Los desafíos (1969) Poster

(1969)

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6/10
Three strange segments produced by the prestigious Elias Querejeta and directed by three new directors
ma-cortes27 September 2023
Through three different stories by three newcomers filmmakers realizing a personal staging, a dissection is made of violence and relationships between couples. First segment regards a father called Carlos (Francisco Rabal), actor of renown and owner of a luxurious mansion, married to Fernanda (Asunción Balaguer, who fears losing his daughter (Teresa Rabal) to a divorced American officer (Dean Selmier). The second story deals with a proud husband named Germán (Alfredo Mayo), owner of an extensive estate where he breeds fighting bulls, who feels cheated to find that his wife (Julia Gutierrez Caba) has also been unfaithful with a visitor (Dean Selmier) while he flirted with his young girlfriend Bonnie (Barbara Deist). And the third concerns a young American traveler (Dean Selmier) across Spanish lands along with other companions (Daisy Granados, Julia Peña, Luis Suárez) who arrive in a village where carry out some mischief and acts of violence.

Three different segments all of them starred by Dean Selmier with the common nexus of expressing how a situation that seems normal ends up in an outbreak of violence. First episode showing a climate of tension and dissatisfaction of a father when arrives a visitor, the second focuses on the relationship of a Spanish couple with some Americans and the third analyzes a group of young Americans, Spaniards and Cubans who arrive in a little town accompanied by a chimpanzee. It is a segment film, a common three-course in Spain and Italy in the sixties in order to concentrate original ideas and efforts, here Claudio Guerin , José Luis Egea and Victor Erice share the realization. For the three of them it was their first feature film, sponsored by the notorious producer Elias Querejeta and one of the best Spanish screenwriters: Rafael Azcona. It contains atmospheric musical score by Luis de Pablo and songs: Future Colours and You Got Soul by Dave da Costa.

Unfortunately for Spanish Cinema, none of them continued a prolific career in film direction. Claudio died on the last day of filming his third film. Claudio Guerin had previously directed shorts , documentaries and a film titled ¨La casa de las palomas¨or ¨House of the Doves¨(1972) with Carmen Sevilla and Ornella Muti and the cult movie ¨La campana del infierno¨or ¨The Bell from hell¨ (1973) but it turned out to be his untimely swan song since he died by mysteriously fall or jumped to his death from the central bell tower constructed for the movie and being eventually completed by distinguished fellow Juan Antonio Bardem, his sad and mysterious death cut his promising career. Furthermore, Victor Erice has only made three films and Egea did not make a second one. Of course, the best known director is Victor Erice who has made only three films: the masterpiece: ¨El espiritu de la colmena¨, the generally well regarded ¨El Sur¨ and ¨El sol del Membrillo¨ and some Shorts too . However, the prospects could not be better after this debut, since the film won the Silver Shell at the San Sebastian Festival and two awards from the circle of film writers for best script for Rafael Azcona and best actor for veteran Alfredo Mayo. Rating: 5.5/10.
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8/10
Facing the challenge
morrison-dylan-fan13 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Feb 2014:

After being mesmerised by the Bell From Hell,I decided to search around for other films that film maker Claudio Guerín (who sadly died on the last day of filming Bell) had made.Whilst Bell From Hell has had an official, slightly-cut release,I was disappointed to find that there appeared to be no sign of Guerín's other work anywhere else.

Easter 2015:

Taking a look at a DVD sellers page,I was delighted to discover that he had tracked down an anthology movie co-directed by Guerín,which led to me getting ready to see the challenges take place. (Note:Due to there being 3 stories,I am going to split the plot into 3 sections.)

The plot-

Story 1-

After believing a strange gentleman to be visiting the villa in order to do the gardening,the man is horrified to find out that the stranger is actually someone who his daughter almost got married to in the US.As his wife & daughter start to be pulled in by the strangers charms,the man decides that he must take matters into his own hands,in order to remain in control of the family and the villa.

Story 2-

After their car breaks down,a young hippie couple stumble upon a private countryside villa.Catching the couple walking on his land,the owner grabs the couple and threatens to boot them off the land.Hoping that her easy on the eye looks can help,the hippie girl starts to flirt with the owner.Making sure that his wife is out of sight,the owner offers them a fistful of cash,in exchange for the girl sleeping with him.

Story 3-

Driving into a deserted ghost town,3 friends (and a pet monkey!) start to plan how they can turn this desert into their own revaluation paradise.As the gang start to change the town,one of them begins making plans on giving the revolution an explosive final.

View on the film:

Given the challenge of kicking the film off,director Claudio Guerín displays fascinating hints to what lay in the future,with Guerín's wide floating crane shots creating an eerie atmosphere,as the calmness is revealed to hide an oncoming storm.Soaking the villa in citrus colours, Guerín gradually peels the light away,to reveal the blood-soaked darkness.

Following Guerín's route, José Luis Egea gives the rural setting an excellent misty appearance,with the soft browns and greys of the village crumbling away,as the couple play their game.Uncovering the game that the couple have been playing, Egea brilliantly sprays the film in over saturated colours and tightly held close-up,which superbly expresses the deranged anger that the couple have created.Sending the movie off into the sunset,director Víctor Erice sends the film out on a surreal Western note,thanks to Erice showing every corner of the desert town in vast tracking shots,which make the location look like a burnt-out Wild West town.

Placing a very good Dean Selmier at the centre of each self- contained story,the screenplay by Egea/Erice/Guerín & Rafael Azcona brilliantly builds a number of fascinating underlying themes,with money being shown as the detonator which fires all the characters off into their bleak endings.Along with the dirty money,the writers also brilliantly make male dominance a central theme,with each act of violence being motivated by each of the guys being desperate to keep "their spot",and also having a deep desire to display their overly aggressive alpha- male streak towards the "outsider" women.
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