The moment I read that there was a biographical movie being made about Mario Moreno Cantinflas [Cantinflas (2014)] - I put that one on my watch-list. I was not disappointed.
I grew up watching Cantinflas. He was my first comedic hero - and for a good reason, the man was a genius. I thought I had seen all of his movies, but I guess I missed his entry into Hollywood - the epic Around The World in 80 Days.
Quick review of the Cantinflas (2014) movie. Beautiful piece, the set, the tone, the heart; it was like watching the character of Cantinflas in his role as Mario Moreno. Oscar Jaenada captured the essence that made Cantinflas stand out on camera the way he did - it took me back to my younger days. I highly recommend, but my recommendation comes from a personal place, so it is biased. On the other hand, I will go on a limb and say that Cantinflas' legacy lives through the humor style of Latin America cinema today - so give it a watch if just for cinematic research.
Then again, for cinematic research I would rather recommend you watch the topic of this post. I guess the best way I can describe it is: it is such a great movie that it will make you appreciate the 2004 remake of the same title. Granted the original is a thousand times better. Nothing against the newer production - I am a long-time Jackie Chan fan after all, but there is no real point of comparison. The original film, as you watch it, you will realize the amount of production is at the level of an epic film.
Favorite line: "I told you not to spoil the natives" - one of the many stabs at Americans that this movie makes - although this is a Hollywood movie.
As the title says, the movie is shot in different parts of the world - yes, some of them were made in a stage, but still. With that said, the depiction of the different cultures are quite stereotypical. But at the same time, remember that most people back in those days were born in their own town: where they would grow up, find their place in society and the workplace, marry someone from their own town; and then die and grow old together - or is it the other way around? - so I can only imagine that at the time seeing more than two distinct locations in a movie was not commonplace.
There is a big lesson to be learned through this movie. See, for every scene/chapter - the filmmakers took their time. You feel like you're going through a long journey with the characters, be it on elephant-back, trains, boats, or an air balloon. Before the plot moves on, you see the characters explore the area they are visiting. The bullfighting scene with Cantinflas is about five minutes long - it had little to do with the whole plot, but it doesn't matter - it's the experience.
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