Cantinflas movie now showing at Cinemark 8 Del Rio, Texas
CANTINFLAS is
the untold story of Mario Moreno – Cantinflas. His story unfolds on the big
screen with all the success and turmoil he faced from being discovered in a
tent theater or La Carpa in Mexico to winning his Golden Globe Award for his
role in Around the World in 80 Days.
1. It was romantic. – I’m a sucker for a
good love story. Cantinflas meets his bride, Valentina Ivanova, la rusa bonita as
he lovingly referred to her, in his early days of acting in the tent theaters.
Promises to change their lives. With any arrival of major stardom, it takes a
toll on their marriage. Yet, his Valita (Valentina) is who really saves him in the end … from
himself.
2. Óscar Jaenada. Jaenada is
a perfect Cantinflas capturing his essence and spirit both as Cantinflas and as
Mario Moreno. Simply an outstanding performance by Jaenada.
3. Telling of two stories. The
movie follows two story lines until they meetup and become one. The sub-story
line is the one of Michael Todd’s near failure to produce Around the World in
80 Days. This story takes place in Hollywood and the audience gets a sense of
what it took to create this award-winning film.
The real story line is set in Mexico. It
follows Cantinflas’ life and career. As a young man, he’s unsure of exactly
what he wants to be but he believes it’s more than the help. He falls in love
and marries Valita. His career leads him to wealth and fame. Cantinflas loses
his way but finds himself back on track and that’s when they stories meet. He
makes quite the impression on Hollywood.
4. It was funny! Hello, it’s Cantinflas
who was once referred to as “the world’s greatest comedian” by Charlie Chaplin
himself which is depicted in a touching way in the movie. One of my favorite
parts was revealing how he became “Cantinflas.” Early on, a heckler says
he can’t understand what Mario is saying from the stage and shoutsCuanto inflas! (You’re
annoying) and then Esta
en al cantina inflas (You’re in the bar being annoying.) On stage Mario
hears “Cantinflas!” and says, yes, that’s me “Cantinflas!”
5. A little bit of history. I’m
a learner at heart. So, yes. Going back in time and getting a glimpse of
Cantinflas’ life as well as what it was like in Mexican theater is a bonus.
6. The audience remembers …
watching Cantinflas and it brings back great memories for so many. I’ve said it
a thousand times and I’ll keep saying it. As Latinos, documenting our own
stories is so important. While this movie may be the life story of Cantinflas,
it is also belongs to anyone who grew up watching him. It’s their story,
too.
It
is a bi-lingual movie. When they speak Spanish, there are English subtitles.
When they speak English, there are Spanish subtitles. I loved this, too. So,
technically that’s seven things I loved about CANTINFLAS movie!