Captain Pantoja and the Special Services

According to author Mario Vargas Llosa , this work is based on real events about an officer who is chosen to set up a prostitution service , as he himself was able to confirm in 1958 and 1964, when Mario traveled to the jungle of Peru. The Peruvian army captain Pantaleon Pantoja (Salvador del Solar) , a very serious and efficient officer, is chosen by his superiors to set up a special service of 'visitors' to satisfy the sexual needs of the soldiers posted on remote jungle outposts. At first unlucky about this assignment, and Pantaleón rejects the idea because it violates the basis of his principles, but he is forced to carry it out. Pantaleón nonetheless puts his remarkable organizational skills in action and in a short time has his 'unit' running smoothly. The service that Pantoja intends to proceed is called the Visitadoras Service for Garrisons, Border Posts and Related Services (SVGPFA), and it consists of taking prostitutes ("visitadoras") to the Iquitos barracks, where they must please the soldiers first and then be extended to higher ranks (services called "performances"), the whole matter being secret .He decides to clean up the area and the base since they were in very poor condition, and he does not say anything to his wife Francisca , nicknamed "Pochita"(Mónica Sánchez) , since her mission is totally secret. In the home front things get complicated though; his wife dislikes his long hours and the secrecy surrounding his work, and he, despite being a dedicated husband, happily married to Pochita , feels tempted by one of his "subordinates" , La Colombiana (Angie Cepeda) and she gets involved with Pantaleón. This is how, with all his talent for administration, "Panta", as the visitors call him, organizes a prostitution service for the army bases that becomes the most efficient unit of the military institution.

Based on the well-known novel published in May 1973, written by the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010. Its first run consists of one hundred thousand copies, up to that time the highest number of those released in its first editions . The story takes place in the Peruvian Amazon, where the members of the Peruvian Army are served by a service of prostitutes, whom they call "visitadoras" and in which Pantoja is chosen to carry out this mission for being a model soldier, without vices or children. Among these prostitutes is a very seductive woman, "La Colombiana" with whom he has sex secretly , becoming unfaithful to her wife .

Pantaleón y las visitadoras (1999) turned out to be more complicated and longer than expected , but very interesting, of course. The story of the film is popular enough , telling of a Peruvian Army captain, Pantaleón Pantoja, who is involved, much to his chagrin , by his superiors in a mission to satisfy the sexual needs of a group of soldiers stationed in the Peruvian Amazon. This special service of 'visitors' was taken by Vargas Llosa himself from actual events and with this book, Llosa won the Latin American Prize for Literature in 1975. Pantaleón and the visitors was filmed in Peru in 1999 by Francisco J. Lombardi, who had already adapted another book by Vargas Llosa, The City and the Dogs, for the cinema. Actors such as the Peruvian Salvador del Solar in the role of Pantaleón Pantoja and the Colombian Angie Cepeda in the role of Olga Arellano, nicknamed "la Colombiana" participated in it. As Salvador del Solar gives a nice acting as the Peruvian army captain Pantaleon Pantoja, a very serious and efficient officer, while gorgeous Angie Cepeda is really attractive as the cunning call-girl. Including other notorious actors , such as : Mónica Sánchez , Pilar Bardem , Gustavo Bueno and Carlos Kaniowsky This second film adaptation was shot in Iquitos, Peru with a colorful cinematography from the Amazon jungle by cameraman Teo Delgado, adding an evocative and adequate musical score by Bingen Mendizábal. The motion picture was competently directed by Francisco J. Lombardi.

While the first film version of Pantaleón y las visitadoras was filmed in the Dominican Republic (after the Peruvian Government restricted filming in that country) in 1975, and co-directed by José María Gutiérrez Santos and Mario Vargas Llosa himself, who also had a small supporting military role. The cast of the novel's first film was made up of actors such as the Spanish José Sacristán (Pantaleón), the Mexican Katy Jurado ("la Chuchupe"), the Cuban-Mexican rumbera Rosa Carmina (Rosa, the dancer), Francisco Córdova ( "El Sinchi"), Camucha Negrete ("the Brazilian"), Silvia "China" Gálvez ("Pechuga") and Martha Figueroa (Francisca). The film was not very successful, and was also vetoed by the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces. It was re-released in Peru on November 26, 1981, although with a censored scene where a priest appeared punishing a visitor for her actions.

