El pequeño coronel

Agreeable and sympathetic film with the child prodigy Joselito well accompanied by a great support cast , all of them acting to perfection . It is set in 1872 at a Sevilla ¨Cortijo¨ with Joselito as son of the noble Colonel Alvear (Jose Nieto) , and his friends Lieutenant Eduardo Aranda (Carlos Larrañaga and girlfriend Teresa (María Mahor) , corregidor's daughter . A bit later on , Alvear dies in battle , then his uncle the liar Don Martín Alvear (Tomas Blanco) becomes his tutor . But the uncle is a nasty , mean man who wants to take his inheritance . Along the way Joselito is abducted by a botcher band of bandits (Fernando sancho , Rafael L Somoza , angel Ter , among others) , but there is another Bandolero named Diego Valenzuela (José Guardiola) who agrees with Don Martin to kill Joselito . But Joselito befriends the bungler gang and becomes their chief and all of them take sympathy for him .

This is a sensitive story proceeded in simplicity , delicacy and humor by Antonio Del Amo . Here Joselito is magnificently supported by an excellent plethora of secondaries as Carlos Larrañaga , María Mahor , José Guardiola , Tomás Blanco , Ángel Ter , Jesús Tordesillas , Fernando Sancho ,Manuel Arbó and special mention for Rafael López Somoza as Buenafacha, boss of the Band del Cucú . This is a typical children film on the pretext that Joselito sings seven songs . These are the following ones : Caballito Lucero , La banda del cucú , Pequeño coronel , Se conoce al caballero , Nana del trabuco , Letrillas de Lucena , Canciones flamencas (Mirabrás flamenco) (con el Tirin-tin-tin) ,Por la sierra solo and the famous Ave María composed by Charles Gounod . In fact , Joselito was introduced to the movie business in 1956 by this filmmaker , who directed him in this first feature, El Pequeño Ruiseñor (1957) ("The Little Nightingale"), where he earned his famous nickname . He was widely known in Spain when he became a widely successful child star , following to ¨El Ruiseñor De Las Cumbres¨ , ¨Saeta Del Ruiseñor¨ and ¨El Pequeño Coronel¨. The main role "Joselito" is played by himself in a phenomenal manner , can be said that he is perfectly adequate to his measure . He was a milestone in Spanish "child prodigies" under Franco along with Marisol , Pili and Mili and especially Pablito Calvo who starred the hits ¨The Bait¨ , ¨Mi Tio Jacinto¨ and ¨Marcelino Bread and Wine¨ . And the producers trying to keep them as little kids for as long as possible . Due to false advertising by the studios that made their movies, and which wanted to make him appear younger than they really were , an obsession that haunted them through the whole of their careers.

¨El pequeño coronel¨ is a joyful as well as entertaining Spanish musical/adventure movie , professionally realized by Antonio Del Amo . This an enjoyable and feeling movie full of mirth , drama , humor touches , agreeable message and in final takes places the ordinary happy end . The scenarios in which develops the deeds are perfectly designed by Sigfrido Burmann . Gregorio Garcia Segura's musical score responds appropriately to the ambient , originating a careful atmosphere . Evocative and luminous cinematography by Alfredo Fraile , though a perfect remastering is necessary and filmed in Estudios CEA, Madrid, and Andújar, Jaén, Spain

Of course , Joselito steals the show as the singer boy . Spanish film studios were looking for a new child star to follow the steps of Pablito Calvo, and make popular and populist folkloric movies and they found Joselito . After the international success of El Pequeño Ruiseñor , and following successful films such as ¨La Saeta Del Ruiseñor¨ , ¨Bello Recuerdo¨ , ¨Los Dos Golfillos¨, which were big box-office hits in Spain during Franco's dictatorship he became Spain's most famous child actor , outstanding his highly expressive face and eyes , enormous eyes and innocent, angelical face . In his films he often sings Flamenco Cante , Saetas , Soleadas and other Folkloric songs . After several movies and records, and already a big star as a singer and an actor in Europe, the next move was trying to triumph in America, so Joselito went to Mexico where he filmed various projects, starting by ¨El Caballo Blanco¨ , ¨Aventuras de Joselito en América¨ (1960), which paired him with Mexican child star 'Cesáreo Quezadas Pulgarcito to grant local box-office . His success even reached around the world , in fact he was discovered as a singer by Luis Mariano, who got him to perform in France, pretending he was 9 at the moment of his debut, when he actually was 13 . However, life was not too glamorous for Joselito, as he was treated almost as a sideshow act by his managers, not allowing him to become an ordinary teenager , and even locking him in his room between rehearsals so he couldn't meet girls . He was forced to keep his childlike image up to 1969 (when he was in his mid-twenties) in ¨Loca Juventud¨ , ¨Falso Heredero¨ and when he appeared in his last film , ¨Prisionero En La Ciudad¨ (1969). But, as his voice had long broken, he was not successful anymore . Retired from acting at early age to become a drifter , even working as a mercenary . Disappearing from public life until it was discovered much later that he had become a heroin addict and even worked as a mercenary in Africa . An attempt of a comeback as an adult proved unsuccessful, as the tastes of the audience had changed, and his voice didn't resemble the one he had as a kid, so Joselito definitely retired from show business to his home in Utiel (Valencia), where he, now clean and sober, lives a quiet life far from movie and recording studios. Nowadays , he has reappeared doing brief TV interventions and cinema such as ¨Torrente¨ and ¨Spanish movie¨ .

The filmmaker Antonio Del Amo as well as the famous producer Cesáreo Gonzalez from his production Company : Suevia Films succeed in this picture , obtaining a great achievement , managing perfectly to the performers and taking advantage of them , giving the best of his acting . Antonio directs his fifth Jooselito movie and one of his best one. The picture touched the hearts of numerous Spanish spectators by the time . Rating : Acceptable and passable for its worthwhile mingle of music , comedy , sentimentalism and good feeling .

Musically speaking,this flick contains what is probably Joselito's best rendering:Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" .But you've got to sit through the whole film because this wonderful rendition happens in the last minutes.He also sings a snatch of Mozart,but it's obvious he likes flamenco best.

The story ? It begins as some kind of "David Copperfield" :the wicked uncle who whips his nephew :a Spanish Mister Murdstone ;then the old governess in tears who tells the poor dear he'll be sent to a boarding-school:a Spanish Pegotty.One should also note that Joselito plays a rich noble heir,a count ,and that his late dad's brother covets his fortune .

But it quickly leaves Dickens for a mixture of "Ali Baba and the forty thieves " and "Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs".Joselito is first kidnapped by bad thieves but afterward saved by seven good brigands whose song recalls the seven dwarfs' "hi !ho! "and who live in a cave of course. Besides ,they are so dirty that Joselito insists that they have a bath in the river!and there is a grumpy one among them!

Borrowed its title from an old eponymous movie starring another wiz kid,Shirley Temple (1935).