El padrecito
Encyclopedia
El padrecito is a 1964 Mexican comedy film directed by Miguel M. Delgado
.
Father Sebastián (played by Cantinflas) is assigned to a parish in San Jerónimo el Alto
, where he is not welcomed by the community, particularly the resident priest Father Damián (played by Ángel Garasa). The newcomer gradually earns the trust of the people through humor, but firmly captures their hearts by saving the town fiesta by fighting a bull when the hired torero
failed to show.
Father Sebastián counsels the townspeople, lecturing them on their duties in a modern society. He used the collection plate to redistribute the town's wealth more evenly. When accused of communism
, he quoted the 1891 socially-conscious encyclical
Rerum Novarum
. He even ventured into politics, with a veiled attack on the municipal president
couched into a sermon. Eventually, he brokers a deal with the local political boss
for some concessions for the poor of his parish.
n Catholicism
. Pope John XXIII
called the Second Vatican Council
only two years earlier, and Moreno seemed to be embracing the reforms it espoused as the remedy for Mexico's poverty.
Some accused Moreno of mocking the faith and the priesthood, but he assured his audience that his "message would be only positive, constructive, happy, human, Christian." The Latin American contingent of seminarians in Rome apparently shared his assessment, and wrote him a grateful letter.
Miguel M. Delgado
Miguel M. Delgado was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed 139 films between 1941 and 1990.- Selected filmography :* Los tres mosqueteros * Doña Bárbara * El padrecito...
.
Plot
The young priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Father Sebastián (played by Cantinflas) is assigned to a parish in San Jerónimo el Alto
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is a city and municipality located in the far eastern part of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. It is 274 km from Mexico City and 97 km from the state capital of Guanajuato...
, where he is not welcomed by the community, particularly the resident priest Father Damián (played by Ángel Garasa). The newcomer gradually earns the trust of the people through humor, but firmly captures their hearts by saving the town fiesta by fighting a bull when the hired torero
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
failed to show.
Father Sebastián counsels the townspeople, lecturing them on their duties in a modern society. He used the collection plate to redistribute the town's wealth more evenly. When accused of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, he quoted the 1891 socially-conscious encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891. It was an open letter, passed to all Catholic bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes. The encyclical is entitled: “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour”...
. He even ventured into politics, with a veiled attack on the municipal president
Municipal president
A presidente municipal is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. The position is comparable to the county executive of a county in the United States or to the mayor of a city in the United States, although the jurisdiction of a presidente municipal includes not only a city but the...
couched into a sermon. Eventually, he brokers a deal with the local political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
for some concessions for the poor of his parish.
Response
Critics generally viewed the film as typical of the later Cantinflas films, a moralizing feature slim on originality. But some found the religious themes indicative of the spirit of Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
called the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
only two years earlier, and Moreno seemed to be embracing the reforms it espoused as the remedy for Mexico's poverty.
Some accused Moreno of mocking the faith and the priesthood, but he assured his audience that his "message would be only positive, constructive, happy, human, Christian." The Latin American contingent of seminarians in Rome apparently shared his assessment, and wrote him a grateful letter.
Cast
- CantinflasCantinflasFortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes , was a Mexican comic film actor, producer, and screenwriter known professionally as Cantinflas. He often portrayed impoverished campesinos or a peasant of pelado origin...
as Padre Sebastián - Ángel Garasa as Padre Damián
- Rosa María Vázquez as Susana
- Angelines FernándezAngelines FernándezAngelines Fernández was a Spanish-born actress of Mexican film and television, best-known for portraying "Doña Clotilde" on the Televisa sitcom El Chavo.Fernández struggled as an actress in Spain. She flew to Mexico in 1947...
as Sara - José Elías MorenoJosé Elías MorenoJosé Elías Moreno was a Mexican character actor of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, best-remembered for his versatility in playing different characters. He appeared in 184 films between 1937 and 1969...
as Don Silvestre - Rogelio Guerra as Marcos
- Arturo CastroArturo CastroArturo Castro was a Mexican actor of film and television who appeared in a large number of minor roles from 1945 to 1976. He is perhaps best-known for his role as "Bigotón" in the Telesistema Mexicano sitcom Los Beverly de Peralvillo...
as Nepomuceno