O Deputado

Well-written and very well-acted, "El Diputado" is a very human take on a story of political and sexual intrigue in recently-post-Franco Madrid. The politician Roberto Orbea (José Sacristán) is set up by political opponents, aware of his secret proclivities, for sexual entanglement with the street hustler Juanito (José Luis Alonso). But the unexpected happens and Juanito begins to experience real feelings of love for Orbea, and the political opponents, when the suspect they are being played, are none too happy about this. Mariá Luisa San José is Orbea's almost unbelievably understanding wife.

The three principal actors do some really wonderful work, aided by some very good writing, as members of the love triangle--sterling examples of the "less is more" approach to acting. The viewer feels real compassion for these all-too-human characters, in stark contrast to a movie like "Making Love"--the love-triangle plot reminded me of it, albeit very superficially--which opted for caricatures over actual people.

The look of the movie is real '70's, which only adds to it's immediacy and charm.

A very entertaining movie that seems to me to be ripe for re-release on DVD.

Released a decade after Stonewall, the same year as the more broadly successful farce LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, and almost a decade before Almodovar's break-through to the U.S. market, LAW OF DESIRE, EL DIPUTADO was a terribly important film for a generation of young gay men hungry to see their problems treated with respect and intelligence. Without even intending to, it reopened the doors to appreciating subtitled "foreign" films for many of them.

One wishes EL DIPUTADO seemed more dated today as it looks at a well meaning bisexual socialist candidate for office (and his attractive, understanding wife) in a Spain still dominated by Franco fascists using every dirty trick to hold onto power after Franco's death as the country struggled to re-establish a real democracy under King Juan-Carlos, but in vividly recalling the British landmark film, THE VICTIM, which focused on the statutes repressing gays (once rightly called "The Blackmailer's Bill of Rights"), instead it rings painfully true and even relevant.

José Sacristán as the troubled socialist Deputy, Roberto Orbea is utterly charming and holds his own in part thanks to the appropriate political charisma of María Luisa San José as his wife Carmen. One might expect the charismatic Ángel Pardo as the dangerous hustler, Nes, to be the third driving force in the film (and his scenes do sizzle), but it is the layered lost innocence of José Luis Alonso's Juanito (the street kid Orbea becomes obsessed with) on which the film and Orbea's fate turn.

In 1978, EL DIPUTADO was marketed as a "gay film," and that was probably the only way it could have been accepted then, but in more enlightened times, it stands out for any audience as an excellent examination of the hypocrisy of right wing politics, and the problems we create for good men AND women when we force them into false roles by denying them the solace and support of marriage because they love the wrong people.

An undercover militant of a left-wing party , Roberto Orbea (José Sacristán) is elected as a Parliament member . But he is really homosexual who hires rent boys and teenage hustlers . Supposedly he falls in love with the last rent boy , Juanito Garcia (José Luis Alonso) , but the latter discovers himself passionately in love with the man he must betray . Then , Roberto starts bringing the young man into his family and the risks escalate . As his wife Carmen (María Luisa San José) to be aware and she decides she's had enough pretending not to know and they foolishly embark on a threesome . But a group of ultra right-wing run by Carrés (Agustin González) attempts to blackmail him and to compromise the prominent politician as sexually as non-sexually , by means of his young lover , getting photographed extensively by the opposition . Things go wrong when Roberto is about to be elected Secretary General and ultimately happens the discovery of scandal . At the final point the film abruptly finishes .

This is a provoking story in which politics collide with gay underworld , forbidden loves , blackmail , treason , violence and murder . Shot a bit later on the events are developed and including apparition of prestigious politicians as Adolfo Suárez , Felipe Gonzalez , Manuel Fraga Iribarne , Santiago Carrillo from the troublesome period when the known ¨Spanish Transition¨ took place . Narrated by a long flashback and voice-in-off by the same protagonist Roberto/Sacristán , though there is an excessive pamphlet tone and communist propaganda . And as trivia , to expose that Enrique Tierno Galván , President of Popular Socialist Party , PSP , had a meeting with the Communist leader Santiago Carrillo to press De La Iglesia , famous communist militant , to impede Eloy to shoot this film , due to similarity on a case happened in his own party . It displays a complex , extreme and curious screenplay by Gonzalo Goicoechea and Eloy De La Iglesia , both of them collaborated extensively on various films . Nice acting by José Sacristán as a politician who has several trysts with very young rent boys and becomes involved with nasty blackmailers . Support cast are pretty good , such as Agustin Gonzalez , Enriqué Vivó , José Manuel Cervino , and finally Queta Claver and Angel Pardo , both of whom played in ¨La Corea¨ and Pardo in the same gay role as ¨Nes¨. In addition , filmmaker Juan Antonio Bardem as a communist inmate , in fact Bardem was imprisoned during the start of filming ¨Calle Mayor¨; as student protests in Madrid , led to the arrest of Bardem, a communist, in the city of Palencia , he was jailed for a few days and released on the condition that he could not talk about his personal life or beliefs during interviews related to the film .

"Confessions of a Congressman" or "The Deputy" -International titles- was regularly directed by Eloy De La Iglesia . Most his films dealt with sex including shots of nude males , homosexuality , politics and forbidden lovers . De La Iglesia was a notorious communist militant , drug addict and homosexual , these personal characteristics were widely shown in his films . Eloy was a talented Spanish movies director , he began working in cinema in 1966 , at his 22 years old , he debuted in a kiddies production , ¨Fantasy 3¨(66) . Following a sordid melodrama ¨Algo Amargo En La Boca¨ (67) and a boxing story , ¨Cuadrilatero¨(69) . De La Iglesia realizes a lot of thrilling pictures with erotic background as ¨Techo Cristal¨(70) , ¨Nadie Oyó Gritar¨ (72) , ¨Gota Sangre Para Seguir Amando¨ (73) , and scabrous tales as ¨Juegos Amor Prohibido¨(75) , ¨Otra Alcoba¨ (76) . And concerning youthful gay : ¨Placeres Ocultos¨(76) , ¨El Sacerdote¨(78) and politicians : ¨The Deputy ¨, ¨Mujer Del Ministro¨ . Although he became notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy with shocking and polemic films as ¨El Pico 1¨ and 2¨ , ¨Cólegas¨ , ¨Navajeros¨, ¨La Estanquera De Vallecas¨ (87) . All of them dealt with druggies , dope sellers , delinquency , terrorism , underworld suburban and generational problems are the habitual subjects in his films , and specially dedicated to the underworld of heroin ; as well as the gay world . Passing of time hasn't had mercy with most of those movies , but they represented a time and a way of life in the history of Spain ; and now they may seem a little bit naive . His last films were an academic rendition based on Henry James' novel : ¨The turn of the screw¨ and ¨Los Novios Búlgaros¨.