Los tramposos (1959) Poster

(1959)

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6/10
A funny and brilliant comedy about swindlers with likable and enticing characterizations by all Spanish-star-cast
ma-cortes25 February 2016
A sympathetic group of unlucky cons carry out their swindles with unexpected consequences . This is an amusing and attractive Spanish classic comedy with several fun and hilarious set pieces , social description on economical crisis of the fifties as well as urban developing , lots of laughters and many other things . It deals with a beloved group of characters , as a bunch of unfortunate as well as bungling people , they are the following guys : Virgilio (Tony Leblanc) , Paco (Antonio Ozores) and another called ¨El Bajito¨ (Venancio Muro) , all of them live without working quite well using thousands of tricks and fakes . They are pursued by a Police Inspector (Emilio Rodríguez) and subsequently detained , condemned and imprisoned in Avila Penitentiary . But they soon change their attitudes when love arrives at their hearts , as they are pressured by their girlfriends Juliete (Concha Velasco) , who's sister of Paco , and Katy (Laura Valenzuela married to producer Jose Luis Dibildos) ; then decide to abandon that kind of life and they become decent people . But then , they sell their skeletons , litres of blood and heraldic books . Later on , the peculiar trio creates a trip agency called ¨Virpa¨ to transport tourists to funerals and typical ¨Tascas¨ or bars from Madrid . At the end the good guys and their sweethearts drive their Biscúters across the Madrid streets .

This agreeable picture concerns about three swindlers pulled off a lot of little frauds but things go awry . The flick contains silly incidents , fun plot twists , tongue-in-cheek , grotesque situations and above all , it especially contains catching touches of humor and irony . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly enjoyable . There are some nice jokes in the film and the cast , playing eccentric characters , make a cosy fit . It takes a simple concept , a trio of shameless friends execute petty thefts and tricks in similar style to classical films of Commedia all'Italiana of the fifties . ¨Los Tramposos ¨is a comical and sometimes disconcerting account of a bunch of lower class people from the personal , social , cultural , and economic perspective , because needing all of them , urgently , amount of money to resolve their problematic lives . Director Pedro Lazaga made , during the fifties and early sixties , eight films , mostly comedies : ¨Muchachas De Azul¨, Ana Dice Si¨. ¨Luna De Verano¨, ¨Económicamente Debiles¨ , ¨Trio Damas¨ for screenwriter and producer Jose Luis Dibildos and his ¨Agata Films Productions¨. The best of all them results to be ¨Los Tramposos¨. It gives a realistic Madrid outlook and describes various ¨Timos¨or ¨Fakes¨ such as ¨Tocomocho¨ or the ¨trick with his leg in plaster¨ or the hole in the street . The magnificent main cast gives sensational acting . While the supporting cast is frankly excellent and plenty of familiar faces such as Jose Luis López Vazquez , Jose Maria Rodero , Elvira Quintilla , Manolo Gómez Bur , Antonio Riquelme , Juan Calvo , Erasmo Pascual , Enrique Avila , Jesús Puente , Jose Orjas , Francisco Bernal , Antonio Jimenez Escribano , Jose Maria Tasso and an interminable list . It displays an evocative musical score by Anton Garcia Abril , including catching leitmotif . Atmospheric cinematography by Manuel Merino , though a perfect remastering being necessary .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Pedro Lazaga who includes long and descriptive shots . Lazaga was a Spanish craftsman who directed various successful comedies . At the beginning he wrote scripts as Abel Sánchez (1946) and Embrujo (1948) . His film debut was Campo Bravo (1948) followed by Hombre Acosado . Pedro was a prolific director and writer , particularly known for Los Chicos Del Preu (1967), Cuerda De Presos (1956) and María Morena (1951). He directed all kind of genres such as Peplum : Siete Espartanos ; Wartime about Spanish Civil War : Cuerda De Presos , Posicion Avanzada , Torrepartida , Fiel Infantería , La Patrulla ; Drama : Rostro De Asesino , Otro Arbol De Guernica ; Bullfighting : Aprendiendo a Morir , Nuevo En Esta Plaza , La Cicatrices ; but especially known for comedies in low budget , many of them written and produced by two notorious producers , Jose Luis Dibildos and Pedro Maso , such as : Patrulla De Los Once , Los Tramposos , Sabian Demasiado , El Vikingo , Calido Verano Sr Rodríguez , Trampa Para Catalina , La Amante Perfecta , Fulanita y Sus Menganos , Hasta El Matrimonio Nos Separe . His most known films were with the popular comic player Paco Martinez Soria such as : Abuelo Made in Spain , Padre De La Criatura , Alegre Divorciado , Estoy Hecho Un Chaval , Vaya Par Gemelos , among others . As well as others produced by Vicente Escriba and starred by Alfredo Landa, such as : Vente a Alemania Pepe , Vente a Ligar a Oeste and No Firmes Mas Letras Cielo .
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