El verdugo (1963)

Director:

Luis García Berlanga

Writers:

Rafael Azcona (story)
Ennio Flaiano (writer)

Release Date:

17 February 1964 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

An undertaker gets married to an old executioner's daughter and, although he doesn't like it, must continue the profession of his father-in-law after his retirement.

Plot Keywords:

Executioner | Undertaker | Retirement | Death Penalty | Book Writer

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nino Manfredi	...	José Luis Rodríguez, el enterrador
Emma Penella	...	Carmen, la hija de Amadeo
José Isbert	...	Amadeo, el verdugo (as Jose Isbert)
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Antonio Rodríguez, el hermano mayor de José Luis (as Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez)
Ángel Álvarez	...	Álvarez, el enterrador (as Angel Alvarez)
Guido Alberti	...	Director de la prisión
Julia Caba Alba	...	Mujer visitante de la obra nº 2
María Luisa Ponte	...	Estefanía (as Maria Luisa Ponte)
María Isbert	...	Ignacia (as Maria Isbert)
Erasmo Pascual
Xan das Bolas	...	Guarda de la obra
José Orjas	...	Marqués testigo de la ejecución (as Jose Orjas)
José María Prada	...	Funcionario de prisiones (as Jose Maria Prada)
Félix Fernández	...	Monaguillo nº 2 (as Felix Fernandez)
Antonio Ferrandis

Also Known As:

La ballata del boia (Italy)
Not on Your Life
The Executioner (International: English title)
Der Henker (West Germany) [de]
El verdugo (Argentina) [es]
Kat (Poland) [pl]
Le bourreau (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Pyöveli (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

Italy:90 min | Spain:87 min | USA:90 min | UK:91 min | Argentina:91 min | West Germany:90 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

C.E.A., Ciudad Lineal, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Interlagar Films

Trivia:

Voted second best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary.

Movie Connections:

References Ben-Hur (1959)

Soundtrack:

El verdugo

Best Spanish movie ever

I suppose the fact that this movie was made during the dictatorship of General Franco, when Spain did not register on any international cultural radars, accounts for the fact that it remains relatively unknown. In my opinion, this is not only the best film ever made by a Spanish director, but one of the best European films ever, and a masterpiece of dark comedy. It is a powerful indictment of the death penalty anywhere, and the scene in which proud and retiring executioner Amadeo sticks prospective son-in-law José Luis' fingers in the lamp fixture, thereby giving him a mild electric shock, remains an all-time classic ("You think that's bad? That's only 125 volts! The Americans are worse, with their electric chairs...")

This movie is stronger, deeper and funnier than any recent comedies by the likes of Pedro Almodóvar and other Berlanga-influenced Spanish directors, due to the bleaker political reality against which it was made. There is more directorial talent involved and the performances are stronger, with the glorious José Isbert stealing the show as always.

Times have improved in Spain, and filmmakers may have more freedom, but nothing as corrosive as this has been made since.