social exclusion, war, and violence. With the rise and establishment of young Spanish film directors in the early 50s and 60s, this four-film line-up is comprised of classic works selected for their artistic and historical merit. The film cycle, in Spanish with English subtitles, screens every Saturday, 4 at Instituto Cervantes’ Salon de Actos. Realism in Spanish Cinema opens September 3 with “Bienvenido Mr. Marshall (Welcome Mr. Marshall, 1952)," a film that recounts the story of a small Spanish town, Villar del Río, which hears of the visit of American diplomats and begins preparations to impress the American visitors in the hopes of benefitting under the Marshall Plan. Showing on September 10 is Juan Antonio Bardem’s “Muerte de un ciclista (Age of Infidelity), a tragic story of a great adventurer who becomes the main attraction of a circus after being the lover of various important European men.

Then screening on September 17 is the 1956 Spanish drama film titled “Calle Mayor (The Lovemaker)." The film follows the story of a group of friends from a provincial city who play tricks on each other to while away their boredom. Closing the film cycle on September 24 is the satirical movie “El pisito (The Little Apartment)" about the housing shortage in Madrid during the late 50s. This film cycle is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, and Spanish Agency International Cooperation for Development (AECID). Admission to all the screenings is FREE on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis. For more information, please call 5261482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.