User reviews

Impressive satire typically Spanish which had an international impact , including a prize in Festival of Cannes . The little village of Villar del Río is awaiting the Flamenco singer named Carmen Vargas (Lolita Sevilla) , 'The Great Andalusian Star' who arrives with her agent (Manolo Moran) . After finding out that USA people are visiting the Spanish cities , the villagers think they will give economical aid to village by village , town by town . The citizens of Villar del Río start preparing themselves to welcome them when they arrive . The movie deals upon a bunch of motley people , the Mayor (Jose Isbert) , the teacher woman (Elvira Quintilla) , the pharmaceutic (Nicolas Perchicot) , the doctor (Felix Fernandez) , the priest , all of them set up a splendid welcome for profits the village . They start to work, and also to dream and think about what they're going to request the North American people , who will come with lots of gifts and dollars .

In the flick there are especially comedy , humor , joy , satire and social critical which tended not to be very well received by the censor . Sublime film but with censorship realized by the great maestro Luis Garcia Berlanga . Good film that was beset by difficulties with the censors caused by a relentless critical to Americans and social criticism . The movie displays a Spanish secondary star-studded such as : Elvira Quintilla , Alberto Romea, Jose Franco , Joaquin Roa , Jose Vivo , Rafael Alonso , Manuel Alexandre and Angel Alvarez . Unforgettable performance by Jose Isbert as a deaf, naughty and good-natured Mayor, who's only seeking the way to give life to the place and Manonolo Moran as an artist agent who throws surprising initiatives, moving all the village people just to prepare a better reception for the foreigners . Enjoyable screenplay by humorist Miguel Mihura along with Juan Antonio Bardem and Berlanga , both of whom collaborated in various films as ¨Esa Pareja Feliz¨, Berlanga's first picture .

Direction by Luis Garcia Berlanga is pretty good , assistant direction is Ricardo Muñoz Suay . Jesus Garcia Leoz's musical score is excellent with classic songs as ¨Americanos¨, however they are too many ¨Coplas¨ songs sung by Lolita Sevilla . Fine cinematography in white and black by Manuel Berenguer , prestigious cameraman with an important career . Berlanga's conceptual and political audacity, so evident in this film , ¨Welcome Mister Marshall¨ , was modified by the censors and was temporarily delayed before its eventual release . He filmed other polemic movies during the 50s as ¨El Verdugo¨ which was well-received at the Venice Festival and along with ¨Bienvenido Mister Marshall¨ are considered to be two of the best Spanish films of the history . Their next joint venture was ¨Plácido¨ (1961), which received an Oscar nomination in 1963. That same year, Berlanga made one of his best films : ¨El Jueves Milagro¨ ; however, his strong portrait of Spanish society didn't please the pro-Franco authorities and was strongly censored . He continued filming other interesting pictures as in 1973 he went to Paris to begin filming ¨Grandeur nature¨ , another problematic film , focusing this time on the fetishism of a man who falls in love with a doll . Several years later, after Franco's death, he filmed a trilogy comprising ¨La Escopeta Nacional¨ (1978), ¨Patrimonio Nacional¨ (1981) and ¨Nacional III¨ (1982), where he clarified the disorders evident in the Spanish upper middle-class upon being confronted with a new political status quo . Following the same theme he filmed a peculiar comedy titled ¨La Vaquilla (1985¨, set in the Spanish Civil War until his last movie ¨Paris Tombuctu¨ (1999) . Rating : Above average . Essential and indispensable seeing .

My appreciation of this film has been getting better and better each time I have watched it. The first time I sat to see Bienvenido Mister Marshall was many years ago. I was a child, and I remember that I liked it. But I didn't notice that it wasn't another funny film. Through repeated viewings, I have found more and more details and a solid structure that makes of this film one of the greatest ones I have ever seen. The personality of the Major is amazing. He's a complex person despite his envelope of bewildered, and -I guess- that's why he's the Major. But he's also wonderfully ingenuous, and so are the rest of the people of Villar del Río. That's why you root for the entire cast. And that's why you keep this film in your heart. It reminds you the innocence we lost and lets you by the end with deep melancholy.

Technically, this film is almost perfect. Good cast, superb performances, perfect music, and a dialogue that seems to be a 70-minute-long quote, where every single word can be remembered. To mention one of the many good moments of this "long quote", I will remember the one when the general delegate (José Franco) tells the Major (José Isbert) that he has to make a speech from the balcony to the Americans. The Major asks "And what shall I say?", and then the delegate replies that he can speak about several things including the industry. He asks again "What industry?", and the delegate replies "Well, just say anything, they don't speak Spanish so they won't understand". And, finally, the Major states: "Oh, I think I'm getting it..."

If you take a look at the best Spanish films of all time, you'll notice that 3 of the top 5 films are directed by Luis García Berlanga. That's not a coincidence. Berlanga is pure genius.

My rating is 9-10 out of 10.

This movie is well considered all over the world and it is not difficult to see why. It was made in 1952 but it still remains as one of the truly classic movies of Spanish cinema.

Of course its cinematographic values are impressive. From the very beginning the techniques used in this film are different from those used in American cinema of the same time, a narrator introduces the small town and the characters to the audience, he seems to know everything about them, he is capable of stop the movement and take out the people of the screen. An audacious resource from one of the main directors in Spanish cinema history, Luis García Berlanga. This beginning is modern for the time and it can be linked to the European cinema of the era.