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Pantaleón y las visitadoras , I saw that movie at the Montreal Word Films Festival 2000 on August 28. I didn't know what to expect at first from the title of that movie , I had no idea what the movie was about. Let me tell you I was agreeably surprised. That movie is based on a Mario Vargas Llosa book is very very good piece on entertainment. The story, the actors and the settings was entertaining and well rendered, this is a very good comedy to me. I would recommend it no question ask to anyone ... I hope that this movie will come out on VHS format so I can buy it and show it to my friends. The only problem with the projection that I have attended was the quality of the actual film, I don't know if it was intended (maybe) or not but a lot of exterior scenes had a yellowish halo to it like if the director would have put a yellow filter over the camera lense and also the quality of the film with some badly made cut overs was questionnable. But overall it was a very good comedy with an original story. Finally let me tell you guys that the actress playing the role of Columbiana, Angie Cepeda, is one hot lady, my god we are not used to see that many south american movie up here in Canada and that latino women is a devilish beauty.

Now, having served 23 years in the military, I have never had the opportunity to have an assignment of this nature. Those damn officers get all the good jobs! I watched this because of Angie Cepeda (Love in the Time of Cholera), but was impressed with the performance of Salvador del Solar, who played the fortunate Captain who got this assignment.

Watching him work out of his element, and try to keep his wife (Mónica Sánchez) happy while he was working with such incredible beauty as Cepeda, was a real thrill, and Solar was magnificent.

The movie was very funny, as you would expect, especially from those who thought the whole idea sacrilegious. Maybe it was, but it solved the problem.

A funny, romantic movie that never fails to amuse and entertain as we wonder if the Captain will falls into the Colombiana's (Cepeda) snares and lose his wife, whether the investigative reporter Sinchi (Aristóteles Picho) will expose the whole sordid mess, whether the Colombiana and Pechuga (Tatiana Astengo), who also loves the Captain will get into a fight, and how will his service record be after all this. Will he get a medal? Ah, the questions that must be answered.

"Pantaleon y las Visitadoras" tells of a gung-ho Peruvian Army Captain (del Solar) who is ordered to staff a small corps of happy hookers to improve morale at remote Amazon jungle military outposts. The extremely efficient, straight laced, married Captain, however, finds he has his hands full (in more ways than one) once his troop of hotties (aka: Pantyland) is deployed. With mixed reviews from the critics and respectable marks from the public, this fun little Peruvian dramady gets off to a slow start, runs a tad long at two hours, and is sexy, silly, sweaty, and sepia, making for a lukewarm watch which will appeal most to foreign film freaks into flicks from south of the border. (B-)

It's not easy to take a successful novel and make a movie based upon it. No discussion about this. The aim of such adaptations should not be to repeat the book on the screen, but take the essence and identify the best suited passages to develop a script. It's a work of artistic translation at many levels.

This movie is excellent. As a comedy it warranties smiles and laughs, as a drama it may reserve some tears over the end, as a documentary it lets you discover many aspects of the complexity of a country like Peru, and visually it will give you a pleasant experience immersing you in the charming Peruvian Amazonia locations.

I don't know how much is lost if you are not able to understand Spanish. As always happens it is possible that part of the value of this film may be lost if you have to spend time off the main action reading subtitles.

To round up the special beauty of the Amazonia, Angie Cepeda provides the perfect match, bringing to the screen all her exuberant sensuality and femininity as "la Colombiana" ("the Colombian"). I can't imagine a better actress for this character. Angie Cepeda by herself is reason enough for any person who admire female beauty to see this movie, not once but many times. You will fall in love with "la Colombiana" as Captain Pantaleon Pantoja does, and you will also understand why Chuchupe (an experienced brothel manager) refers to her as an inconvenience after his notoriety for driving men to suicide. Angie (born Angelica), an actual Colombian from Cartagena De Indias, is with no doubt one of the prettiest and most sensual current actresses. Today, the Colombian Angelica head to head with the American Angelina (turn in this unattractive hybrid of "Brangelina") wins the race for more than a body (and more than just the body).

But look also for Aristóteles Picho as the hilarious "El Sinchi" the radial journalist that is always around troubling Captain Pantoja's mission.

Also pay attention to Peruvian comedian and also pretty actress Tatiana Astengo as the "visitadora" (female escort, an euphemism for prostitute) known as "Pechuga", character honored with this nickname to celebrate, well, her breast (that's one of the meaning of the Spanish word).

You will laugh a lot, cry a little, learn something about Peru, and re-joy your eyes and soul with one of the most beautiful creatures on Earth. What else?!

Besides, you will be able to fake you read Vargas Llosa's bestseller.