The Executioner

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william d I only got a couple of chuckles out of this, and any social commentary it was trying to make almost sixty years ago seems rather dated today. Plus, all the dialog is overdubbed in the studio - I'm talking about the original Spanish - rather than recorded when the scene was shot, something I find rather annoying. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A charming movie about a guy who really, really, really, really does NOT want to be an executioner. Yes, really. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Luis García Berlanga's black comedic attack on the death penalty (and Franco's rule more broadly) apparently evaded the censors of the day and is now heralded as a masterpiece in Spain. Well, it isn't a laugh riot but it does subtly lampoon the practice of execution by showing the lengths that the main character (José Luis Rodríguez played by Nino Manfredi) will go to try to avoid the job of executioner and the norms and pressures that hem him in. Moreover, there are bureaucratic advantages to holding the job (a plum apartment, higher wages, other perks) if one can only look the other way at the horror and avoid the stigma applied by society. The comedy arises from a) the oblivious nonchalance of the retiring executioner (and father-in-law by shotgun wedding of the protagonist) and b) the various indignities and embarrassments suffered by José Luis throughout the film. The payoff (and darkest moment) comes when José Luis has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to perform an execution while the actual prisoner is calmer and more resigned. In the end, of course, the caustic bite of the film comes from the choice to tackle an issue this serious in a light comedy of manners rather than addressing it head-on. So, instead of challenging Franco's government for its inhumanity, we get a bit about a prisoner who was offered champagne for the first time but turned it down to the shock and surprise of the prosecutors. Jokes about the garotte and electric chair may be in extremely bad taste but they drive the point home. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member 7.6/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2gg Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Obra maestra absoluta Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member "El Verdugo" es un clásico del cine español, una comedia muy simpática sobre un hombre, la hija y su marido (un enterrador quien tiene que hacerse pasar por un verdugo para no perder su departamento). El humor de la cinta es subversivo, creando una sátira de las clases sociales y el desprecio a ciertas profesiones (el hombre mayor se la pasa defendiéndola). "El Verdugo", dirigida por Luis Garcia Berlanga, es una propuesta muy entretenida y ligera con momentos llenos de encanto y sorpresiva emotividad. Recomendable. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Executioner

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