Welcome Mr. Marshall!
Encyclopedia
Welcome Mr. Marshall! is a 1953 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga and considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish cinema. It tells the story of a small Spanish town, Villar del Río, which hears of the visit of American diplomats and begins preparations to impress the American visitors in the hopes of benefitting under the Marshall Plan
.
A central theme of the film is the stereotypes held by both the Spanish and the Americans regarding the culture of the other. Hoping to demonstrate the side of Spanish culture with which the visiting American officials will be most accustomed, the citizens of Villar del Río (Soria) don unfamiliar Andalusia
n costumes, hire a renowned flamenco performer, and redecorate their town in Andalusian style. Later in the film, each of the central characters has a dream in which different aspects of stereotypical American culture and history are featured. One consists of a Western
-like bar brawl, another the arrival of a conquistador
on New World
shores.
The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival
.
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
.
A central theme of the film is the stereotypes held by both the Spanish and the Americans regarding the culture of the other. Hoping to demonstrate the side of Spanish culture with which the visiting American officials will be most accustomed, the citizens of Villar del Río (Soria) don unfamiliar Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n costumes, hire a renowned flamenco performer, and redecorate their town in Andalusian style. Later in the film, each of the central characters has a dream in which different aspects of stereotypical American culture and history are featured. One consists of a Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
-like bar brawl, another the arrival of a conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
on New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
shores.
The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival
1953 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Jean Cocteau *Louis Chauvet *Titina De Filippo *Guy Desson *Philippe Erlanger *Renée Faure *Jacques-Pierre Frogerais *Abel Gance *André Lang...
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Cast
- Fernando ReyFernando ReyFernando Casado Arambillet , best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and TV actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States...
as Narrador (voice) - José IsbertJosé IsbertJosé Isbert , also known as Pepe Isbert , was a Spanish actor.-Biography:...
as Don Pablo, el alcalde - Lolita Sevilla as Carmen Vargas
- Alberto Romea as Don Luis, el caballero
- Manolo MoránManolo MoránManolo Morán was a Spanish film actor.-Selected filmography:* Verbena , by Edgar Neville.* Goyescas , by Benito Perojo.* La famosa Luz María , by Fernando Mignoni....
as Manolo - Luis Pérez de León as Don Cosme, el cura
- Elvira Quintillá as Señorita Eloísa, la maestra
- Félix Fernández as Don Emiliano, el médico
- Nicolás D. Perchicot as Boticario (as Nicolás Perchicot)
- Joaquín Roa as Pregonero
- Fernando Aguirre as Secretario
- José FrancoJosé Franco-Literary works:*Smilla en Flor, 3 editions *La Sangre Derramada *Una Cruz Verde en el Camino *Coplas y Fábulas a Pelusa *Redobles al Amanecer *Horas Testimoniales *Poemas a mi Patria *Patria Sagrada...
as Delegado general - Rafael AlonsoRafael AlonsoRafael Alonso was a Spanish actor. He appeared in over 120 films and television shows between 1951 and 1998.-Selected filmography:* Welcome Mr...
as Enviado - José María Rodríguez as José
- Elisa Méndez as Doña Raquel
- Matilde López Roldán as Doña Matilde