Un Franco 14 Pesetas

It is a curious coincidence that a TV comedian, José Corbacho, was behind one of last year's best Spanish films, Tapas, and this year it is again another TV funnyman, Carlos Iglesias, who brings us the cream of the crop. They both became famous on Spanish TV for their absurd, laugh-out-loud comic personas, but have chosen a more cerebral route for their directorial filmic debuts, making comedies with dramatic undertones, and in both cases the results have been artistic triumphs.

Iglesias's little joy of a film, based largely on his own life experiences as the son of Spanish emigrants, is simply delightful in every detail. The story flows along effortlessly and the characters are developed with loving care, and once the film ends one cannot help but want it to go on longer, which is the mark of all good storytelling. I was already a fan of Iglesias in his "Pepelu" times of the 90s, but if the quality of his film career stays at this level, he will surely make us forget his time on TV.

I worked with Carlos in the TV Series of Vicente Escriva "MANOS A LA OBRA" and at that time Carlos was thinking of writing his own story about his family immigration to Switzerland. I saw the film at the premiere in the Malaga festival ( where it was awarded as best film) and I have to say that Carlos Iglesias is not only an excellent actor but also a good writer with sense and sensibility as well as a paramount director.The film reproduces the real feelings of the Spanish immigrants in the 50's with the delicacy,cheerfulness, sadness and a bit touch of frustration of the people who had to leave their own country to look for a better way of living. I have to say that I do deeply love the story and the performance of everyone's involved. Carlos keep going this way hope we can see soon another of your films. All the best for you and your nice family.I would not mind to work with you again.

Crossing Borders... is A Spanish-Switzerland comedy released in 2006 that tells the story of two couples of Spanish immigrants in Switzerland in the 1950s based in the autobiographical experience of the actor and director Carlos Iglesias.

This is a very sweet, funny, honest and intimate film about the lives of those Spaniards who migrated to Switzerland and other European countries in the 1950s and 1960s. It is faithful to real events, and shows the issues that affected those people when leaving their country, the pros and cons of being an Spanish emigrant, and of the country of origin and the country of reception. Especially good is the depiction of the feelings of alienation, loneliness, cultural and emotional isolation, distrust by the locals, but also how hard was going back home for those who decided to return and resettle.

All the cast is good in their performances, especially Nieves de Medina as Pilar and Isabel Blanco as Hanna.

The movie is unpretentious, talks about serious issues using comedy, and has heart. I think it will reach immigrants from any part of the world, but also any viewer wanting to see something different from Spain and about Spain recent history.

Carlos Iglesias's first big-screen full-length movie as filmmaker, "Un Franco, Catorce Pesetas" (Crossing Borders, 2006), was a hit among viewers . Marcos (Javier Gutierrez) and Martin (Carlos Iglesias) are two good workers in the Spain of the 60's , but without job . In Spain there's no job , there's no cash , and there's no option for the poor people but to emigrate to a foreign country and attempting to encounter work . The two friends say goodbye their families and go abroad . There takes place the problems to adapt into Switzerland ; but later on , they discover a new and agreeable life .

This interesting film is full of humor , drama , touching scenes and good feeling . It is a simple , dramatic and humorous portrait of a time when the Spanish had to go other countries in order to encounter a work . Carlos Iglesias's first big-screen full-length movie as director, "Un Franco, Catorce Pesetas", was a success among spectators, as well as a hit smash in the various film festivals it took part in . The movie plot about the life of Spanish immigrants in Switzerland in the late 1960s is based on his parents' as well as his own experience as an immigrant and adequately showing us how was the life of that time . Actors are frankly magnificent with a first-rate acting for whole cast . Sensational Carlos Iglesias along with the wife played Nieve De Medina and Isabel Blanco as Hanna , among others . Moving and stirring musical score by Mario De Benito . Colorful cinematography by Tote Trenas who shows splendidly the ambient by that time . The story has wide relation with Ispansi!" (literally 'Spaniards!' in Russian, 2010) , his second movie as director that deals with children in Russia and there repeat most actors as Nieve de Medina , Isabel Blanco , Eloísa Vargas , Isabelle Stoffel and of course Carlos Iglesias .

The motion picture was very well directed by Carlos Iglesias . He's a good actor and filmmaker . Having attended Madrid's Royal School for Dramatic Art, in the 1980s Carlos Iglesias played mainly in both classic and contemporary theatrical plays . Among others, in 1982 he played a part in Carlo Goldoni's "Arlequín, Servidor dos Amos", under Ángel Gutiérrez's direction and, with the same director, in Chejov's "Polinka". He worked in 1983 under director Balaguer in Lauro Olmo's play "Pablo Iglesias"; in Valle-Inclán's "Los Cuernos de Don Friolera" ; in 1987 in Federico García Lorca's "El Público" ; in 1990-91 in Jean Genet's "Ella",; and in 1992 in Valle-Inclán's "Las galas del Difunto", , among many other theater venues .From the early 90s onwards, Carlos Iglesias opted mainly for television shows of all different kinds: drama productions (in José Ramón Larraz's "Goya"; in Mario Camus's "La Forja De Un Rebelde"; in Luis García Berlanga's "Blasco Ibáñez"); TV series (in Vicente Escrivá's "Éste es mi barrio" and "Manos a Obra"; also in "Siete Vidas" and "Cuéntame Cómo Pasó" ; and as main actor in various TV shows, such as "Esta Noche Cruzamos el Mississippi". For the big screen, he was cast for Pedro Costa's movie "El Caso Almería" (1983); for Jaime Camino's "Dragón Rapide" (1986); or Pedro Pinzola's "Siempre Felices" (1991). Recently, he has acted as Sancho Panza in Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón's "El Caballero don Quijote" (2002) and in José Luis Garci's "Ninette" (2005), alongside Elsa Pataky. Rating ¨Un Franco 14 Pesetas¨ : 7'5 , worthwhile watching , essential and indispensable seeing for Spanish cinema buffs .

I enjoyed the movie "Un Franco, 14 pesetas," because of the way it explores the topic of emigration from the perspective of the emigrant, and because of the way it combines humor and respect towards the emigrants. I think this movie can be dedicated to all those who have emigrated to another country, but also to those who returned to their own countries, which some times ends up being unexpectedly more difficult than emigrating. These day, when Spain is a country receiving immigrants, this is a unavoidable look into the past: when Spaniards emigrated to more progressive Northern European countries looking for a better life, and leaving a dirty poor country behind. It is a comedy which brought tears to my eyes, not because it was dramatic, but because of its real portray of simple feelings. I think the acting of Carlos Iglesias and Javer Gutierrez was impressive. But the actress that touched me the most was Isabel Blanco as Hanna.