Cabriola

I read the previous reviews on this film and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one to consider this movie a favorite and a very delightful one. The music, the star (Marisol) and the beautiful places in it, help a lot to achieve that feeling, I suppose that Mel Ferrer was feeling the same when he decided to make this movie undoubtedly after a probable visit to Spain, in those particular years a charming place to be.

Just a slight explanation, Patxi Vargas in her review says that Angel Peralta is "the picador", but it is not so, Angel Peralta was a fine "rejoneador", that means to be the Matador but instead of doing the bullfight on foot he does it on horseback, a very spéctacular and dangerous bullfighting speciality. The picador is a helper who also rides a horse but only to weaken the bull for the matador.

One last thing for those who are interested, I've just bought the DVD thru Amazon Spain, of course it's only in Spanish but I suppose that the people who wrote the previous reviews would not mind if they can watch and enjoy this film and its music again.

Mel Ferrer managed to get this odd film a wide US release although the story could not have been less appropriate for that. I suspect an English version of this must exist somewhere since wide releases were rarely subtitled in the sixties unless they were art-house films. Marisol and her little brother are rag merchants in rural Spain along with their tired old mascot, the title's horse, Cabriola. Their dreary world is awoken by the pageantry of a local festival that involves bullfighting on horseback. This sport seems to contain posing rather than any actual fighting, with the horse getting the brunt of the danger. Marisol impersonates a boy in order to penetrate the sport's inner circle leading to her falling in love with the local champion, also her trainer. Marisol is an unconvincing male (think Barbra Streisand in YENTL) but all this leads to some odd melodramatics forcing her to break into song. ("Ya No Me Importas Nada"). This film is well known in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Here Marisol is an orphan, and she poses as a boy to live at the bullfighting world. She cares a kid, Pedro Mari Sanchez, and both of whom work for caring an excellent horse called Cabriola with whom she lears to "rejonear". Along the way Marisol falls in love for the popular "rejoneador" Angel Peralta.

Usual producer Manuel J Goyanes again with his discovery, the always likeable prodigy child Marisol, though here she is eighteen years old. The popular Marisol is terrific and playing a peculiar love story with certain homosexual remarks, that's why Marisol disguising as a boy and falling for a male "rejoneador" in similar style to "Mas Bonita que Ninguna" by Luis Cesar Amadori with Rocio Durcal that holds a real likeness. This Cabriola was one of his most successful films thanks to the unforgettable Marisol dancing splendidly with dancer Rafael de Cordoba, and her couple with the great rejoneador Angel Peralta, as well as marvelous songs as Cabriola composed by Augusto Alguero.There stands out the sympathetic Marisol, the Spanish Shirley Temple, she was hired by producer Manuel Goyanes for her film debut : Un rayo de luz by Luis Lucia, following : Ha llegado un angel and Tombola. Fernando Palacios directed her in Marisol rumbo a Rio and George Sherman in La Nueva Cenicienta with Robert Conrad . After that, she played 4 bodas de Marisol and Solos los dos by Luis Lucia. Jaime Armiñan directed her in Carola de dia Carola de noche and Eugenio Martin in La chica del Molino Rojo . And her films as an adult girl directed by J. A. Bardem, La corrupcion de Cris Miller and El poder del deseo. Subsequently, she played for notorious filmmakers as Mario Camus : Los dias del pasado and Carlos Saura : Bodas de sangre. His last movie was Caso cerrado by Caño and the TV series : Mariana Pineda .Here Marisol is well accompanied by a good support cast, such as : José Marco Davo, José Sepulveda, Jesús Guzmán and the little boy Pedro Mari Sanchez.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Mel Ferrer. This known actor and filmmaker directed a few movies : The girl of Limberlost, Vendetta, The secret of fury, The racket and Green Mansions along with his wife Audrey Hepburn. He played some hits as Lili along with Leslie Caron and had an acceptable Italian career as a secondary in Screamers, Nightmare city, AntiChrist, Eaten alive, among others. Rating 6/10. The picture will appeal to Marisol fans.

I saw this movie in a US theater (yes indeed it was dubbed, not sub-titled) when I was a kid -- 11 or 12 years old, in 1966 -- it was for some odd reason the bottom half of a double-bill with another Columbia release, "Born Free". It ran barely 60 minutes, so clearly it was quite different from what Europeans saw. I know I enjoyed it (even though I'd never heard of Marisol, and would never come across her again) and have never forgotten it. I guess maybe I was fascinated by the fact that this movie no one had heard of was playing at my local neighborhood theater with a big Hollywood co-feature. Don't know why it popped into my head tonight. Must've been the music, or maybe the European locations. I was unaware, until I found it described here, that it was directed by Mel Ferrer, of all people. Another comment mentions that he got the film a "wide US release" but I'd be astounded to find out it played outside of big cities (I grew up in New York). I suspect Mr Ferrer had friends in high places. I would love to come across it on DVD or cable -- a remote possibility, I'm guessing. Oh well... another lost relic of childhood, gone forever. I wonder if anyone in the US remembers ever seeing this film? Maybe it's on YouTube? Oh. Guess not.

Of course I think the film is excellent. It was my sister, Vala Cliffton's, first film. And it was definitely filmed in Spain, not Rumania or Hungary as suggested in another comment.

Vala was cast in Madrid and spent the entire filming out on the 'bull ranch' owned by Angel Peralta, who fell quite madly and passionately in love with her at the time.

I only saw the film once and that was in a screening in New York City when I was 10 or 11 years old. I didn't understand or follow the story line, but did note my sister looked particularly beautiful in the film as she did in life.

Vala Cliffton died in March of this year.