Marcelin, pain et vin

I feel almost provoked to comment on this film here, and I say this not as an especially religious person (which I am not), but as someone who feels that a film should not be unfairly criticized because of someone's faulty--or would it be more accurate to say willfully (?) -- distorted summary of the plot.

SPOILERS AHEAD

To begin with, Marcelino is bitten by the scorpion while he is playing outside the monastery, but at no point in the film does he ask to see the crucifix for any reason. He has been frightened by tales of a "bogeyman" in the attic by the monks, who wish him to stay away from it. OUT OF CURIOSITY, and for no other reason, he ventures in, sees the Christ figure, thinks it is the feared bogeyman, and tears back down the stairs. (The figure, incidentally, is a beautiful wooden carving, not gory in the least.)

After an unfortunate incident, in which he is taken to a festival and unwittingly causes a commotion by accidentally letting some animals run wild, the new mayor, an enemy of the monks who have raised Marcelino, swears to shut down the monastery. Marcelino is given the silent treatment by the monks, and it is then that he goes again to the attic, realizes the "bogeyman" is only a statue of Christ, remarks that it looks hungry, steals some bread, and offers it to the statue. It is then that a miracle occurs---the statue comes to life, eats the bread, and eventually, because of Marcelino's repeated visits, becomes Marcelino's teacher and confidant (Marcelino realizes who he is). And the vision is *not* a hallucination. The statue's final act in the film is intended only as a reward for Marcelino's kind actions, and it is done at Marcelino's innocent, but completely self-aware, request.

This is by no means a vicious, sadistic film; it is a beautiful, gentle one. It is a pity that there are those who would distort its meaning.

A film for ever in my brain. Not a bad thing for a film. I saw it for the first time when I was 8 and stayed with me always. I'm amused by some of the comments leveling this beautiful tale as "sick" and "twisted". I imagine it's the power of goodness that usually provokes more outcries than the power of evil. The film is what it is, no disguises to send its message as in Forrest Gump for instance. The film is a masterpiece no matter how you look at it and Pablito Calvo, the Marcelino at the center of it all, gives a performance that goes beyond any performance of any child actor has gone before.

An user pointed out that some imdb reviews (particularly the early one) were very negative ;but in spite of a huge success,many leftish (Marxist ?) comments were scathing too when the movie was released :remember that Spain was a dictatorship and a French critic went as far as to write that 'if Christ allows the mother-and -child reunion ,it's in a better world ,and thus it solves the problem of the orphanages maintenance".

Today ,when compared to the Joselito Jimenez weepies,which have sunk into oblivion, "Marcelino pan y vino " holds up quite well .That a great director such Luigi COMENCINI made a remake is proof positive that the movie has worn well ,even though today's children may not get something out of it.

Everyone will agree that Pablito Calvo gives one of the best child actor performances of all time ;one can,however ,prefer to the scenes in the attic :

-the bread which diminishes ,much to the monk /cook's surprise .

-the fair ,where the stolen apple creates a "butterfly effect" in miniature .

-the boy learning his alphabet,under a monk's watchful eye.

-the meeting with the woman with a madonna face(wish she could be my mama).

-the hidden treasures in the wall.

A baby loses his parents and is left at the door to a monastery. The monks take him in and he grows into a mischievous but essentially good little boy. One day he sneaks into the attic and sees a life-sized image of Jesus on the cross...

For pre-teens and younger, a parent should probably watch it with them, since some children will be disturbed by the ending. With understanding, this film helps the viewer to grow a little in faith, hope and love.

... well, that is all I really wanted to say, but IMDb now requires ten lines of text for a review. I noticed the early reviews of Marcelino were extremely negative. If you have a lot of anger towards Christ or the Church, you will *not* like this film since it shows different types of people turning their hearts towards Jesus to varying degrees. This is not sinister propaganda, but the way the world really is. Christians are not the monsters you imagine them to be. If the Nazis *had* made films like this, as one reviewer suggested, instead of the inspirations to resentment and violence they actually did make, the world might have been a better place. Peace to all.

This movie was excellent. I saw it many years ago as a child in my Catholic grammar school and still remember it. It is a beautiful moving experience and is a movie that can be watched by the whole family. I encourage everyone to see it. We need more movies like this one. I believe I may have seen it again on TV many years ago. I believe people of all faiths can enjoy this movie. The story is about innocence and faith. They also have made a remake of the movie, I believe in 1991. I have not seen the remake but, usually there is nothing like the original. So, if they thought the movie was good enough to be remade, you know it has to be good. Watch this movie, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.