El televisor

Not all that long ago, I watched a couple of episodes in a Spanish TV- movie series called "Six Films to keep you awake". The series was an initiative of the legendary Spanish horror director Narcisco Ibáñez Serrador ("Who Can Kill a Child", "The House that Screamed") and I was particularly supportive because he managed to convince multiple acclaimed Spanish filmmakers to direct an episode as well, like Alex De La Iglesia, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. I considered the initiative to be something like the Spanish response to "Masters of Horror", but now I found out that the original idea of "Stories to keep you awake" dates back to the early sixties already, when it was a relatively unsuccessful TV-series. There also were a handful of short movies released, including this "El Televisor" about an ordinary hard-working family man who gradually becomes dangerously obsessed and even downright paranoid from watching TV. Enrique is a mundane bank employee in Madrid who always put the happiness and well-being of his beloved wife and two kids before everything else. He always dreamed of owning a television, a color one, but delayed the purchase in favor of other things. When Enrique finally saved enough money and buys a television, the lives of all family members slowly turn into a nightmare. Enrique glorifies the little box and refuses to leave the house anymore. He completely descends into madness when he becomes obsessed with the images of lively movie characters invading his living room through the screen. "El Televisor" is a very simplistic and unspectacular TV-movie, but Narcisco Ibáñez Serrador does a truly fantastic job building up an identifiable yet rather uncomfortable atmosphere. Enrique's metamorphosis from a model family man and naive employee into a mentally unbalanced media- geek is masterfully handled, and so are the interactions with his helpless wife and children. The movie abruptly ends with a sudden twist that is implausible and even a bit grotesque, but it's nevertheless shocking since you've grown to care for this struggling middle-class during the final years of Franco's reign. Narcisco Ibáñez Menta, the director's very own father, gives away a stellar performance as Enrique.

Enrique : Narciso Ibáñez Menta is a family man and a very hard-working person . All day long he works at a bank as an efficient clerk . One day he watches at a shop showcase a television set and decides to buy it . Enrique communicates it to his wife : Maria Fernanda D'Ocon and children , all of them happy to have it . So far, he lived a quiet existence , his family and his job . From now on , things go wrong , as he becomes an obsessed man watching television all day long , leaving his working duties and his family obligation.

An interesting and provoking television movie about the incredible power of the small screen , obsession and compulsion for TV images and familiar series . This is a thoughtful and attractive TV film containing a surprising and unexpected finale , adding terrifying elements. As our starring forgetting what ocurrs to his surroundings , abandoning liabilities, losing faculty to differentiate reality and fiction. Narciso Ibáñez Menta gives an awesome acting as a common man who has always worked much to offer a fine syle of life to his family , however , nowadays , he doesn't contradistinguish between the small screen frames and actual happenings . This notorious actor Narciso Ibañez Menta had a long career always tied to movies of fantastic and horror as Television as Cinema . During the Fifties , he played the most important Argentine terror films as Masterpieces of Terror by Enrique Carreras . And along with his son Narciso Ibáñez Serrador made some splendid episodes of the successful series : Historias para no Dormir . Returning to the terror cinema with The Saga of Dracula by Leon Klimovski and three fantasy/horror films directed by Sebastián D'Arbo : Trip to Beyond , The Entity and Beyond the death.

The motion picture was stunningly directed by the prestigious filmmaker Narciso Ibáñez Serrador who was son of starring Narciso Ibáñez Menta . This director worked especially for Television , getting the greatest successes such as : Un Dos Tres Responda otra Vez, Mis Terrores Favoritos and TV films as La Cabina, La Zarpa , El Regreso, La Pesadilla, El Trapero, Historia de Frivolidad and this El Televisor . And for cinema he made two terror masterpieces : La Residencia also titled The Boarding School or The House that screamed and ? Quien puede matar a un niño ? Or The Island of the Damned . Rating : 8/10. Above average .

"El televisor" was a special episode of the tv series "historias para no dormir" but it was a flop. This episode was the 1st one in colour and was completely different to previous ones. "El televisor" y "la cabina" are the best examples of the great imagination of Spanish TV in the 70's. It was a pity audiences didn´t appreciate that. As well as in "la cabina", this tv short film ends with a shocking and unexpected ending which leaves us breathless and scared of turning on the tv. This is probably the best Chicho Ibañez Serrador has ever directed. Special mention also to the cast. Not to be missed