On one hand, we are about to see a description of Spanish traditions and characters depicted with lots of humor and irony. On the other hand, we see a critic of some of these statements and mentalities of Spanish people and institutions. This critics is plenty of melancholy in some cases and plenty of humor in other cases. Just about the end of the film, there are several dream scenes that satirizes some of the American cinema of the era and some American traditions and characters (as those of the Western movies).

The script is superb, the actors are very well chosen for their roles, the cinematography is excellent and so is the photography, direction is extraordinary taking into account that this is one of the first movies by Berlanga.

Finally, I have to say that this is a Spanish classic movie and one of my must sees.

This film is an excellent and witty portrayal of Franco's post-war Spain. There are many hidden agendas and underlying stereotypes of both the American and Spanish people. The more you watch the movie, the more one-liners you catch. The order in which the camera bounces from person to person always has a meaning. This style of exposition is unique and refreshing. The dream sequence contains many of the stereotypes held by the Spanish towards the American people. The people of the village change their town into what they think the Americans want to see, even though they have the wrong idea about them. The best part is all this content is delivered in a comedic fashion, which lets you enjoy the underlying commentary.

Gentle, sometimes very funny political satire, somewhat reminiscent of the UK Ealing Studio films.

The poor, small Spanish town of Villar del Rio is abuzz with the news that American officials are coming to visit, and plan to show off their best face in an effort to get their slice of the Marshall Plan pie. (Spain was actually excluded from the funds).

While sometimes predictable, and sometimes badly post dubbed this is a fun film with just enough edge to look at the darker side of human nature, but with a smile.

Frustratingly this classic of Spanish cinema isn't available on US DVD. I had to order mine from Amazon Spain (although it has US subtitles, and looks pretty good.)

Definitely among the top ten best Spanish movies of all time. Unknown in many parts of the world (it is not in the IMDb 250 best film group, which by the way gives us hope, among other things, as to the fact that there will always be cinematographic jewels to discover), it is not only a well structured comedy but a refined criticism to American Imperialism (many people from Latin America, for example, will feel identified with the characters and story of the small Spanish village. I once saw it with a Colombian girlfriend of mine and I noticed that that was the feeling). Someone said that had Spain not been a dictatorship, under the rule of Franco (an isolated ruler who in 1953 happily publicized a treaty with the U.S. as a sign of the new times in the history of Spanish foreign relations: something that would seemingly have a splendid beneficial effect on the life of the population of a country out of pace with western European history), the movie would have won the Oscar for the Best Foreign film back in the mid fifties.

I'm putting a lot of stuff in "south europe" but i'm actually thinking this being set in portugal wouldn't be very different. After all there's something fascinating aout the "big people that come from abroad". the town is obliged to become perfect for the american visit and that includes undressing what they are: giving the americans a version they thing it would be the ideal. They react as if they were chosen by a divine entity on being visited.

the best parts of this movie are the humour. it's witty and interesting, plus the dialogues are fast paced and good to follow. most of the characters are archetypes true but there's historical views present here: spain opening up to the world (more or less) and the american friends visiting - a small town no one from outside cares about, heck no one in spain cares about. their naiveness on thinking everything will be solves by one single visit. people wanting to take advantage of that to earn more money.

it's funny because when i stared watching this i aleady knew its way: these characters are also common in portugal. The dynamics of the village are pretty much the same. having a narrator is an interesting portrait because we se this kinda as a tale, and not exactly as a hugely realistic narrative - even though some of the stuff is. i have a favourite gag, at the line of "wishes americans will provided" but i won't spoil it.

also the dream sequences were very interesting. the discussions about morality, because if ones are all interested in "opening up" others fear their power will fade - even if it faded already. the ideia that inferiority reigns in those villages against the very developed (and a bit depraved for some) americans, and some of the actions they took to please the outsiders make a strong point: a huge complex of inferiority towards them, masked by patriotism and alleged pride. in a way is what a lot of repressive regimes are: a mask to please the leader and the others. the truth is when everything goes back to normal, and the political agents don't care about them anyway.

it's a very good movie, for me inbetween a 7 and an 8. but it seems a fun and accurate historical (and real even it it's told as a tale) portrait about small towns in south european countries. i hope more people see this because it definitely deserves.

Bienvenido Mr Marshall is the most modern thing in the whole of Spanish cinema, because it was modern even before anyone knew what modernity was cinema wise, at least not in Spain, less so in England or I'd say even France... This was done in 1952, released next year!

If Billy Wilder had filmed this, it would have fitted in with the rest of his films, but, bad luck, Berlanga did it first!

I didn't give this film 10 stars because of the musical numbers, which I think are a bit too many and long. Although they've got their place in the story and there's a reason why they're there, this film isn't a music film, and I think them excessive.

Probably, the best Spanish film ever made. A loyal portrait of Spaniards' personality and way of thinking with the particular sense of humour added by the writer Miguel Mihura. Essential: the Pepe Isbert's balcony scene, be ready to laugh .

When World War II is over, the news of the coming arrival of American ambassadors to a poor Spanish town creates crazy expectations among the peasants, waiting to be touched by the "economic miracle".

Up to this day this post-war black comedy, written by Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem is achingly contemporary, for today people all over the world are still looking at the skies waiting for Superman to teach them the "American way" and UFOs to deliver them from misery.

Awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and by Spanish film critics, the film boasts a fine professional cast who handles all the situations with expertise and fine comic timing. Do not miss it!

I have seen this film in its original version and in a French translation, and I must admit that, as far as all cinematic qualities are concerned, it reminds me very much of those glorious British Ealing Studios comedies of the 50s.