El Pisito

1959 Spanish film

15 June 1959 (1959-06-15)

Running time

87 minutesCountrySpainLanguageSpanish

El Pisito is a 1959 Spanish black comedy film directed by Marco Ferreri.^[1] The Spanish Ministry of Culture forced the producers to sign the film as co-directed by Spaniard Isidoro M. Ferry. It was co-written by famous Spanish screenwriter Rafael Azcona, who collaborated with Ferreri throughout his career.^[2] The film was starred by Spanish actor José Luis López Vázquez in his first leading role.^[3]

The film depicts widespread poverty in 1950s Madrid. A long-term couple feels unable to marry, because they can not afford the acquisition of a home. They decide that the man will enter a marriage of convenience with the woman's elderly landlady, in hopes of inheriting the lease of the landlady's property. The film was a huge flop when it was released in Spain, but nowadays is a cult classic. The film had troubles with Spanish censorship.

In the film, Marco Ferreri and Carlos Saura appear in cameos.

Plot

In the Madrid of the late 1950s, with a Spain that is barely beginning to emerge from underdevelopment, economic hardship is common among the population. Petrita (Mary Carrillo) and Rodolfo (José Luis López Vázquez) have been dating for twelve years, but they cannot get married due to lack of means to acquire a home.

Petrita finally glimpses a solution: Rodolfo will marry Doña Martina, her old and sick landlady, so that when she dies she will inherit the lease on the property at a low price. After the ceremony, however, the old woman will still be able to survive two years. She finally dies, and Petrita and Rodolfo see their goal fulfilled, although pessimism and sadness reign in the environment.

Cast

Mary Carrillo - Petrita

José Luis López Vázquez - Rodolfo

Concha López Silva - Doña Martina Rodríguez

Ángel Álvarez - Sáenz

María Luisa Ponte - Petrita's sister

Andrea Moro - Mari Cruz

Gregorio Saugar - Don Manuel

Celia Conde - Mery

José Cordero - Dimas

Marco Ferreri - Luisito

Chus Lampreave - Avelina

References

^ GONZÁLEZ FERNÁNDEZ, Martín (2012-10-01). "Naturaleza y teleología: Ambrosio de Milán e Isidoro de Sevilla / Nature and Teleology: Ambrosio of Milan and Isidoro of Sevilla". Revista Española de Filosofía Medieval. 19: 75. doi:10.21071/refime.v19i.6064. ISSN 2530-7878.
^ "El pisito (Marco Ferreri, 1958) - Sombras de Luna" (in European Spanish). 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
^ Cristina Delgado (29 June 2011). "'El pisito', una obra maestra de Ferreri y Azcona en El Cine de La 2". Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.