El puente de la paz

The film has traces of a social comedy and Italian neorealism, but some time it will be recognized that the Spanish cinema of the 50s was a genre in itself . A story seasoned with comical elements and with a group of high-level actors : Manolo Morán, José Luis Ozores, Juan Calvo , Antonio Casas or the magnificent Antonio Ozores as the town hall secretary , all of them experience all kinds of comic situations . Dealing with two villages plan to build a bridge between them as a good will symbol, but none of the Majors and authorities (Juan Calvo , José Ramón Giner , Antonio Casas , Antonio Ozores) have asked the man called Benito (Manolo Morán) whose land is needed. As the caciques of two rival towns separated by a river agree to build a bridge that unites both towns and begin to iron out the rough edges that have always existed between the neighbors . The construction will involve paying a fee for the crossing and having the uneven approval of the owner of the land where the bridge is to be built. Meanwhile , Fátima (Elisa Montés) , Benito's daughter , falls in love for the son (Ricardo Zamora Jr , son of footballer Ricardo Zamora) of the Mayor (Juan Calvo) .

In the 50s there were a multitude of comedies of all kinds : some made to the greater glory of the Francoist government at the time , others to elevate their protagonists, and some simply to fill hours of programming in theaters. This movie falls halfway to all the claims previously made . It is a film that, to present day, does not seem as far from reality as it seems . Concerning a sour critique and social denounce in which some caciques decide to take advantage of the construction of a bridge and always looking for their egoistic future, instead of thinking about the inhabitants of the town. A little gem that shows that there are always people willing to manipulate things as they please without worrying about others . The evil of the powerful, who only look for money, those corrupt people carrying on their selfish aims while smoking cigars in the boxes of the soccer fields. The Franco regime was getting between the cracks an unstoppable social protest . Writer Miguel Mihura's hand is noticeable in the dialogues , he wasn't always right but here he is nice with his enjoyable phrases and poignant conversation . A film that shows a certain social criticism in the Fifities with some scenes about the soccer game between the two towns are not wasted . Here, we see what "progress" of a tollway-style bridge brings to a peaceful out-of-the-way family with their home by the river .

They were geniuses Manolo Morán and , of course , the great Jose Luis Ozores . Manolo Morán is an actor who seemed to come from the same land : his clothing, his handling of rural objects, his natural staging . The rest of the supporting roles are excellent, forming an impeccable village cast . Spain was full of good actors back then . Along with a mostly male cast, it is appreciated to see the beautiful Elisa Montés, wife of Antonio Ozores, mother of Emma Ozores and sister of Terele Pávez. Elisa Montés deserves a monument because she was different and really gorgeous . And Alfredo Landa when he was not pigeonholed in Landismo. A main entertainment is to guess which prestigious supporting actors appears momentarily here and there , including as follows : Juan Calvo , José Ramón Gier , Ángel Ter , Antonio Casas , María Isbert , Xan das Bolas , Mariano Ozores , Goyo Lebrero ,Barta Barri, José Calvo , Antonio Ozores, Ángel Álvarez , among others.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Rafael J. Salvia , he was born in 1915 in Tortosa, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain and died in Madrid 1976. He was a prolific writer and director, being especially known for Las chicas de la Cruz Roja (1958), La gran familia (1962) and El Judas (1952). Salvia wrote and shot a lot of films with penchant for comedies . As he directed the following ones : Proceso a una estrella , La cesta , Isidro el labrador , Una tal Dulcinea, La gran familia , Festival en Benidorm , Vida sin risas , Días de feria , Nacido para la música , Las chicas de la Cruz Roja , El puente de la paz , Pasaje a Venezuela and two successful pictures starred by Manolo Morán : Manolo, guardia urbano and ¡ Aquí hay petróleo ! . Rating : 6/10 . The pic will appeal to classic Spanish cinema fans .