Alfonso XII (Vicente Parra) was King of Spain , reigning from 1874 to 1885 , after a coup d'état restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic . Having been forced into exile after the Glorious Revolution deposed his mother Isabella II (Mercedes Vecino) from the throne in 1868 , Alfonso studied in France . There he meets Maria De Las Mercedes (Paquito Rico) and he has a crush on her . His mother abdicated in his favour in 1870 , and he returned to Spain as king in 1874 following a military coup carried out by General Martínez Campos who proclaimed in Sagunto , Alfonso XII as King of Spain . Within a few days after Canovas del Castillo (Jose Marco Davo) took power as Premier , the new King , proclaimed on 29 December 1874 , arrived at Madrid , passing through Barcelona and Valencia and was acclaimed everywhere (1875) . Initially led by Canovas del Castillo as moderate prime minister , what was thought at one time as a coup aimed at placing the military in the political-administrative positions of power, in reality ushered in a permanent civilian regime that lasted until the 1931 Second Republic . Cánovas was the real architect of the new regime of the Restoration . In 1876 Alfonso signs the ¨Constitution of 1876¨ , and carries out a vigorous campaign against the Carlists , in which the young king took part , resulted in the defeat of Don Carlos and the Duke's abandonment of the struggle . He also terminated the Cuba War , as the victory over the New York-backed Cuban revolutionaries, and led to a huge backing both by insular and peninsular Spaniards of Alfonso as a wise and able King and Alfonso is nicknamed ¨the pacifier¨ . In 1885 , Alfonso died , just short of his 28th birthday, at the Royal Palace of El Pardo . He had been suffering from tuberculosis, but the immediate cause of his death was a recurrence of dysentery .
This is a historical flick plenty of drama , emotion , romance , luxurious sets and evocative moments . Being based on the successful play by Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena and screenplay by Manuel Tamayo and Baus . The film relies heavily on the love story between Alfonso XII and Maria De Las Mercedes and the obstinate opposition of his mother Isabel II until the ultimate wedding celebration . Mediocre interpretation from the main cast , usually telling marvelous things about Spain and the Spanish people , as Vicente Parra consolidates his uneven career in his most known role and ¨Tonadillera¨ Paquita Rico sings some catching as well as grandiloquent songs . Actors recite pompous sentences and empty words , including their lost looks . The support cast is pretty good , such as Tomas Blanco , Jesús Tordesillas , Mariano Azaña , Antonio Riquelme , Rafael Bardem , Xan Das Bolas , Erasmo Pascual , Ángel Álvarez and Felix Dafauce as Duque de Montpensier , Maria Mercedes's father . The main attraction of the film turns out to be the wonderful scenarios by the prestigious production designer Enrique Alarcón , being shot on location in the lush palaces from Royal Palace of Madrid , Palacio De La Granja De San Ildefonso and Palace of Aranjuez . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by the notorious cameraman Jose F Aguayo . At the end takes place a dramatic finale , following a second part titled ¨Donde Vas Triste De Ti¨ with similar artistic and technician team in which Alfonso married a much more distant relative , Maria Christina of Austria , daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria , being directed by Alfonso Balcázar and produced by Eduardo Manzanos Brochero.
The motion picture was professionally directed by a good filmmaker , Luis Cesar Amadori , here this craftsman blends popular as well as historical happenings . Amadori was an Italian-born former journalist and music critic who became a leading stage producer and dramatist , and , subsequently, writer-director of motion pictures in Argentina . Luis was manager in 150 theatrical spectacles . He debuts in ¨Puerto Nuevo¨(1936) co-directed by Mario Soffici . Amadori often used the pseudonym ¨Gabriel Peña¨ when he wrote his scripts . After the overthrow of Peron worked in Spain for a decade , for 1958 to 1968 he made 17 films , such as : 1965 Más Bonita Que Ninguna , 1964 El Señor De La Salle with Mel Ferrer , 1964 Como Dos Gotas Agua , 1963 La Casta Susana , 1961 Pecado De Amor , 1961 Alerta en el Cielo , 1960 Mi Ultimo tango , 1960 Un Trono para Cristy , 1959 Una Gran Señora , 1958 Una Muchachita De Valladolid . Most of them were vehicles of popular actresses as Rocio Durcal , Marujita Diaz , ¨Pili and Mili¨ and Sara Montiel with whom made his biggest success ¨La Violetera¨ (1958) .
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