MRBICKLE

ANDALUCÍA CHICA is a poorly done homage to the great singer Antonio Molina, who died four years after this film was made. The intention, I guess, was to make a nostalgic story where Antonio doesn't play himself, but Curro, a man from Andalucía who visits Catalonia and meets different people from the title's 'Andalucía chica' (Little Andalucía), migrants from the south of Spain who now live in Catalonia. Obviously, Curro sings like Molina (although in very unfortunate playbacks) and people are amazed, even a group of detectives, girls and business men who follow Curro everywhere, but are never properly developed so their part in the film is really confusing.

Add to that the amateurish way to shoot the scenes, with people in the streets watching the cameras, the use of non-professional actors who simply can't deliver their lines and the fact that Molina, like many singers, wasn't a good actor. There is supporting work of many known actors like Raquel Evans, Santi Sans or Víctor Israel (whose career never ceases to surprise me), whose presence is the only thing interesting. The rest, however, is complete rubbish.

The ideas are there and the basis for a good film, but this ANDALUCÍA CHICA was done without care and is an awful disgrace to the excellent artist Antonio Molina.

In the early 80s there were in Spain many films done by then popular children music bands, a little market of movies that lasted briefly and that were clearly dominated by the most popular band: Parchís.

Another one of those bands, less popular, was Regaliz and this LA REBELIÓN DE LOS PÁJAROS was their first film. The movie, which is a rather good ecologist tale surprisingly well told and acted, does something very smart which most Parchís films didn't; it doesn't base its quality and plot 100 % in the band. Sure, Regaliz is there, they sing and dance and act, but the movie is filled with many other things which make it interesting.

First of all the plot, the sudden disappearance or death of all birds in the city and how this reacts, a very original one in this kind of films, not perfectly executed, but that leaves you intrigued. And then the many actors that do a remarkable job: Jorge Sanz, then a child actor, who proves he was already talented, Assumpta Serna playing the nice and warm dance teacher, Alfred Luchetti and Montserrat Carulla as the strict yet loving parents of the Sanz character and many other performers, veterans or not, whose parts are sometimes of the blink-and-you-miss kind: well known genre actors like Mir Ferry or Victor Israel, Catalan people like Inma Colomer, Llatzer Escarceller, Josep Lluís Fonoll, Joan Pera and a big etcetera. There are even cameos of well known soccer player Quini and her daughter and a nice part for Arianna Grañena (who later played Eugenio's daughter in UN GENIO EN APUROS) as Sanz's little sister, she should have made more films.

All in all, a competent attempt and mix of an ecologist message, musical numbers and showcase of talented performers. As I say, I was surprised...